london
I got an email from the evening standard telling me of a free tea party organised by royalalbert.com
they have got a new range of designs for tea things and want to advertise it by holding tea parties in various places as pop ups.
i went there this morning in golden square and it is very pleasant. they dont mind anyone joining them. u just sit on the tables all set up with the tea things and cakes and macaroons. it is the first time i ate macaroons, i have heard a lot of them by bloggers saying how wonderful they are.
but now i have tasted them i dont see what the fuss is about. i asked a lady who was seated at my table, and she said it is soft as if that is a recommendation.
i would prefer them crisp. do u think the ones i had have gone off? the fresh ones are crisp maybe.
it was v sweet.
too sweet really but goes very well with the tea.
the cups are really very nice, with patterns inside as well as coloured outside.
it was very pleasant to chat and have tea.
if u see them go ahead and drink the tea. they are v welcoming.
it is more fun for the ladies, because there was a makeup lady there who would dress them in the period fashion.
here is the link to their other dates
the one on 27sept in soho square , and 28th sept fitzroy square i might go there if i happen to be in the area.
i went to the gym at waterloo to have a look at it before they open on monday 24sept. it is very big, and very light, even though it is below ground.
and they even have classes at no extra cost. they are still giving out the £10.99 monthly membership, though u have to pay the joining fee of about £20. i did not have to because i joined earlier.
and of course everything looks new.
and they have three lots of the same machines which i think is very generous. no waiting around even if the place is crowded.
this saturday and sunday they are having some kind of event going on. there will be head massages etc. so might be nice to go there this weekend.
i heard that the fitness first gym in victoria street has closed 31aug. i think they have moved their members to the other branch in cardinal place.
it would be v crowded there if they have merged the two .
one of the guys in the meetup group i joined asked in the discussion section for guys to join him if they want company in the restaurant festival in london 1oct-15oct. it happens annually when the restaurants offer set menus for £10, £20 ,£50. and obviously it would be nicer to go there with other people rather than alone.
i was tempted until i went to the website and saw the menu they were offering for the price and realised it is quite ordinary fare. but maybe because i was looking at first at the £10 menu, once u look at the £20 ones they seem more worthwhile when u consider the usual price is that much for one main. and u get 3course or so.
i was seeing the one by quince, in mayfair, and even though they do not say what u will get for your money, their normal fare sounds good. though u may not get their signature dishes for that fixed menu price.
(but their drinks will cost more too and wine will be expensive, unless u dont drink wine which many will not agree.) so in the end, u wont really save much, but u will get a fuller meal for a little bit less than normal price.
its been ages since i ate in any of these classy joints.
there were no malaysian restaurants this year, nor vietnamese . maybe because u can get a nice meal for less than £10 if u dont bother with a starter.
i think it is better to just go there and buy the main meal. this applies to malaysian or chinese meals, not western ones, and i think u would eat better for the same price.
the starter is not worth the money. it is only my opinion, i am sure to the western eater used to starter, mains, and dessert, the experience is what they would be happy to pay more for. not to mention the wine. they will want that for sure.
after adding drinks and tips , u would be spending more. it is difficult just from reading the menu to find out which ones are good value for money. here maybe u need someone to recommend.
to me, the main meal is the important one. the starter would just ruin my appetite for the main meal. as for the dessert, i think i wont need that as i expect to be full from the main meal and see no need to eat anything more.
if i want something to round it off, i prefer fruits.
definitely not anything sweet.
but then that is me.
but i think these fixed price menus will mean no trouble splitting the bill because everyone is eating the same price.
the restaurants will hope the diners will drink wine and that should make it v profitable for them.
there are a lot of tv programs about cooking, all them making it like a competition so that they are rushing through their cooking because they have to beat the clock. it is a silly way of cooking, but then tv is about entertaining.
there is a news article about foreign crayfish taking over hampstead ponds, and killing off the local species. they are saying the foreign crayfish are fierce little biters and warned naked swimmer to watch out. haha.
but there have been no naked swimming in the men's ponds for ages.
one angler belonging to the hampstead pond anglers says he caught 100 in 1hr. i wonder how to get those crayfish, they would make delicious eating.
how to join such a society ... anglers specially to catch these crayfish. i would join straight away.haha.
Here is how to catch and cook crayfish.
Showing posts with label gym changes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gym changes. Show all posts
Friday, 21 September 2012
Friday, 20 July 2012
happenstance thegymgroup.com
london
I walked today to waterloo station to buy the cheap day return ticket for the naked walk tomorrow, (there is a short cut i can take to get to waterloo station from my place) .
the ticket is £13.40 which is reasonable considering the last time i checked about 3 or4 yrs ago it was £10.50.
i was wandering around the area checking things out, and outside the station on the eastern side i saw two guys handing out leaflet, and it was for a gym, so i took it and was told it was just down the road , a new gym going to open in september, and they are offering £10.99 monthly membership and no starting fee. i asked is it related to the gym in vauxhall, and he said yes.
it is thegymgroup.com anyone can join the waterloo gym. just be aware that it wont open till sept 2012, so they will take one payment in august, and then nothing till one month after the gym opens and monthly from then on...
this new waterloo gym is in the same building as travellodge. so they will be able to offer the facillities to the hotel guests too. at only £5 a daily pass, it will be a good extra service that the travelodge can offer its guests.
the normal fee is £19.99 or something like that and there is a £20 start fee. so this new gym is a way to get in without paying the start fee and get half the normal monthly fee.
What's more, it is open 24hrs, and I can go anytime. my previous gym restricts me to before 11am.
hope to see u there if u join and let me know. it would be nice to make friends from the gym.
so when i returned i got online and joined. the gym wont be opened till sept. which suits me fine, as i want to give going to the gym a rest but come september and the winter, i think i shall want to get back to the gym again.
Added. 25.7.12 got an email from thegymgroup telling me that the waterloo gym will open 12pm 24.9.12, but before that from 1.9.12 at 10am we can go have a look at it.
Added. 13.9.12 got an email from the group saying they are keeping the membership fee at £10.99 for a year for anyone joining now, though they have to pay the joining fee.
they may be over extending themselves with so many branches so near each other. the stockwell and vauxhall branch are nearby.
my muscles need building up...haha. A shapely muscled body is always nice to look at and to feel and i am talking of others seeing it. our faces may show that we are not young anymore, but the body can always look good at any age and easier to maintain its looks than the face.
This new waterloo gym is further away from my flat than the fitness first gym that i was a member of; and further from the vauxhall branch,though still within easy walking or biking distance; but after a year when the membership reverts to the full price, i shall take out the multi gym offer which costs the same and then go to the vauxhall gym.
so there it is , i am glad i met those two guys giving out the leaflet to the gym. i can see thegymgroup have made deep inroads into the other gym companies like fitness first. esp now that fitness first have stopped giving us free coffee/tea.
maybe fitness first will reduce its membership fees to almost as low as this thegymgroup. to try to compete. my old fee was £26.50 a month. cant imagine they can afford to reduce it further. now i am able to get it for £10.99 a month for a year at least.
in the end, we dont really need saunas, steam rooms etc. they become a distraction from the body building. u end up not exercising but going straight to the sauna .
i have to admit i would enjoy going there for their showers. my shower pressure is very low ever since upstairs neighbours above me did something to their bathroom, and reduce the water pressure.
but in the meantime i shall have about 3 months of summer to enjoy the outdoors and london.
i read in the guardian about the beach,a artificial sandy beach being recreated in the greenwich peninsula , following the paris idea of making an artificial sandy beach in the city. good idea. pity it is so far from me. it has been delayed opening this year, 9 days to go according to the website; but it will operate normally may till sept every year for 5yrs. its a great addition to london.
but as a nudist i shall prefer going to the highgate men naked sunbathing area once the sun comes out and it is easier for me to get there too.
hope the sun comes out for tomorrow, saturday when i go naked walking.
i read that we should get exercising about 2hrs every week. and going naked walking is a nice way to get my exercise haha.
so things in my life are going along fine. even the sun is coming out now and forecast to come out more next week . next monday is forecast to be sunny, i might go to the highgate naked area that day; we might be in for some summer weather at last.
I walked today to waterloo station to buy the cheap day return ticket for the naked walk tomorrow, (there is a short cut i can take to get to waterloo station from my place) .
the ticket is £13.40 which is reasonable considering the last time i checked about 3 or4 yrs ago it was £10.50.
i was wandering around the area checking things out, and outside the station on the eastern side i saw two guys handing out leaflet, and it was for a gym, so i took it and was told it was just down the road , a new gym going to open in september, and they are offering £10.99 monthly membership and no starting fee. i asked is it related to the gym in vauxhall, and he said yes.
it is thegymgroup.com anyone can join the waterloo gym. just be aware that it wont open till sept 2012, so they will take one payment in august, and then nothing till one month after the gym opens and monthly from then on...
this new waterloo gym is in the same building as travellodge. so they will be able to offer the facillities to the hotel guests too. at only £5 a daily pass, it will be a good extra service that the travelodge can offer its guests.
the normal fee is £19.99 or something like that and there is a £20 start fee. so this new gym is a way to get in without paying the start fee and get half the normal monthly fee.
What's more, it is open 24hrs, and I can go anytime. my previous gym restricts me to before 11am.
hope to see u there if u join and let me know. it would be nice to make friends from the gym.
so when i returned i got online and joined. the gym wont be opened till sept. which suits me fine, as i want to give going to the gym a rest but come september and the winter, i think i shall want to get back to the gym again.
Added. 25.7.12 got an email from thegymgroup telling me that the waterloo gym will open 12pm 24.9.12, but before that from 1.9.12 at 10am we can go have a look at it.
Added. 13.9.12 got an email from the group saying they are keeping the membership fee at £10.99 for a year for anyone joining now, though they have to pay the joining fee.
they may be over extending themselves with so many branches so near each other. the stockwell and vauxhall branch are nearby.
my muscles need building up...haha. A shapely muscled body is always nice to look at and to feel and i am talking of others seeing it. our faces may show that we are not young anymore, but the body can always look good at any age and easier to maintain its looks than the face.
This new waterloo gym is further away from my flat than the fitness first gym that i was a member of; and further from the vauxhall branch,though still within easy walking or biking distance; but after a year when the membership reverts to the full price, i shall take out the multi gym offer which costs the same and then go to the vauxhall gym.
so there it is , i am glad i met those two guys giving out the leaflet to the gym. i can see thegymgroup have made deep inroads into the other gym companies like fitness first. esp now that fitness first have stopped giving us free coffee/tea.
maybe fitness first will reduce its membership fees to almost as low as this thegymgroup. to try to compete. my old fee was £26.50 a month. cant imagine they can afford to reduce it further. now i am able to get it for £10.99 a month for a year at least.
in the end, we dont really need saunas, steam rooms etc. they become a distraction from the body building. u end up not exercising but going straight to the sauna .
i have to admit i would enjoy going there for their showers. my shower pressure is very low ever since upstairs neighbours above me did something to their bathroom, and reduce the water pressure.
but in the meantime i shall have about 3 months of summer to enjoy the outdoors and london.
i read in the guardian about the beach,a artificial sandy beach being recreated in the greenwich peninsula , following the paris idea of making an artificial sandy beach in the city. good idea. pity it is so far from me. it has been delayed opening this year, 9 days to go according to the website; but it will operate normally may till sept every year for 5yrs. its a great addition to london.
but as a nudist i shall prefer going to the highgate men naked sunbathing area once the sun comes out and it is easier for me to get there too.
hope the sun comes out for tomorrow, saturday when i go naked walking.
i read that we should get exercising about 2hrs every week. and going naked walking is a nice way to get my exercise haha.
so things in my life are going along fine. even the sun is coming out now and forecast to come out more next week . next monday is forecast to be sunny, i might go to the highgate naked area that day; we might be in for some summer weather at last.
Friday, 29 June 2012
wettest june since 1860
london
I note this with mild curiosity. funny that i do not get the impression it was particularly rainy...nor cold. i dont notice it. i read of flooding in other parts of the country but in london i dont see it round where i live.
and i hardly notice when it rains, because in my first floor flat, i dont hear it, and only when i happen to look out of the window, do i notice the furious rain lashing on the ground.
Just goes to show that record events can pass over the person who actually live during that period and they do not notice it.
until such times like this when i read it in the papers. i suppose that is what records are for, haha. so we can say, 'fancy that', 'well, i never' haha.
today has been milder, 22C highest temperature, and cloudy. i like it, and when there was a fine misty rain when i left the gym, my last day there, i felt very happy, imagining all the dratty pollen being washed down to the ground and kept there. i dont know why grass want to keep shooting off those huge amounts of pollen every summer.it is in their nature... but they are damn pesky things.
ya, today is my last day at my gym. boo hoo... not really!
I am glad to leave it as the gym is being renovated with the machines rearranged and all over the place. it is not a very restful place to work out. they are enlarging the space in preparation for the merging of the gym with the other branch in victoria.
but after today, i shall not have my routine every morning to perform now. that circuit of gym-shower-library will be broken. i wonder what i shall put to replace it.
Added. 9pm. I have got back from the supermarket foraging. i had intended to buy fruits for my naked party this sunday, but they were reducing these cakes , blueberry cheesecake £6 to 99p, walnut cake and lime/coconut cake 5" from £2.25 to .54p.so i bought them for the party. there will be about 11 people coming.
there was a 1.3kg chicken reduced to 99p too and i bought that. I fancy making a curry out of it.
its quite rare to get cheesecake reduced. the original price is rather expensive, dont you think?
i bought a gold blend roast coffee as well, now that i am not going to the gym and getting free coffee,(though they have stopped the coffee 2months ago, and only now am i buying coffee) i suppose i shall have to buy it now. haha.
i thought i should give my guests the option of having coffee and tea.
so i am all set for the party.
only thing left is to clean the lounge.
Added.30.6.12 9.30pm.i have cleaned the lounge and the kitchen. the lounge look great now, rather bare but clean. i removed all the clutter and put them in my bedroom.
i might take this chance to sort out the clutter now packed in bags in my bedroom , and throw stuff away.
i never knew how much cobwebs and dust the corners of the room can accumulate, even found a spider, the longlegged kind. naturally i let it be. Spiders are good.
I wonder where they go during winter when even though I am wrapped warm but since i dont have the heating on, my flat is cold, i am sure they cannot survive. maybe they move next door. haha.
Added.15.7.12 took me this long to add this. i noticed that the cheesecake was all gooey when we ate it at the naked party. so not many ate it and lots left over. i put it back in the fridge and we ate it over the next few days and i notice it was really very nice and firm... it seems it needs to be chilled so that the cheese is kept firm. hmm, that is a tip i hand to you guys. haha.
I note this with mild curiosity. funny that i do not get the impression it was particularly rainy...nor cold. i dont notice it. i read of flooding in other parts of the country but in london i dont see it round where i live.
and i hardly notice when it rains, because in my first floor flat, i dont hear it, and only when i happen to look out of the window, do i notice the furious rain lashing on the ground.
Just goes to show that record events can pass over the person who actually live during that period and they do not notice it.
until such times like this when i read it in the papers. i suppose that is what records are for, haha. so we can say, 'fancy that', 'well, i never' haha.
today has been milder, 22C highest temperature, and cloudy. i like it, and when there was a fine misty rain when i left the gym, my last day there, i felt very happy, imagining all the dratty pollen being washed down to the ground and kept there. i dont know why grass want to keep shooting off those huge amounts of pollen every summer.it is in their nature... but they are damn pesky things.
ya, today is my last day at my gym. boo hoo... not really!
I am glad to leave it as the gym is being renovated with the machines rearranged and all over the place. it is not a very restful place to work out. they are enlarging the space in preparation for the merging of the gym with the other branch in victoria.
but after today, i shall not have my routine every morning to perform now. that circuit of gym-shower-library will be broken. i wonder what i shall put to replace it.
Added. 9pm. I have got back from the supermarket foraging. i had intended to buy fruits for my naked party this sunday, but they were reducing these cakes , blueberry cheesecake £6 to 99p, walnut cake and lime/coconut cake 5" from £2.25 to .54p.so i bought them for the party. there will be about 11 people coming.
there was a 1.3kg chicken reduced to 99p too and i bought that. I fancy making a curry out of it.
its quite rare to get cheesecake reduced. the original price is rather expensive, dont you think?
i bought a gold blend roast coffee as well, now that i am not going to the gym and getting free coffee,(though they have stopped the coffee 2months ago, and only now am i buying coffee) i suppose i shall have to buy it now. haha.
i thought i should give my guests the option of having coffee and tea.
so i am all set for the party.
only thing left is to clean the lounge.
Added.30.6.12 9.30pm.i have cleaned the lounge and the kitchen. the lounge look great now, rather bare but clean. i removed all the clutter and put them in my bedroom.
i might take this chance to sort out the clutter now packed in bags in my bedroom , and throw stuff away.
i never knew how much cobwebs and dust the corners of the room can accumulate, even found a spider, the longlegged kind. naturally i let it be. Spiders are good.
I wonder where they go during winter when even though I am wrapped warm but since i dont have the heating on, my flat is cold, i am sure they cannot survive. maybe they move next door. haha.
Added.15.7.12 took me this long to add this. i noticed that the cheesecake was all gooey when we ate it at the naked party. so not many ate it and lots left over. i put it back in the fridge and we ate it over the next few days and i notice it was really very nice and firm... it seems it needs to be chilled so that the cheese is kept firm. hmm, that is a tip i hand to you guys. haha.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
man city won premier league/i end my gym membership
london
I am not a great fan of football but just now was a thrilling game.
simon and i were watching the bbc match commentary live and we heard that QPR scored 2-1 against Man City, and so looks like Man City lost the premier league
.
Then at the last 10secs Man City took 2 goals and scored 3-2 and won ... they last won 44yrs ago.
what a nail biting finish.
It wasn't really 10secs, of course. It just happened that we were seeing the subtitles on bbc, where it said man city scored the first goal and that subtitle was on for sometime obviously, it just so happened simon switched over to that channel, after the channel i was watching ended; and so we saw it only just now.(and we were speculating that maybe man city may still have a chance to win if man united lose to bolton. they were showing the scoreboard listing all the teams playing that day; then 10secs after we saw that score, it changed and said man city scored again. and we knew they won.
i can see why people like football, it is so unpredictable, and even these clubs throwing huge amounts of money into players cannot guarantee a win.
QPR is a strange club. They seem to have beat the top clubs arsenal, chelsea,, man united but lost to everyone else that is why they are facing relegation.
what a giant killer ,and yet facing relegation.
Though QPR just avoided relegation, because the 3 clubs below it all lost their final matches.
I have decided to terminate my gym membership. Gave notice today, and it will end 30june.
the title makes it look as if man city winning the premier league made me decide to end my gym membership . haha. not so of course.
I have been toying with the idea of leaving the gym. And what happened this afternoon make me take the decision.
i went to the other branch and read the new magazine which they have provided. Fab, it is called, a magazine for businesswomen to start their own business. There was an article about using google doc and site to share business stuff ... I thought it was useful but when i got back and tried to use the doc, i could not work it.
(Added. dropbox is better. it is easier to use, though i have uninstalled it as i find i dont really use it that much. it is great for travellers or people with lots of gadgets to access the internet, smartphones , etc . or people who want to share documents as additions to the docs can be made by everyone in the group in real time.
But coming back to the gym, i think i can still visit the other branch of the gym where they still have coffee and free magazines to read, without being a member...
Then, when i was walking back past the victoria train station, i saw a man on a wheelchair using a lever operated by his arms to move the wheelchair, and i made a comment in passing saying what a good idea and an elderly man near me overheard and agreed with me. When i said it is not wise to sit on a wheelchair for it is the slippery slope to death, he agreed too and said he walks all over london as an exercise everyday.
Which makes me think i could do that too except i shall cycle and go to see and do things.
I find going to the gym is not so interesting anymore, what with them stopping the papers, and beverages ... i shall move on to another form of exercise. cycling around london and going to see things, like the Vollard suite of picasso etchings showing in the British museum now. Usually art exhibitions dont interest me, but these etchings by picasso are really something else. And free to see too.
This is not the first time i have resigned from a gym. i have been with this gym for 3years i think (i should search my blog to see when i joined.) but before this gym i was gym-less for 8mths. so i know what it is like not to go to a gym and it is not such a bad thing.
I am not a great fan of football but just now was a thrilling game.
simon and i were watching the bbc match commentary live and we heard that QPR scored 2-1 against Man City, and so looks like Man City lost the premier league
.
Then at the last 10secs Man City took 2 goals and scored 3-2 and won ... they last won 44yrs ago.
what a nail biting finish.
It wasn't really 10secs, of course. It just happened that we were seeing the subtitles on bbc, where it said man city scored the first goal and that subtitle was on for sometime obviously, it just so happened simon switched over to that channel, after the channel i was watching ended; and so we saw it only just now.(and we were speculating that maybe man city may still have a chance to win if man united lose to bolton. they were showing the scoreboard listing all the teams playing that day; then 10secs after we saw that score, it changed and said man city scored again. and we knew they won.
i can see why people like football, it is so unpredictable, and even these clubs throwing huge amounts of money into players cannot guarantee a win.
QPR is a strange club. They seem to have beat the top clubs arsenal, chelsea,, man united but lost to everyone else that is why they are facing relegation.
what a giant killer ,and yet facing relegation.
Though QPR just avoided relegation, because the 3 clubs below it all lost their final matches.
I have decided to terminate my gym membership. Gave notice today, and it will end 30june.
the title makes it look as if man city winning the premier league made me decide to end my gym membership . haha. not so of course.
I have been toying with the idea of leaving the gym. And what happened this afternoon make me take the decision.
i went to the other branch and read the new magazine which they have provided. Fab, it is called, a magazine for businesswomen to start their own business. There was an article about using google doc and site to share business stuff ... I thought it was useful but when i got back and tried to use the doc, i could not work it.
(Added. dropbox is better. it is easier to use, though i have uninstalled it as i find i dont really use it that much. it is great for travellers or people with lots of gadgets to access the internet, smartphones , etc . or people who want to share documents as additions to the docs can be made by everyone in the group in real time.
But coming back to the gym, i think i can still visit the other branch of the gym where they still have coffee and free magazines to read, without being a member...
Then, when i was walking back past the victoria train station, i saw a man on a wheelchair using a lever operated by his arms to move the wheelchair, and i made a comment in passing saying what a good idea and an elderly man near me overheard and agreed with me. When i said it is not wise to sit on a wheelchair for it is the slippery slope to death, he agreed too and said he walks all over london as an exercise everyday.
Which makes me think i could do that too except i shall cycle and go to see and do things.
I find going to the gym is not so interesting anymore, what with them stopping the papers, and beverages ... i shall move on to another form of exercise. cycling around london and going to see things, like the Vollard suite of picasso etchings showing in the British museum now. Usually art exhibitions dont interest me, but these etchings by picasso are really something else. And free to see too.
This is not the first time i have resigned from a gym. i have been with this gym for 3years i think (i should search my blog to see when i joined.) but before this gym i was gym-less for 8mths. so i know what it is like not to go to a gym and it is not such a bad thing.
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
interesting news
london
Interesting to me anyway.
the first one is news of facebook paying $1billion for instagram. Who that, u might well ask, or maybe u are one of those who have been members of it allready.
Tell me what u like about it, if you are one of the people ahead of the curve and have been riding this one before the rest of the world.
i read in city am, the free paper, that this app for mobiles have only been around since nov2010. and it has doubled its members within weeks, and now it has 27million members.
only slightly 1 yr old and allready can command such a lot of money. Facebook is no fool, it is the only time they have paid such a huge amount of money for any acquisition.
i had a look at the website, and it looks nice, and there is even a blog by the owner who tells people of new features and publish examples of pictures sent to them.
I know the world is getting more visually orientated nowadays, not many people write anymore, they just send pictures to the world and get it resent by followers.
pinterest was the one i heard about , where u pin other people's pictures and resend it. this instagram is your own pictures which u can make arty with different filters, so distorting the view or enhancing the colours to produce something weird or more beautiful than in real life.
so u can take a mundane picture of your high street and make it look like it is taken on Mars.
facebook seem to think this app is important, either that or as some commentators suggested it wants to buy it so it does not become a competitor.
Will it all fizzle out or not? i cannot tell, as i am clueless when it comes to the next money making trend.
There is all this talk of social networks being the next advertising gimmick to make people buy via recommendation.
instagram does not make any money, and provides all their services free, so where is the money? people say follow the money, but when there is no money , how to follow it?
do they hope people will take a picture of their starbucks coffee and change the colours and make it distorted, and post it and everyone and his wife will descend on the nearest starbucks to order coffee.... ?
When it is so difficult to make a success of ordinary businesses which provide a good service, like my fitness gym... people must wonder what a strange new world we are living in that doing the internet is much more lucrative.
it has to be said that my fitness gym is in trouble because of a private equity paying too much for it, and unable to sell it off by floating it on the singapore stock market. so that is different from being bought by a rich business like facebook.
Advertisements seem to be the secret of the money making potential of the internet websites. it is strange that my fitness gym hasn't got advertisements in the gym, or make their website more interactive with their members.
Such a website would have huge members numbers, and that would attract the advertisers, surely... ?
they have a members discount card, but no one had asked me to join. it is free, so why didnt they just make it an automatic membership for everyone who is a member? and enrol us all in the website... ? where we can chat and make contact with each other and talk about exercises or whatever...? or find gym partners or just socialise together??
i think they missed an opportunity there.
Today i went to the victoria branch of my gym and was told that they are not accepting me entry as i belong to another branch, not today, not for weekends... no more.
Luckily i was not told this before, so i was able to go there and use the gym during the Easter bank holiday... i think the holiday staff are not so strict about who gets entry.
but now that i am told, i am not sure i will be so brazen as to go there next weekend. So that is a bother for me, haha.
I asked if i can shift my membership to that branch, and was told that i can do, and at the same tariff.
So i went to my branch, and ask to transfer and guess what. i was told that that other branch is due for closure. And he said if i join them now, i shall be stuck with a 12 month contract and cannot cancel even when they close and will end up here, in my present gym. Well, well... is this priviledge information or what? that the other branch is going to be closed.
I have heard from the papers that the company is trying to change their business structure by asking their rental landlords to reduce the rent, and closing unprofitable branches.
it is extravagant of the company to have two separate branches so close to each other in the same area at present. the branch i am in, is bigger, more spacious, though has a very bad(as in small) lounge area (which the receptionist made clear to me that it is not going to influence which branch gets closed) so it is likely the other branch will get the chop.
I noticed that the other branch is also looking run down, esp the men's shower area and toilets which suggests that they are not investing in it and so it is slatted to be closed. I think their lease must be close to its end.
do you think the staff at the other branch dont know they are likely to close?? What will happen to them? maybe they will transfer to my branch, and open during the weekend but if so many other branches throughout the network closes, there will bound to be redundancies.
Looks like not a good thing for the staff.
I forgot to say that i have got the freeview box to get the digital tv now that our analogue is being retired. yesterday, simon bought a dion single scart low energy digital set top box and now we can get all the channels.
The screen is sharper and have lost its double images.
the box only cost £17, i suppose because it has only a single scarp and so we cannot make our video recorder work.
just as well i have given up taping films on tv.
We have another tv in the bedroom which uses cable instead of an external antenna like the one in the living room. not sure if this setup box works for cable. we shall try it and see. hope it does then we can have two tvs to watch.
Well, it has been rather painless this changeover, hope i did not speak too soon, because the full changeover is on 18april, when all the channels turn digital.
even though i get all the channels now, i dont really bother with the others.
life is really very simple if u dont bother with all the other channels. and if there are nothing good to see on tv, i can always get online, or read the many books i borrowed from the library and clamouring ot be read. haha.
Interesting to me anyway.
the first one is news of facebook paying $1billion for instagram. Who that, u might well ask, or maybe u are one of those who have been members of it allready.
Tell me what u like about it, if you are one of the people ahead of the curve and have been riding this one before the rest of the world.
i read in city am, the free paper, that this app for mobiles have only been around since nov2010. and it has doubled its members within weeks, and now it has 27million members.
only slightly 1 yr old and allready can command such a lot of money. Facebook is no fool, it is the only time they have paid such a huge amount of money for any acquisition.
i had a look at the website, and it looks nice, and there is even a blog by the owner who tells people of new features and publish examples of pictures sent to them.
I know the world is getting more visually orientated nowadays, not many people write anymore, they just send pictures to the world and get it resent by followers.
pinterest was the one i heard about , where u pin other people's pictures and resend it. this instagram is your own pictures which u can make arty with different filters, so distorting the view or enhancing the colours to produce something weird or more beautiful than in real life.
so u can take a mundane picture of your high street and make it look like it is taken on Mars.
facebook seem to think this app is important, either that or as some commentators suggested it wants to buy it so it does not become a competitor.
Will it all fizzle out or not? i cannot tell, as i am clueless when it comes to the next money making trend.
There is all this talk of social networks being the next advertising gimmick to make people buy via recommendation.
instagram does not make any money, and provides all their services free, so where is the money? people say follow the money, but when there is no money , how to follow it?
do they hope people will take a picture of their starbucks coffee and change the colours and make it distorted, and post it and everyone and his wife will descend on the nearest starbucks to order coffee.... ?
When it is so difficult to make a success of ordinary businesses which provide a good service, like my fitness gym... people must wonder what a strange new world we are living in that doing the internet is much more lucrative.
it has to be said that my fitness gym is in trouble because of a private equity paying too much for it, and unable to sell it off by floating it on the singapore stock market. so that is different from being bought by a rich business like facebook.
Advertisements seem to be the secret of the money making potential of the internet websites. it is strange that my fitness gym hasn't got advertisements in the gym, or make their website more interactive with their members.
Such a website would have huge members numbers, and that would attract the advertisers, surely... ?
they have a members discount card, but no one had asked me to join. it is free, so why didnt they just make it an automatic membership for everyone who is a member? and enrol us all in the website... ? where we can chat and make contact with each other and talk about exercises or whatever...? or find gym partners or just socialise together??
i think they missed an opportunity there.
Today i went to the victoria branch of my gym and was told that they are not accepting me entry as i belong to another branch, not today, not for weekends... no more.
Luckily i was not told this before, so i was able to go there and use the gym during the Easter bank holiday... i think the holiday staff are not so strict about who gets entry.
but now that i am told, i am not sure i will be so brazen as to go there next weekend. So that is a bother for me, haha.
I asked if i can shift my membership to that branch, and was told that i can do, and at the same tariff.
So i went to my branch, and ask to transfer and guess what. i was told that that other branch is due for closure. And he said if i join them now, i shall be stuck with a 12 month contract and cannot cancel even when they close and will end up here, in my present gym. Well, well... is this priviledge information or what? that the other branch is going to be closed.
I have heard from the papers that the company is trying to change their business structure by asking their rental landlords to reduce the rent, and closing unprofitable branches.
it is extravagant of the company to have two separate branches so close to each other in the same area at present. the branch i am in, is bigger, more spacious, though has a very bad(as in small) lounge area (which the receptionist made clear to me that it is not going to influence which branch gets closed) so it is likely the other branch will get the chop.
I noticed that the other branch is also looking run down, esp the men's shower area and toilets which suggests that they are not investing in it and so it is slatted to be closed. I think their lease must be close to its end.
do you think the staff at the other branch dont know they are likely to close?? What will happen to them? maybe they will transfer to my branch, and open during the weekend but if so many other branches throughout the network closes, there will bound to be redundancies.
Looks like not a good thing for the staff.
I forgot to say that i have got the freeview box to get the digital tv now that our analogue is being retired. yesterday, simon bought a dion single scart low energy digital set top box and now we can get all the channels.
The screen is sharper and have lost its double images.
the box only cost £17, i suppose because it has only a single scarp and so we cannot make our video recorder work.
just as well i have given up taping films on tv.
We have another tv in the bedroom which uses cable instead of an external antenna like the one in the living room. not sure if this setup box works for cable. we shall try it and see. hope it does then we can have two tvs to watch.
Well, it has been rather painless this changeover, hope i did not speak too soon, because the full changeover is on 18april, when all the channels turn digital.
even though i get all the channels now, i dont really bother with the others.
life is really very simple if u dont bother with all the other channels. and if there are nothing good to see on tv, i can always get online, or read the many books i borrowed from the library and clamouring ot be read. haha.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
starting my 20sec hard cycling workout
london
Just for the record, so i can remember when i started doing it.
its quite strenous, which is quite surprising, it left me breathless and almost fainting. and i only use number 9 on the scale of my cycling bike in the gym. i have a feeling i will improve as i go along, because stamina is something u can build up so that the first time feels like murder but later as u get stronger, and attain better stamina, you will find it easier.
I noticed my pulse rate shot up in the 3 increments to 144 beats per sec. usually it takes about 4mins or so to build up to 130 beats per sec, which is the range where calories get burned. i forgot to note how hard i cycled. the usual mark is 80... but of course if u are cycling as hard as you can it can be anywhere. i shall have to note what i attained and whether over time i can exceed it. it will be a measure of how much better i am getting.
i would rather i monitor myself this way than all the blood samples that the presenter had to do in that tv program.
after that i was too tired to do anything else except go lie on the mat wanting to do stretch and yoga moves, but in the end just lie there recovering.
so those of you who pooh poohed the idea, u will be surprised how much it takes out of you.
that is why i think it will work.
I saw a blog talking about how some gyms will force members to sign a 12month contract, or even longer and asking if that is good, because so many people just dont carry on attending after a first few months.
if this way of exercising catches on, short sharp high intensity training, than are gyms doomed? What is the point of having a gym membership? or do we still need to attend the gym to use the cycling machines. theoretically we can get a bike and cycle outdoors but it is too dangerous to cycle really fast outside. unless u can get access to a racing stadium.
so maybe we will still need to attend a gym. but i was thinking gyms might make themselves to be more socially friendly places with lounges offering free coffee/tea, to allow members an incentive to stay behind after their workout so that they can socialise.
Providing magazines and newspapers might be a good idea too, though in my experience, having newspapers makes me very unsociallable, as i want to read them and not want to be interrupted; and i am reluctant to engage others in conversation if i see them engrossed in a newspaper.
but i was wondering if gyms are finding it hard to retain their members, maybe making it a place to socialise might attract more people to join. what do you think about that suggestion?
I remember long ago, i used to belong to a YMCA gym, and they have a coffee bar overlooking the swimming pool. this is the holborn branch. some of u might remember it, and i enjoy hanging around after my workout because invariably others will congregate there and we can chat. or arrange to meet friends there. In those days, there were few starbucks or cafe nero so not many places to go.
it was a great cruising place. That time in the 80s, 90s. That YMCA was a very gay place. the YMCA fitness centre is still there but the accommodation which used to be a YMCA hostel is now the st giles hotel.
Added. 10.3.12 found out from someone who wrote into the letters column of the FT that it is called the central ymca, and peak membership for the gym is £54 a month, offpeak £44 a month. £30 joining fee. not sure if it also allows u to use the swimming pool. compare it with my £26.50 a month.
but i was thinking the format could be adapted by gyms to encourage socialising amongst its members.
My fitness first gym has free coffee/tea for years, and it does not seem to encourage socialising so maybe it does not work in the straight world. Now they are getting rid of the free refreshments and newspapers and the free hire of dvd films.
it will be interesting to see what they have to take its place. maybe more free exercise classes, yoga classes, etc?? though if this exercise regime i have taken up is successful there is no need to go to these classes.
Just for the record, so i can remember when i started doing it.
its quite strenous, which is quite surprising, it left me breathless and almost fainting. and i only use number 9 on the scale of my cycling bike in the gym. i have a feeling i will improve as i go along, because stamina is something u can build up so that the first time feels like murder but later as u get stronger, and attain better stamina, you will find it easier.
I noticed my pulse rate shot up in the 3 increments to 144 beats per sec. usually it takes about 4mins or so to build up to 130 beats per sec, which is the range where calories get burned. i forgot to note how hard i cycled. the usual mark is 80... but of course if u are cycling as hard as you can it can be anywhere. i shall have to note what i attained and whether over time i can exceed it. it will be a measure of how much better i am getting.
i would rather i monitor myself this way than all the blood samples that the presenter had to do in that tv program.
after that i was too tired to do anything else except go lie on the mat wanting to do stretch and yoga moves, but in the end just lie there recovering.
so those of you who pooh poohed the idea, u will be surprised how much it takes out of you.
that is why i think it will work.
I saw a blog talking about how some gyms will force members to sign a 12month contract, or even longer and asking if that is good, because so many people just dont carry on attending after a first few months.
if this way of exercising catches on, short sharp high intensity training, than are gyms doomed? What is the point of having a gym membership? or do we still need to attend the gym to use the cycling machines. theoretically we can get a bike and cycle outdoors but it is too dangerous to cycle really fast outside. unless u can get access to a racing stadium.
so maybe we will still need to attend a gym. but i was thinking gyms might make themselves to be more socially friendly places with lounges offering free coffee/tea, to allow members an incentive to stay behind after their workout so that they can socialise.
Providing magazines and newspapers might be a good idea too, though in my experience, having newspapers makes me very unsociallable, as i want to read them and not want to be interrupted; and i am reluctant to engage others in conversation if i see them engrossed in a newspaper.
but i was wondering if gyms are finding it hard to retain their members, maybe making it a place to socialise might attract more people to join. what do you think about that suggestion?
I remember long ago, i used to belong to a YMCA gym, and they have a coffee bar overlooking the swimming pool. this is the holborn branch. some of u might remember it, and i enjoy hanging around after my workout because invariably others will congregate there and we can chat. or arrange to meet friends there. In those days, there were few starbucks or cafe nero so not many places to go.
it was a great cruising place. That time in the 80s, 90s. That YMCA was a very gay place. the YMCA fitness centre is still there but the accommodation which used to be a YMCA hostel is now the st giles hotel.
Added. 10.3.12 found out from someone who wrote into the letters column of the FT that it is called the central ymca, and peak membership for the gym is £54 a month, offpeak £44 a month. £30 joining fee. not sure if it also allows u to use the swimming pool. compare it with my £26.50 a month.
but i was thinking the format could be adapted by gyms to encourage socialising amongst its members.
My fitness first gym has free coffee/tea for years, and it does not seem to encourage socialising so maybe it does not work in the straight world. Now they are getting rid of the free refreshments and newspapers and the free hire of dvd films.
it will be interesting to see what they have to take its place. maybe more free exercise classes, yoga classes, etc?? though if this exercise regime i have taken up is successful there is no need to go to these classes.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
a new way of exercising
london
There will be a tv program on tonight about this new way of exercising to improve insulin sensitivity and aerobic fitness.
Coming right after one of us in the family developing diabetes and renal failure it seems quite timely.
basically do intense cycling for 20secs, rest a minute or two, repeat 3 times , do it 3times a week for 4wks.
I shall do it and see.
sounds easy to do and does not take up much time.
link here to the article
you can see it online here
Added. 10.11pm. i saw the program and it is v interesting.
it confirms walking is good, that i know allready from my own observation. and i know how long to walk, about 90mins.
but keeping active and moving all day is something i did not realise was that important.
the chair is a killer... they said.
the doctor found that he did not get any gains from aerobic fitness because of his genes.Though his insulin sensitivity increased.
I have a feeling that if he breathes hard and more often and take exercises in breathing deep and long, he will improve his aerobic fitness.
I am glad the bus fares went up. Before that the tube fares went up which got me to take the bus instead and when the bus fares went up i began to walk instead, and to cycle.
I think tai chi and yoga are good to keep balance by exercising the muscles round joints. To be able to maintain balance is important. It stops you from falling and what is even better, from banging into things.
Added. 3.3.12 moving about seems to be the secret. people who take more than 10,000 steps, equivalent to walking 5miles a day stop the blood suger spiking after meals.
article in the new york times.
There will be a tv program on tonight about this new way of exercising to improve insulin sensitivity and aerobic fitness.
Coming right after one of us in the family developing diabetes and renal failure it seems quite timely.
basically do intense cycling for 20secs, rest a minute or two, repeat 3 times , do it 3times a week for 4wks.
I shall do it and see.
sounds easy to do and does not take up much time.
link here to the article
you can see it online here
Added. 10.11pm. i saw the program and it is v interesting.
it confirms walking is good, that i know allready from my own observation. and i know how long to walk, about 90mins.
but keeping active and moving all day is something i did not realise was that important.
the chair is a killer... they said.
the doctor found that he did not get any gains from aerobic fitness because of his genes.Though his insulin sensitivity increased.
I have a feeling that if he breathes hard and more often and take exercises in breathing deep and long, he will improve his aerobic fitness.
I am glad the bus fares went up. Before that the tube fares went up which got me to take the bus instead and when the bus fares went up i began to walk instead, and to cycle.
I think tai chi and yoga are good to keep balance by exercising the muscles round joints. To be able to maintain balance is important. It stops you from falling and what is even better, from banging into things.
Added. 3.3.12 moving about seems to be the secret. people who take more than 10,000 steps, equivalent to walking 5miles a day stop the blood suger spiking after meals.
article in the new york times.
Saturday, 25 February 2012
london
I was at the gym earlier today , not my usual branch but the weekend one, and saw two notices, saying they are stopping the free coffee and tea and going to provide coffee and tea vending machines. and they are going to stop the newspapers.
So finally the axe has fallen on those two free services.
rather sad for me, but i read recently that the company is having trouble financially. The usual story, a private equity fund bought it in 2006, paid over the odds , loaded the company with debt, so that even when it made a profit of £50million, it could not service the £100million of debt repayments.
Added 29.2.12. not sure what their problem is but today i read that they have a £18million interest payment . surely they could pay that out of their profit of £50million... i was puzzled but it seems they have £550million of debt, link here
This was also what happened to travellodge, the budget hotel chain which recently have to sell debt for equity. they are the chain that have a special offer of £10 per night , though in london the cheapest offer was £22 a night, and only for one night so if u want two nights u have to pay the normal rate for the next night. recently i have been seeing adverts from them offering £39 a night.
Added. 18.3.12 found out travelodge actually had a £100million a year debt repayment . here is the link
This fitness first branch is not my normal branch. my normal branch has given notice that the daily mail will be stopped but the FT remains. and no mention of removing the free coffee and tea so maybe my branch will still keep them. i know each branch has its own budget.
Added 27.2.12 too bad, i went to my regular gym today and saw the notice up there as well.
we shall see.
if they remove it entirely i shall move to a more basic gym or maybe not. There is one in vauxhall for about £16 a month.(correction: it is now £19.99 a month) but there is no sauna. i might even give up on the gym and go walking or cycling instead. because really walking is all u need in terms of exercise. and join a yoga, or tai chi class. you can do yoga and tai chi at home .
I go to the gym like it was a club. it is nice to have somewhere to go daily, another place to go instead of the library, gets me out of the flat. but without the newspapers, and coffee/tea is it worth £310 a year?
Changes will come. like my being forced to switch to google chrome . i find i like it so not all changes are bad.
The gym has this shortlist magazine provided free. i like it. there is a funny article by danny wallace in a lesson on how to order in a restaurant . he has a nice style in humour.
Added. 6.3.12 found out that the link is not to that article he wrote about the eating out, but to the latest one he wrote. So i am keeping the magazine, just to keep his articles. i daresay he will bring out a book compilation of all his articles as they are really gems of humour.
to read older articles by him go to the archive in the website.
The magazine is easier to read than its website... u have to hunt for the articles in the website and a lot of past issues crowd the page.
another article in this week's magazine talked of the digital future when we will be even more wired.but i think it will only affect some... ie some more wired than others. for eg, it says 50% have smartphones. well i dont have haha. and dont feel the lack.
There are competitions to enter too. this week there is a free holiday to thailand.
Talking of thailand, simon went yesterday to phuket for 2wks. he has a month's holiday, which he has to take or he will lose them.
Added 1.3.12 i got a reply from the fitness first organisation to my email.
Having investigated the possible refreshment options, we are introducing vending machines across all of theUK
Well, i did not expect them to change and reinstate things. i guess it does not matter. i was chatting to the trainers in the gym and asked them when the change will take place. the receptionist said it will be in april . i said will they keep the hot water ? one of the trainers said they are hoping to persuade management to keep the machine that provides the hot water.
i guess most of the coffee and tea is drunk by the trainers and people like me. i dont know how much of it is drunk by the members though today i did see some women drinking it, but not sure if they are trainers or members. coffee is rather expensive and they must use up quite a lot of it, not to mention providing suger and milk. it will be a significant saving i think.
i am hoping they keep the hot water machine. at least then we can bring our own coffee or tea. i dont use suger or milk so it would be no trouble for me. i hear the trainers saying does it mean they will have to provide their own milk and suger then.
come to think of it, even if they dont retain the hot water, i can still bring along a thermos of tea... so i guess it is not crucial.
so many things in life is not really necessary. dont you find this so?
I was at the gym earlier today , not my usual branch but the weekend one, and saw two notices, saying they are stopping the free coffee and tea and going to provide coffee and tea vending machines. and they are going to stop the newspapers.
So finally the axe has fallen on those two free services.
rather sad for me, but i read recently that the company is having trouble financially. The usual story, a private equity fund bought it in 2006, paid over the odds , loaded the company with debt, so that even when it made a profit of £50million, it could not service the £100million of debt repayments.
Added 29.2.12. not sure what their problem is but today i read that they have a £18million interest payment . surely they could pay that out of their profit of £50million... i was puzzled but it seems they have £550million of debt, link here
This was also what happened to travellodge, the budget hotel chain which recently have to sell debt for equity. they are the chain that have a special offer of £10 per night , though in london the cheapest offer was £22 a night, and only for one night so if u want two nights u have to pay the normal rate for the next night. recently i have been seeing adverts from them offering £39 a night.
Added. 18.3.12 found out travelodge actually had a £100million a year debt repayment . here is the link
This fitness first branch is not my normal branch. my normal branch has given notice that the daily mail will be stopped but the FT remains. and no mention of removing the free coffee and tea so maybe my branch will still keep them. i know each branch has its own budget.
Added 27.2.12 too bad, i went to my regular gym today and saw the notice up there as well.
we shall see.
if they remove it entirely i shall move to a more basic gym or maybe not. There is one in vauxhall for about £16 a month.(correction: it is now £19.99 a month) but there is no sauna. i might even give up on the gym and go walking or cycling instead. because really walking is all u need in terms of exercise. and join a yoga, or tai chi class. you can do yoga and tai chi at home .
I go to the gym like it was a club. it is nice to have somewhere to go daily, another place to go instead of the library, gets me out of the flat. but without the newspapers, and coffee/tea is it worth £310 a year?
Changes will come. like my being forced to switch to google chrome . i find i like it so not all changes are bad.
The gym has this shortlist magazine provided free. i like it. there is a funny article by danny wallace in a lesson on how to order in a restaurant . he has a nice style in humour.
Added. 6.3.12 found out that the link is not to that article he wrote about the eating out, but to the latest one he wrote. So i am keeping the magazine, just to keep his articles. i daresay he will bring out a book compilation of all his articles as they are really gems of humour.
to read older articles by him go to the archive in the website.
The magazine is easier to read than its website... u have to hunt for the articles in the website and a lot of past issues crowd the page.
another article in this week's magazine talked of the digital future when we will be even more wired.but i think it will only affect some... ie some more wired than others. for eg, it says 50% have smartphones. well i dont have haha. and dont feel the lack.
There are competitions to enter too. this week there is a free holiday to thailand.
Talking of thailand, simon went yesterday to phuket for 2wks. he has a month's holiday, which he has to take or he will lose them.
Added 1.3.12 i got a reply from the fitness first organisation to my email.
Having investigated the possible refreshment options, we are introducing vending machines across all of the
Well, i did not expect them to change and reinstate things. i guess it does not matter. i was chatting to the trainers in the gym and asked them when the change will take place. the receptionist said it will be in april . i said will they keep the hot water ? one of the trainers said they are hoping to persuade management to keep the machine that provides the hot water.
i guess most of the coffee and tea is drunk by the trainers and people like me. i dont know how much of it is drunk by the members though today i did see some women drinking it, but not sure if they are trainers or members. coffee is rather expensive and they must use up quite a lot of it, not to mention providing suger and milk. it will be a significant saving i think.
i am hoping they keep the hot water machine. at least then we can bring our own coffee or tea. i dont use suger or milk so it would be no trouble for me. i hear the trainers saying does it mean they will have to provide their own milk and suger then.
come to think of it, even if they dont retain the hot water, i can still bring along a thermos of tea... so i guess it is not crucial.
so many things in life is not really necessary. dont you find this so?
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Cancelling my gym membership
london
Quite a funny thing happened when i cancelled the gym membership. I have to call a 0844 number, my branch of the gym wont take cancellations. 0844 number charges the price of a local call. I have free calls on 01 and 02 numbers but have to pay if it is 0844 or 0845 numbers.
But I thought if i have to pay I have to pay so i called the number and was kept on hold, with a message saying there are 5 people waiting.
Then I remembered there is a website called saynoto0870 which gives the landline number so i went there and found that the 0844 number given to me has a landline equivalent.so i called it, and a voice says this line will cease in 3months and to call the 0844 number, but in the meantime it will redirect me. so i got connected and there was a message saying there are 7people ahead of me. But since i have free calls on 01 numbers up to an hour, each time, i continued to hold and very quickly i was answered. And so i cancelled my membership. I have to give one months notice from the last payment so it will end sept 30. Well, that is done. I will be in spain during that last week of sept.
There will be the last payment on aug30, and i think they will put me on the peak membership, costing £41 a month, and i think they will take that amount from my direct debit on august. Ah well, if they take it they take it. they have the right, seeing they have given me 1 month's notice. I could of course stop the direct debit now and pay them by cheque instead.
I think the reason why they answered my call so quickly is because it is costing them money redirecting the call to a 0844 number.
It's a shame all these companies changing their call numbers to 0844 numbers. Not for the first time that i am glad to have this talk talk phone where i get free calls on all uk landlines, to europe, australia,new zealand landlines, and to america, canada mobiles and landlines.
Quite a funny thing happened when i cancelled the gym membership. I have to call a 0844 number, my branch of the gym wont take cancellations. 0844 number charges the price of a local call. I have free calls on 01 and 02 numbers but have to pay if it is 0844 or 0845 numbers.
But I thought if i have to pay I have to pay so i called the number and was kept on hold, with a message saying there are 5 people waiting.
Then I remembered there is a website called saynoto0870 which gives the landline number so i went there and found that the 0844 number given to me has a landline equivalent.so i called it, and a voice says this line will cease in 3months and to call the 0844 number, but in the meantime it will redirect me. so i got connected and there was a message saying there are 7people ahead of me. But since i have free calls on 01 numbers up to an hour, each time, i continued to hold and very quickly i was answered. And so i cancelled my membership. I have to give one months notice from the last payment so it will end sept 30. Well, that is done. I will be in spain during that last week of sept.
There will be the last payment on aug30, and i think they will put me on the peak membership, costing £41 a month, and i think they will take that amount from my direct debit on august. Ah well, if they take it they take it. they have the right, seeing they have given me 1 month's notice. I could of course stop the direct debit now and pay them by cheque instead.
I think the reason why they answered my call so quickly is because it is costing them money redirecting the call to a 0844 number.
It's a shame all these companies changing their call numbers to 0844 numbers. Not for the first time that i am glad to have this talk talk phone where i get free calls on all uk landlines, to europe, australia,new zealand landlines, and to america, canada mobiles and landlines.
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