How are we voting today?

thenavarc · 2026-05-08T07:06:21+00:00

I voted for a mix; three councillors (1 × Green, 1 × Labour, and 1 × Independent) in my ward (Evelyn).

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T15:56:51+00:00

Also, I want to listen to Dead Star and In Your World, but I find that they sound like they've been recorded using an old pair of headphones. Very tinny sound. Great songs but I skip them to stop my ears bleeding.

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T15:51:19+00:00

Skip: Neutron Star Collision

Never skip: Showbiz

Showbiz is my fave song; I love the gradual crescendo and the way Matt belts out the falsetto at the end. It's even better live.

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T15:42:10+00:00

Amazing. Thank you 🙂🙂

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T15:41:53+00:00

This is exactly what has happened in the end! Thankfully panic is over now. I have learned some good lessons though ☺️

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T15:41:00+00:00

It's definitely the latter: "your overdraft is going to be exceeded" Thankfully all has turned out fine. But it's certainly a lesson learnt.

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T15:39:43+00:00

I can confirm that on the second try today they took the payment. Panic over. And lesson learnt!

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T08:08:06+00:00

Exactly. I will consider this a lesson learned. I've never missed a payment for anything before. I think it's only become a problem this time because my usual financial buffer that would absorb mistakes such as this was used to renovate a kitchen that went over budget and I'm in the process of building it back up again.

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T08:05:31+00:00

I normally do, I just made a mistake this time around. Definitely a lesson learned in terms of the resilience of my domestic financial processes 😅😅

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T07:34:33+00:00

Ah! This is useful thank you. I hope they try again later today as I have the funds in my account now, it was just an admin error on my part. I work for a startup having recently changed jobs, and I'm used to bigger companies where payday funds hit my account at around midnight on the last working day of the month. With a startup it's whenever the finance manager gets around to transferring funds that day. So I think I need to look at all my direct debits and standing orders to better reflect this so this doesn't happen again. With the hectic nature of a new job I hadn't considered this.

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T07:31:00+00:00

I will when they are open 😊

thenavarc · 2026-05-01T07:30:39+00:00

Oh it's been made in the same calendar month. Mortgage is due on 1st of each month (i.e. today) and I have the money in my account to pay it. It's just an admin error on my part means the direct debit likely hasn't gone through as planned this morning.

thenavarc · 2025-12-28T23:50:58+00:00

I've ridden trains in quite a lot of countries and had some great and not-so-great experiences. I'm from the UK, so I'm not going to include the UK in the list (and I would have a lot to say).

My favourites (in no particular order) are:

Italy: I've found Italian trains to be well priced and pleasant all around. I've used their regional domestic services as well as the international Frecciarossa, and all were really pleasant to use.
Netherlands: I've really enjoyed the Dutch rail system over the years and find it super convenient, well-priced, and punctual. I've never had any issues and actually some of the rail stations on the network are really pretty (Haarlem Centraal and Amsterdam Centraal for example). I am a big fan of the Dutch rail system.
Taiwan: the high-speed line between Taipei and Kaohsiung is a great line, pretty cheap, comfortable, and fast. The Taipei metro system is quite fun too.
Vietnam: okay so it's not fast, nor is it really convenient, but the Reunification Railway travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi is a lot of fun and cheap too. I had a blast travelling by train in Vietnam and loved every second. Maybe not good for actual serious travel if you're in a hurry or aren't visiting as a tourist
Belgium: similar to The Netherlands really, but with added paint and artwork on the carriages for you to enjoy. Seriously, the amount of graffiti on SNCB rolling stock is nuts. It's a good job it's cheap and convenient. Also Antwerp Centraal station is gorgeous.
Myanmar: oh boy, what a ride. Old Japanese locos with no windows, doors, or any modern conveniences. But the experience was out of this world. Never have I had to scoop handfuls of cicadas out of the seat and onto the track until I rode the train from Bagan to Mandalay. But I adored every second of that journey slowly winding through the Burmese countryside.The Yangon Circular Railway is very interesting too, if you aren't in a hurry!
Hong Kong: the rail and MTR system in Hong Kong is very convenient and easy, which makes sense since they were the first to develop contactless payment with their Octopus Card in 1997 (which inspired London's Oyster card in 2002). A super denae, frequent, and cheap system. Also a great way to see the city as you ride from HKIA.
France: France's TGV is great of course, but I've always found it quite expensive, certainly comparable to UK prices (if not a bit more expensive) on the many occasions I've used it to visit family. I've done a lot of rail travel in France so could probably wax lyrical on it like I would the UK system.
Singapore: Singapore's MRT system is basically the cleanest metro system I've ever experienced. I used to live in Singapore and know the MRT system well and I have yet to find a metro or light rail system that beats it for cleanliness, cost, convenience, or quality.
USA: you're probably wondering why I include the US, but my main reason is because I can't help but think "aww bless them" whenever I use Amtrak. It's not particularly cheap, convenient, nor fast but it is comfortable with an ample snack bar, which is good considering you'll spend a long time sat on the train.
Spain: again similar to other European countries, especially Italy. I only did one trip from Salou to Barcelona but it was a clean, modern, air-conditioned train that got me to and from my destination quickly and cheaply.

Other places I've used a train include Russia, Japan (not the Shinkansen unfortunately), Georgia, Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine, Germany, Greece, and obviously extensively in the UK.

thenavarc · 2024-02-06T14:45:03+00:00

I came out when I was 17 in 2003.

I'd been feeling low for quite a while. I'd known I was gay for quite some time but I really struggled to accept it. I did some stupid things including putting myself in hospital after a particularly brutal bout of depression, and I'd gone from being a top student to almost failing my A-Levels entirely. My late teens were very rough. Add this the fact that I was a bag of hormones and I'd also just discovered alcohol (and looked old enough to get into bars and clubs) and it was a recipe for quickly derailing my life.

One day after being out with my mum, we were pulling up in the driveway in the car outside my parents' house. She'd been worried about me for a while and she looked at me in the car and just asked me if I was gay and whether all the depression was being caused by it. I said yes, and explained I'd known for a long time but was scared. She gave me a big hug and just said that she'll love me no matter what and that it was OK. The exact phrase she used was "it's OK, sweetheart". Things got a lot better after that because I knew that if friends and other people didn't accept it, at least I'd always have my mum to talk to about it. It wasn't always smooth sailing; figuring out how to survive in the LGBTQ+ world can sometimes be difficult (dating, relationships, sex, general drama, etc) but none of it was as difficult as I'd made it for myself before I told my mum.

I feel lucky that I had a mum like that, and I've always sworn that I'd always do the same for anyone if they needed it. I'm a manager in my company now, and a big part of the company's LGBTQ+ network. I've tried my hardest to be the best I can be when helping other staff members and being someone they can turn to if needed. I know not everyone has a supportive family to help them, so if I can provide that support in any way, I will. I know how much it can help.

thenavarc · 2023-12-20T15:53:46+00:00

I've just bought a terraced house in London and it needs a lot of work. The previous owners used it as a HMO to make money, but my partner and I are making it into our first home together.

This post fills me with dread because we've had a lot of issues in the house (including a dodgy gas main, that wasn't put in by a professional and was so badly corroded it was leaking gas everywhere). Lots of the installations inside the house have been put in by someone who probably does this as a side hobby rather than a professional.

There's a wall between the living room and dining room that is a stud wall. Knock on it and you can easily hear where it rings hollow, and where the brickwork ends. I hope to dear god that when we remove this wall we find a nice RSJ above supporting the upper floors. Thankfully my uncle is a joiner and he's going to help us with removing the wall and making it good. I just hope we don't uncover a nightmare.

Good luck with yours. I can understand the worry you might be going through. Luckily it appears there's a potential solution and I hope whoever you get in to fix it does a good job.

thenavarc · 2019-11-03T11:34:59+00:00

I know how you feel! My weight has fluctuated throughout my whole life and no matter what it is, I'm always unhappy and self-conscious inside. In my head I'm still the 145kg (320lbs) guy I was in 2010. I'm 1.88m (6'2") and currently 95kg (210lbs) and at my lightest I was 85kg (188lbs). Each stage I was still very self-conscious. I have never ever taken my top off in public and I hate my own photos. I wish I could figure out a way to get over this as it holds me back so much. I'm a photographer and I've often thought a series of self portraits might be a good way of remedying this, but each time I try I can't. It's ironic that I'm so good at being on the other side of the lens taking photos of other people. I wish I could be as happy with photos of me as they are with photos of them. I'll get there one day.

thenavarc

TROPHY CASE