Sander's Daily life

Crappy Online supermarket service!

2009-12-22T19:47:00.003Z

I had placed an order for our Christmas shopping, which was due to be delivered yesterday.
The store that was due to make the delivery called em around the delivery time and said, sorry we are canceling your order due to adverse weather conditions. Quite amazing what a little bit of snow can do.
When I asked them if they could move my Monday order over to Tuesday for redelivery, they said: Sorry we are fully booked, so sorry no can do.

Well guess what I was forced to rent a car to pick it up myself, on the same eve;
and guess what: No trouble with the road between our place and the store.

So tonight I called the online order team to get compensation for having to get my order (with a rented car) which they were due to deliver. But NO, they don't give any kind of compensation.

Guess they have made another unhappy customer, whom will now think twice about placing orders with them in the future.

Present day consumers

2009-09-09T10:53:00.004Z

The internet has significantly changed the relationship existing between consumers and retailers. With the introduction of the internet greater transparency of the market has come about, for those consumers whom use the internet. This greater transparency makes it easier for consumers to look for the cheapest and/or best retailers.
More recently with WEB 2.0 applications becoming more prevelant, the power of the consumer has been enhanced further. Consumers can now give feedback on their experiences with retailers, which can change future shopping behavior by consumers.
This last change will not only affect online retailers but will also have an impact on 'brick and mortar' retailers.

The only thing is, not everyone uses the internet, or if they do not everyone checks out reviews etc. Thus in the end we still have a mix of new and old in the same mix.

update

2009-05-15T09:08:00.002Z

maybe a little late, but here is an update on how life is.
Life is good in general, except for some hospital visits.

Seeing my sister get married has brightened everything up a lot, and i should of course not forget about my wonderful wife. She is my rock to lean on and to cherish.

Work wise, not too many trips at the moment, since the economy has been a bit on the slow side. But luckily things are picking up a bit again.

Thus overall, things are pretty good and keeping a positive attitude.

Life in London

2009-02-13T13:42:00.002Z

The last few weeks have been pretty busy.
I'm not doing soooo much training work at the moment, but am prepping a lot, which can be exhausting as well.

Last weekend Ewa and I had a nice weekend over in Leeds, see the pictures on my Picasa.

need to make preps now for the trip to my sisters wedding.

Been ages

2008-12-04T15:18:00.000Z

Been ages since i posted, not that I'm not alive anymore. i certainly am.

Just been busy with work, life and other stuff.

just to give you a lowdown on what has transpired in the last months.

Been traveling a lot for work, all over Europe and UK.
Been decorating our new apartment.
Been spending some time with the Wife.
Been Enjoying Lotro.
Just loads of little things.

But I'll try to keep on top of the blog from now on.

MMORPG

2008-05-09T13:44:00.002Z

I used to play WOW, which I quit after almost 3 years of playing it. I have moved on to LOTRO, which has got way better graphics and has got great game play. I do miss the members of my guild (the Praetorian Guard), but luckily Erikose has been so good as to start up a LOTRO branch of the guild.
Fortunately for me my best friend, Dennis, has joined me in playing LOTRO as well. And we try, whenever work and other engagements allow, to play together at least once a week.

I look forward to tonight, I hope Dennis will be there as well.

lots of trips

2008-04-20T19:08:00.000Z

The next few weeks got loads of trips coming up. Frankfurt, London, Paris, Munich, and so on. will be rough being away from home. But great to get to see some sights.

2008-04-20T19:07:00.001Z

Having moved into our new place at the end of February, after a period with some trouble. We finally got settled ok. And we are loving it!

Great place, great for the commute to work. etc.

last few days

2008-02-19T22:05:00.000Z

we have only got a few more days in our old place. it is full of boxes now, but the move will be great.

day in the office

2008-02-05T09:43:00.000Z

for my work I'm on the road (rail) quite a bit, so it is wonderful to be able to be in the office from time to time.
catching up on emails, handing in my expense forms, etc.

;-)

moving house

2008-01-31T11:01:00.001Z

AFAIK we will be moving withing less than a months time. Buying a house is an expensive undertaking, but a great change in life.

nice trips still there

2008-01-31T10:53:00.000Z

Was in Paris this Tuesday, will be over to Bridgwater tomorrow. so get some nice bits of travel in. causes some long days, but well worth the time, if you get to see somethign of the world. ;-)

SW England

2007-11-18T18:17:00.000Z

Last week I did a lot of traveling, went to Bristol, and Lymington.

Long train rides to both places.

nice to see more of the country than just London though. ;-)

Daddy? No; Uncle? Yes

2007-11-17T21:51:00.000Z

Our family gained a new member. No I have not become a Dad. But I did become an uncle as per two weeks ago.

look forward to seeing him in person. ;-)

payday, an heavenly day

2007-10-30T22:04:00.000Z

Getting paid for the work you do, can feel like you are sitting on cloud number nine.
At least that is what it felt like to me. Hmmm, Great.

Look forward to the Next one.

Then again if you keep on doing good work, there is no reason not to expect to get any next one. just keep that in mind. ;-)

busy week

2007-10-24T20:23:00.000Z

thus far this week has been a busy week. doing prepping, followed by getting my assessment and such.
now that that is behind me, i can start preparing for a good full week training. ;-) will be good.

Found something new to look forward to

2007-10-07T18:51:00.000Z

Next spring a wonderful new game will be released: Starwars: The force unleashed.

From what I've seen this game will most definitely be something to look forward to. Great graphics, great sound effects, and great gameplay. Can't wait!

Married life

2007-10-07T18:47:00.001Z

Married life seems to be treating me well.

It has it's ups and downs, but The downs never are too down.
I would not want to go back to single live no matter what.

My wife has enlightened my life immensely. and she is the very best for me.

Not a single thing to complain about.

I love her

Training / Work

2007-10-04T18:45:00.000Z

I love my new job. Great colleagues, great trips, great people to train. YES!

will keep on doing this for quite a while i guess.

Back from wedding / honeymoon

2007-09-30T12:31:00.000Z

Been back from my wedding and honeymoon for about 2 weeks now.

in that period a LOT has happened.
Just started my NEW job last Monday, and am loving it.
Quite a nice and steep learning curve, which is something I think is a good thing.

Got my own team of trainers now, and coming week I will be giving my first training session already.

What more can you want from a job? travel, good colleagues, nice challenges, etc.

wedding

2007-09-19T12:51:00.001Z

Our wedding was a great success, with loads of visitors from Poland and Holland, but also from Belgium and England.

After this our honeymoon, was wonderfull to.

photo's are available to people as well.

WORK new and old

2007-08-25T14:34:00.000Z

Having signed a new contract somewhere else, it will be strange to say goodbye at the old place of work.

But the new place of work will be a great place to get started at as well.

Was nervous about resigning, but am very excited to about getting started at the new place of work.

Wedding is getting close

2007-08-25T14:33:00.000Z

Next Saturday will be THE day.

Our church wedding is going to take place. Exciting to see that come so much closer.

will be great seeing all the friends and family again.

Hard choices

2007-08-24T14:00:00.000Z

Sometimes people need to make hard choices.

today was one of those days.

Leaving a place that you have enjoyed working at for a long period.

But the future looks bright and the pastures are green.

Wedding

2007-08-19T16:10:00.001Z

For those of you that are on the inside.
We have added a little bit of content to the wedding website. ;-)

quiet week

2007-08-09T21:04:00.000Z

not much happening this week, pretty much same old same old.

I do get to do more 'senior' support work this week, and have to give a Demo to a client tomorrow. so there are still some things happening.

peterborough

2007-07-30T10:10:00.000Z

Had a long weekend in Peterborough visiting our brother/brother-in-law.

sleeping on the ground is not the most comfortable, but for the rest was a great weekend.

new job?

2007-07-30T10:07:00.000Z

about 2 weeks ago all internal staff got an email about an internal job openign coming up soon, as 'interim project coordinator'. I applied, and they have now offered me the position.
just need to read the contract, negotiate, and sign it, and i should be able to start in september, or so. dependant upon when we get a new person trained up for my current role.

More business trips

2007-07-08T16:48:00.000Z

Tomorrow I am again going out on business. This time to a town near to Manchester.

Last week i was in Leeds for two days, but to Manchester it will only be one day.

more trips

2007-07-03T09:35:00.001Z

Guess what, i get into the office this mornign, turns out a colleague is off sick.

I have to go to leeds today for a 2 day trip.

nice.

anyways seems like the client booked a great hotel there, but i will be missing my wife.

Business trips

2007-06-21T16:19:00.000Z

Like i had said before Loads of business trips this month.

Turns out now I won't have to go to Prague on sunday. Client canceled it.

but now I have to go to Budapest a week later. we'll see how that goes.

on another note: got 8 days of non-married life left. ;-)

Dubai second time

2007-06-21T16:17:00.000Z

Came back from Dubai yesterday morning. and am back at work now.

the trip itself was not so bad, but prefer to take another airline next time round.

anyways the hotel I had there was crap, loud music until about 2 am and very small room.

next time I'll make sure not to go to this hotel again.

trip after trip

2007-06-14T14:31:00.000Z

Busy week this week, at least in the sense that I ahve to book trip after trip.

just today booked a trip to Prague, yesterday a trip to stockport. Lovely.

In a months time I will travel quite a big number of miles

nice week again

2007-06-13T14:29:00.000Z

After a nice time for work in Dubai, it took a bit of time to get used to the different timezone, but no big worries.

yesterday Ewa and myself went to the registars office to get some of our paperwork for our wedding arranged. wend quite smooth, and turned out to be cheaper than originally expected.

Dubai pictures

2007-06-10T19:46:00.000Z

Back from Dubai

2007-06-10T19:40:00.000Z

Just came back from Dubai yesterday. Had to get up at 5:30 local time (2:30 British time) to catch the plane, so when i ultimately got back home at 17:00 British time, I was pretty much dead with exhaustion.
Anyways the stay over there was marvelous. Didn't have the best weather to start of with, due to a cyclone being in the area, but was beautiful countryside anyways.

At least now i know a bit more about the place for my next visit next week.

Last day in the office

2007-06-05T16:18:00.000Z

or rather last day in the office this week.
Flying out tomorrow morning. flight leaves at 840. thus i have to get up at 5, and get the first tube to Heathrow.
then on the train to Heathrow, where i can check in quite early. and then wait a big hour before the flight leaves.

will be a long long flight.

the bad news: The weather will be bad whilst I'm there. Lots of thunderstorms and the such. Still the temperature will be in the upper thirties.

gorgeous weekend

2007-06-03T22:06:00.000Z

Finally we had a gorgeous weekend again.

blue skies, lots of sun, and nice temperatures as well.

Lot of walking we did this weekend, and we found out new things about our neighborhood. Seem like we are living quite close to a little river. It's called 'New River'. Actually it is no longer so much of a river as it had been. It's been covered over with pavement for the most part, but the course of the river can still be followed, and there is a walking route along it now.

nice

Back at work

2007-05-29T09:40:00.001Z

It feels good to be back at work.

Rainy bank holiday weekends encourage you to get back to nice dry warm desks again.

Typical Bank holiday weekend

2007-05-27T20:44:00.000Z

Like usual we again have a rainy bank holiday weekend, not much to do outside, but to 'enjoy' RAIN.

hopefully it will get better soon.

Weird Weather

2007-05-22T08:35:00.000Z

Like always British weather is entirely unpredictable again, then one day it is chilly and raining, the next it is warm and sunny.

Hopyfully it will stay warm and sunny now.

Busy Month

2007-05-11T08:17:00.000Z

Seems like June will be a very busy month.

We will be getting our Civil marriage performed in England. This is due to having trouble with the Polish embassy not knowing what to do with me since I'm Dutch and living in London. The Polish Embassy in London says go to the Polish embassy in Holland, and the one in Holland says they are not sure what to do.
So to make things easier for us, we will get our civil ceremony done in England, with only 1-2 friends as witnesses, and the 'real' wedding will be in September in Church in Poland. This Polish wedding is where everyone will attend.

Anyways, we will first need to declare our intend to get married, which we will do mid June, and then a few weeks later we will say our vows, and be officially married.

Besides this all, It seems like I will have to make 3 business trips in that month. 2 to Dubai, and one to another city in Europe somewhere.

Thus a very busy month.

Weekend in Holland

2007-05-08T12:42:00.000Z

We went over to Holland for the Bank holiday weekend and had a great time there.
met some old friends, ate lots of Dutch food.
etc.

Unfortunately on the way back our flight turned out to be delayed, form Rotterdam to Stansted.
was not announced, nor apologized for.
Flight was quite fast and smooth, so not too many worries.

anyways we are back home, where our heart is.
I'll soon post some picks on Picasa.

Second trip to Dubai

2007-05-02T08:02:00.000Z

Yesterday I got told I was to go to Dubai yet again, or rather I will have to go to two different clients at different times in June.
Got told it would be 45 Degree C there at that time, so really hope for some good airco.

Anyways a bit of travel for work is always welcome.

Dutch Queen's day

2007-04-30T11:56:00.000Z

Today it is Queens day in Holland.
To celebrate the event, Holland House had organized a Dutch queens day celebration in London last saterday.
Was a great event, lots of nice sun and marvelous food.

You were able to watch a traditional Clog maker make wooden clogs, go in to a 'silent disco', eat Dutch food to your heart's content. Marvelous.

Here are some more pictures of the event we took.

Birthday of a m8

2007-04-30T11:54:00.000Z

Last Friday we had a great night out, Perrin a colleague of mine, was celebrating his Birthday so we went out to a pub downtown.
Nice Blues cafe he had picked, with pretty good beers, and decent food.

Was a great night. The first band was not the best, but the second band rocked the house.

Eve with a Dutch m8

2007-04-25T20:58:00.000Z

This evening I had a few drinks with a Dutch m8 (Roland) of mine, whom is part of the same 'Dispuut' MORT SUBITE.
We went to a pub on Upper street where we had a few Mort Subite Beers, followed by some more Dutch/Belgian beers to ultimately top it all up with some cocktails.
Was great to see a Fellow Mort Subite member again and chat about Dutch times.
He and I work in entirely different Industries though. I work in IT, whilst he works in a Banking firm.

Anyways in the meantime our Hot water issue at home has not been resolved, and thus I will have to take a cold shower now. Not looking forward to it.

Indeed temporary

2007-04-24T21:01:00.000Z

Like I said, it was a temporary fix.

Now it stopped working all together.

Guess the landlord will need to hurry get it fixed ASAP if we want to be able to shower.

Temporary Fix?!

2007-04-24T19:59:00.000Z

I found that the cause of our Hot water trouble is most likely something to do with the power switch for the boiler. We can't flip the switch anymore. What we can do is push the switch slightly to the side, and Voila, the light turns back on and hot water will be created. BUT we will have to keep pushing it to the side.

I took some toothpicks, and made sure it stayed in the position which would allow us to get hot water. This is a temporary solution only, until the landlord sends an electrician over to replace the switch.

He promised to let someone give us a call, but no luck thus far, so i am forced to give him a call every so many hours to make sure it gets fixed. Not the best of positions, but ok.

Water trouble

2007-04-24T10:21:00.000Z

Had a 'lovely' shower last night, well actually not really. Stood under the shower, but the hot water refused to come. ;-(

After checking what the cause it, it turns out the water boiler is not working.

so this morning I tried calling the landlord to get it fixed, but no luck getting in touch with him yet.

I'm hoping to be able to reach him over lunch. So that we will be able to enjoy a nice warm shower again.

Marriage preparation

2007-04-23T09:58:00.000Z

Last weekend both I and my loving Fiancee attended a marriage preparation course, which is one of the requirements that the church sets, prior to you being allowed to marry in church.
we learned a few new things there about communication etc.

Was great weather over the weekend, and we were able to enjoy some of it on Sunday when walking back home from church.

Dubai - sunny training to be given

2007-04-23T09:54:00.000Z

Just this mornign I was asked by one of our Project coordinators if i wanted to go to Dubai to train a client of our there. So in June I'll go over there for a 2 day training session.

I bet I'll get a bit of sun, and lots and lots of photo's