Xela

Sorry but I don't understand that statement. They're in a job of importance where the country NEEDS them, they knew this when they took on the job!!!

The whole suggestion that Police work with some kind of skeleton staff over Xmas is incorrect. They work normal shifts with same size teams as they do every day of the year (Unless things have changed in the last few years?) Its pretty obvious that it is one of the busiest times of the year with domestics probably reaching a peak during this period.

I barely saw my father at Christmas when I was little as he was in the force and always had to work over this period

I was just thinking slightly outside the box.

He's Villa related. So I should get bonus points for making it relevant to VT.

He's French. So I should get bonus points.

He's not on his death-bed (yes I'm looking at you Xela). So I should get bonus points.

Hey, I always back the favourite! Safe option but always stood me in good stead

For me, its not about the quantity of places, its the quality of time spent in each. Would be interested, for example, in how long @tonyh29 spends on average in each country. 86 in ten years is a lot of travelling, (im very jealous!), but id imagine a decent percentage is short stays in each. Personally, i'd rather immerse myself as fully as possible in one country for a month, than visit multiple places but not really learn anything. Horses for courses of course, everyone is different.

(Ive visited 29, but that includes my post-College gap year. Next up, hopefully, Mother Russia...)

Certainly from my perspective, I'm not as hardcore as Tony is, but I agree with his sentiments in that some places only need a couple of days. What is the point of going to Finland or Latvia for a month? The highlights as it was can be done in a few days.Sure, I'm probably missing something but nothing that is going to cause me regret. The places I have really enjoyed, like Thailand for example, I have spent longer there (about a month in total).

Impressive list

Cheers... then Tony posted his list and it shit on mine

Aiming to hit 50 countries by end of 2014... gives me 24 months to do 18 countries.

**** hell I am bored shitless

I'm trying to stay off the drink for the weekend but **** hell when you are this bored its tough

one of me mates have already got in touch to see if I fancy a few beers and I declined but now I am starting to think I made the wrong decision

nothing to do at the moment to try and escape this boredom except sleep

I cant play FM13 anymore I have been on it all day and I am sick of Jeff Stellings voice and the villa score doesn't really encourage me to keep watching sky sports any way so sleep is my only option I recon

How you can be bored with the internet at your fingertips?! Think back to when we were nippers Leemond... we never had the options that we do now as adults. Listen to your ipod/mp3 player, read, learn stuff on the net (I can spent ages just drifting through wikipedia!) and try to avoid looking at the Villa score!

I spent 3 nights in Jakarta... not the most scenic in the world (its a constant traffic jam!) but could offer you some advice on the best bars and clubs to go to there! Had some cracking nights out there.

From there you could fly to Yogakarta and then get a taxi to see Borobudur, which I imagine would be amazing.

Then fly onto Bali or Lombok to chill out.. or to Indonesian Borneo or Sumatra to see the Orang Utans (not sure where exactly they are located)

Work less

Learn a second language (French or Spanish?)

Get fitter

See more countries

Nelson Mandela

England

Wales

Northern Ireland

Ireland

France

Spain

Germany

Netherlands

Denmark

Sweden

Portugal

Italy

Vatican

Malta

Finland

Lithuania

Latvia

Estonia

Poland

Czech Republic

Cyprus

Yugoslavia (pre war but areas I went are now Croatia & Bosnia)

USA

Egypt

Thailand

Cambodia

Vietnam

Malaysia (both Peninsular & Borneo)

Indonesia

Philippines

Hong Kong

Singapore

"Haha" is bloody fuckingly annoying when used too liberally. I mean, it's not uncommon for people to text me messages with one "haha" in every sentence.

I agree, that level of usage is too much! Feel free to ridicule the said sender of the SMS

Absolute rubbish.

With reference to my last post.. I saw someone use the acronym ROFPMSLMAO on Facebook the other day ... luckily, not a friend of mine, but a friend of a friend. I was appalled. I hope the individual choked on the wishbone in their Christmas dinner.

I'm starting to hate text mannerisms like "haha", "lol" etc

You know, like the rest of the snobs who post on here

Haha is fine... what other way would you express merriment or mirth in a text? I agree about LOL though... not acceptable in any circumstance. Even worse when my Mother uses it in a text after repeating a joke she got from a cracker.

Merry Christmas you beautiful people

shakin stevens and elton john for me

im only like slade and wizard right at the end so i'll love it tonight but in the 1st weekend of december they just dont feel right

MC, wham and FoNY are ridiculously overplayed

im not having stay another day, never considered it a christmas song, same with s club 7 and 2 become 1

shame no one ever plays bob dylan must be santa, so bad its good

Good call on Shakey and Elton. Both good Christmas songs

I do like Stay Another Day and do consider it a bona fide Christmas song... mainly because of the festive bells in it.

A quick Google search suggests that the video was just the idea of the record company and that the song was written as a love ballad rather than a Christmas song. I don't think the song mentions anything Christmas or nativity related so I would argue it isn't really...

The song had a winter release (late November), had a nativity based video and is played every Christmas time without fail. Therefore I think it qualifies as a Christmas song, even if it wasn't intentionally penned as one by Holly Johnson. Lets call it an adopted Christmas song

I'm pretty sure it's not, I seem to remember it being mentioned on one of these Christmas countdown programmes as it just being a hit at Christmas that particular year.

Same with Stop the Cavalry, apparently that wasn't meant as a Christmas song but as it mentioned Christmas and had bells in it, it was taken as one.

The video to Power Of Love is basically the Nativity? So I think that qualifies it as a Christmas song.

Car dealer / predatory sex pest

I guess location plays a part as well... might be in vogue around Camden Town or down the Portobello Road. Walk down Erdington High Street in it and you might have people spitting on your back (or is that just me they do that to?)

I'm gonna say it.. I thought Homeland S2 was excellent!

Some right humbugs in here!

I generally like most of them... make me feel festive. Only one I don't like is Paul McCartney!

My favourite three are Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Pogues (although as Rev says, vastly overplayed) and John Lennon.

Another Rock and Roll Christmas by Gary Glitter is quite good as well!

Holland (does the airport only count?)

Switzerland (as above)

Canaries

Airports don't count...Unless you clear customs and stand outside the airport! I tried to count Ireland (was at Shannon airport) but until I actually visited Dublin, I couldn't tick it off.

Canaries aren't a country... just a part of Spain.

I know its the laat friday before crimble, I finished work at 12, pint of shandy in the pub to say have a nice christmas then I drive to sainsburys to pick up milk, bread and a bottle of vodka for crimble

25 minutes to get a space (I was gonna drive off but car park was like wacky races) no baskets or trollys and the place was full of peope buying shite they could of got weeks ago and i get tutted at for asking a trolly weilding nut job who tought it was ok to leave it length ways in the middle of the isle whilst she worked out if it cheaper to buy 2 300g boxes of biscuits or 1 600 gram box. It's like they all went just to **** me off

Waitrose was pleasantly quiet when I went earlier (was only getting beer, wine and champers - should have got it weeks ago though)

Cracking rants from Leemond and Gareth

We only have music on in the office over the Xmas period... and only Christmas songs allowed! I must have heard Roy Wood and Noddy Holder 12 times each today!

My annoyance today... fat **** getting a disabled blue badge for their cars just because they are gluttonous losers!

I'm confused. Why don't you just put the new SIM in your current phone?

In short, I want a separate device and as its free...

The longer version is that my 3GS is nearly dead and being replaced by a 5. Now, the different phone is required as I might well be in some places where I don't want to take my new iPhone 5 out for fear of it getting robbed/stolen (South America. sub saharan Africa and parts of SE Asia). So a separate device and number is the preferred option and if its nicked then its no major loss. Other option is a cheapo Nokia

So, going back to my original question, is it possible?

Here's a question and I feel a bit of a idiot for asking but as I don't know the answer, I need to ask!

If I was to get another iPhone (can get an old one for free from a mate - think its a 3G one) do I need to link it to my current iTunes account (currently have a 3GS)? Or can I just pop a sim in and it'll work without doing this. I appreciate I won't be able to download apps etc without it linked to an iTunes account but I don't need to. It'll just be a 'spare' phone on a different number that'll be very rarely used*

Thanks

* I appreciate it sounds dodgy but it'll be used as a holiday phone and will stop work ringing and texting me when I'm away! I'd only give the number to a select few people.