being sneha

Jaj Istenem

2011-05-19T15:22:00.001+02:00

I'm a lazy lazy lou aren't I?!?!? Bending my 'rules' and catching up on some 'backlog' today ;)

Sor for sör

2011-05-19T15:11:00.003+02:00

21.

Trippy new bar discovery at the specialty beer/microbrewery feszt at Mikszáth Kálmán tér. Now microbreweries and specialty beers are cool no doubt, but queueing up in line for 40 minutes to get one? Not so cool.

gelARTo

2011-05-19T15:01:00.002+02:00

20.

Living, breathing Budapest peepsicles have been a-missing, so here are some fine specimens of the Pest species indulging in ginger and lavendar and eldeflower yumminess in the run up to Hayley's departure.

Arriba Taqueria Time!

2011-05-19T14:29:00.009+02:00

19.

Arriba Taqueria! The star of Terez körút. They're consistently great, eco-friendly, always smiling and make a mean strawberry margarita! Where do you go on Cinco de Mayo? Why Arriba of course....aaaand if you're in with the 'in' crowd like yours truly you might just find yourself scoffing a half-priced chorizo burrito ;)

Flamenco no more?

2011-05-19T14:25:00.003+02:00

18.

How ironic that I get back from Spain, even more excited about flamenco-ing to the sad, sad news that my flamenco class has been cancelled :*( Oh well! Just gotta find myself a new class I guess.....

Turo trials

2011-05-05T18:14:00.004+02:00

17.

And I tracked it down! Or rather, the lovely Lili tracked it down for me - the limited edition 'meggyes mákos' (sour cherry and poppy seed) turo rudi. What's the verdict? I don't really like it very much :/ They've mixed it all up, which just isn't true to a true blue turo rudi - the turo needs to be separated from the filling people!! And once again, I'm going to be heading straight for 'natur' turo rudi at Spar! I should learn eh?

The hiatus

2011-05-05T18:06:00.001+02:00

I've been lazy and I've been away on vacation to the amazing country with cheeky Spaniards a dime a dozen and Projekt Száz Nap has borne the brunt of this, but I'm back :)

The joys of recruitment :)

2011-04-19T17:39:00.002+02:00

Day 16
Today, I'm taking a break from the usual and putting up a little something which isn't a photograph. It's just a normal day at SELTI and then this email pops into my inbox. Perfect timing really! I'm so bored of filtering through the 'usual' application emails. Enjoy - this is a laugh and a half!

Dear Human Resources Director:

I am writing to apply for the position of English Teacher as advertised on tefljobs.com. I believe that my education and work experience make me the best candidate for this position. In addition to having a BS in Intergalactic Trade with Extra-terrestrial Natives and a Master's in Fruity Hats, I also possess in-depth knowledge of potato farming. Furthermore, I spearheaded a special initiative combining both of these skills when I established the first potato farm on Mars in September of 2006.

At my previous post, I participated in a project aimed at facilitating trade with other galaxies via the Wal-mart on Mars Sector 5. In this position, I gained valuable skills that I believe would be beneficial for your company. For example, I'm an expert in communicating with micro-organisms. Additionally, I can perform photosynthesis simply by utilizing a water bottle and three straws. Moreover, prior to being stationed on Mars, I completed my internship inside of a black hole. During this very valuable experience, I learned to use space and time efficiently, as we were faced with constant gravitational pull and vacuuming. Although not directly relevant to this position, I think it's still important to note that I taught reptilian offspring English while I was working as a guard dog in the south of France.

When it comes to my personal attributes, I am fluent in English, Farsi, Chinese, Microspeak, and Martian. As a motivated, prompt, dedicated, dyslexic, and Aspie employee, I'm sure that you will find me a joy to work with. As I'm immortal, employment duration is open. Location is not a problem for me either, as I own an eco-friendly photon hovercraft.

I hope that you will review my qualifications, as I'm genuinely interested in working with your company. Enclosed you will find my CV with additional information outlining my education and experience.

Thank you kindly for your time in reviewing my application. I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind Regards,

Ubarwye Looc

2011-04-19T17:27:00.004+02:00

15: The bee-yoo-ti-ful Bazilika

I NEVER get tired of shooting all the amazing architecture that is just around every corner in Budapest and the Bazilika is without a doubt one of my favourites, especially at night when it glows gold and orange!

Buli buli buli time

2011-04-17T23:08:00.008+02:00

14: Picnicking lambs? Picnic with lambs?
Your guess is as good as mine!

Oh so random and oh so Budapest! Followed these signs at Városliget earlier today (where it was lovely and spring-y). Half of me was expecting to find a farmyard themed party for kids and the other half of me was expecting to find lambs being sacrificed/worshipped. De persze, I found neither!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13: You're the ping to my pong :)

Nothing too crazy or outta control here....just a good ole fashioned SELTI beer pong tournament.

And again

2011-04-14T22:33:00.005+02:00

12: Surprise - I don't JUST eat...every once in a while

I cook too!

I have a beaut of a 'hand-me-down' mortar and pestle sitting around in my kitchen and tonight I had the perfect reason to use it. I've had chickpeas soaking for 4 days and they were beginning to look a little worse for the wear, so quickly googled a 'chhole' recipe and the first one I came across involved roasting and grinding whole spices. The enthusiastic cook in me arose from her sloth-like slumber and whipped up some pretty good 'chhole' :)

Blogging about food.....again :p

2011-04-13T16:30:00.004+02:00

11: There might not be free lunches,
but there sure as hell are free breakfasts!

So I'm walking down the street, on my way to work, dreaming about what kind of 'pogácsa' I want for breakfast, when a Fornetti lady shows with a basket full of pogis that she's giving away for free. Meggyes and sajtós :) SCORE!

Springstorms!

2011-04-13T16:22:00.004+02:00

10: Streetlights in Pest after a flash storm

We were treated to another storm out of nowhere last night! It was brilliant - I could see the rain coming towards me as I waited for the tram at Wesselenyi. Snuck this shot in after the rain disappeared just as quickly as it came. You'd never have known there had even been a storm if it wasn't for that distinct wet earth smell that the rain brings with it!

Would you ever steal a chair?

2011-04-11T17:31:00.007+02:00

Day 9: I really wanted to!
These are so iconically Magyar for me

I was surprised not to see scantily clad octogenarians huddled around a game of chess and even more surprised when nobody yelled at us for getting comfy for a wee while. It's at times like this that my klepto urges emerge - who would miss a chair from an abandoned empty plot anyway? And as I edit this google ads is trying to sell me 'classic French furniture'. Jeez!

The pillars of Magyar society: Turo and the right to demonstrate

2011-04-10T12:45:00.005+02:00

Day 8: Yikes, what do we have here?!?

I hate that I have to choose from a million pictures when it's the weekend, 'cos I just have so many more to choose from, but oh well!

What do I have on offer today? Just your friendly neighbourhood demonstration/rally/protest march with all of Europe in attendance. We Pest-ians stumble upon these on a regular basis, but Hungary's presidential debut in the European Parliament does seem to have upped the rally ante!

The 'rendőrség' were out in all their glory, but the riot police were missing in action - not that I'm complaining - they give me the jitters!

Day 7: Colour me spotted

Look what I found peeking at me from the shelves at Spar today - 'marcipánnal turo pont'. It definitely sounds and looks like the humble 'natur turo rudi's' long lost and very wealthy cousin from the erstwhile Habsburg dynasty. The verdict - two 'ponts' (which is what you get when you buy one pack) is one 'pont' too many. This on here is a little too decadent for my tastebuds, had too much marzipan and too little turo so it's back to the original for now.

Rumour has it though that there is a limited edition 'mákos meggyes turo rudi' doing the rounds.....watch this space for more.

For the uninitiated, turo rudi is a snack, dessert or even breakfast and undoubtedly the best thing to come out of Hungary and describing it just wouldn't do it any justice. You gotta try it!

2011-04-07T00:09:00.008+02:00

Day 6: C4P

Just casually open at mid-day for your lunch break 'player' needs ;)

Day 5: Blossoms blossoms everywhere

I love this picture! I think it's my favourite so far. Blue and white - not really colours that steal that springtime show, but don't they come together just beautifully in this shot? And for the summer lovers, a reminder that non-stop ice-cream season is just around the corner :)

Day 4: When spring has it's way with you

Spring is in the air! Ergo, yes - blossoms, buds and maybe, just maybe, even leaves will be making an appearance here very soon. But before I go all kaleidoscopic, here's another taste of spring for you - deliciously erratic weather :) Monday was so windy, it was almost Welly-esque! Look at those clouds not knowing if they should go this way or that.....

Days 1, 2 and 3

2011-04-04T20:59:00.007+02:00

Három...

Gotta have a birthday/farewell/welcome/quarter year anniversary you get my drift.

Feliz cumpleaños Ilandy!

You will rock 30 just like you do everything else :)

Két...

It wouldn't really be a true blue Budapest weekend without Phill baring some cleavage! Ladies, enjoy!

p.s. this was right after India owned at the World Cup Final....wooo hoooo! I was bleeding light blue too :)

Egy

Uh oh....not off to the best start here, but look what I found on April 1st! Now, either the people at Milka are geniuses or they're pulling a fast one on us choc-a-holics. And surprise surprise - I actually managed to split it across two days :)

Projekt száz nap

2011-03-27T23:04:00.008+02:00

In an attempt to get seasonal resolutions back on track and document the run-up to my departure from my one and only Budapest, starting April 1st, 2011 and for 99 days thereafter or thereabouts, I will be putting up on this here blog, one photograph a day which in some way or the other is/has been a snapshot of my life in Budapest.

turo rudi

trams and tights

blaha fashion, day and night

you'll see them all

just stay tuned

and wish me luck till just past June ;)

Hah! I'm a poet! Who knew it?

Measuring a year in 'facebook'

2009-12-28T21:23:00.005+01:00

Like it, love it or hate it, facebook and friends have had a massive impact on most of our lives. I'm not one to make conclusive statements about things that have the potential to swing any which way but I get the feeling that 2009 might just have been the year when I used and abused facebook to the 'fullest'. De donc, I'm going to capture my 2009 in facebook status messages from end to beginning.

is back in Bombay.

CHEW GUM AND YOU WILL NOT CRY (while chopping onions)

Coconut lovers: watch out for those octopuses!!

Köszönöm szépen, muchos gracias and thank you very much for all the birthday wishes.

Can anybody in Budapest lend me a blender?

Go to Slovenia. It has Non Stop Milkomats which serve you Fresh Natural Raw Unskimmed Milk from a vending machine which sings to you while you fill up.

is off to lake bled and ljuby ljuby ljuuuuu

Green shoes, red shoes and salsa work wonders when the leaves are falling!

the bullet has been bitten :)

Late cancel + perfect weather + autumn colours + walk across Lánchíd + sidewalk cafe cappuccino = Budapestet szeretem

27°C - 7°C in less than a week ?!?! Budapest - tu estas loco!! P.S. One whole year in Budapest today :)

is eagerly anticipating snail mail

Mid-week mania at 10, Kacsa utca

is almost all moved out.

Goodbye Angyalföld. Hello Ferencváros

woke up at 3 AM to a flooded bathroom. I think my flat is experiencing separation anxiety

Flat hunting = Hellish!

Palak paneer, naan and lassi.....will the Taj Mahal deliver?

is loving the spring-like morning in the middle of August

wants a green Vespa and a magic carpet

somebody get me out of this furnace of a city. NOW!!!!!!

Done, done and DONE!!

Only 2 more TESOL questions to go...whoop dee doo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

arrrrrrgghhhhhh TESOL!!! Why dost thou do this to me?????

mmmmmmmm....eggs scrambled with two kinds of paprika and ketchup at 3.30 am

has eaten her last Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and life is just not the same anymore

is resisting facebook quizzes of any and all kinds!!

Mummy Sneha and Best Aunt have landed. Whoop whoop!!

is rediscovering her first ever facebook album, courtesy the search for a 'professional looking'
mug shot

has been humming Hungarian 'melodies' in Slovakia

TESCO rhymes with GLASGOWWW

wants a sparkly chandelier

just watched mamma mia and is going to be singing abba tunes all weekend...watch out Budapest!!

who needs lunch when you have new shoes?

is craving roti, sabzi, daal but is settling for pasta!

has rediscovered spinach

loves late cancels more than anything else in the whole wide world

has eaten her way through Vienna and it's surrounds. Slurp slurp!!

has a doppelganger in Budapest who sings on trams and bobs her head!!

is a champion pillow fighter

ate a bagel after wayyyyy too long

Insomniacs only think they're cool. Truly cool people are the ones with giant sunnies

Phew!! The laptop works again (for now)

has finally (half) eaten her first langos

really should go to bed

is in Pareeeeeeeeeee

leaves Roma :( for Venezia :) today

is giving herself an Art History 101 in prep for Rome and Paris

made her first snowman ever today :)

hasn't had anything to say on facebook for a few days now

wants to hug her niece...but she's too far away :*(

is still chowing down those turos taskas

is a turos taska eating machine

Did you know that there is cyanide in apple seeds, mangoes and bitter almonds??

loves the perfect winteriness of today

is in gingerbread heaven

is riding the idiot's rollercoaster

has a truant sock in her washing machine which is driving her INSANE

is a perfect mofeta and wants to eat more croquetas

A few conclusions
1. I talk about food and the weather all the time
2. It was been a year of random királyság (a.k.a. my magyar word for coolness) with lots of travel, pillow fighting, snail mailing, facebook quizzing and the list goes on.

A daytrip worth blogging about

2009-05-31T15:57:00.004+02:00

It's a wet, grey day in Budapest and surrounds. Is this the mark of spring turning into summer? Or is this just crazy European weather at its best? Nem ertem!! (translation: I don't understand it)

Still, the crazy weather did not deter and I was up bright and early to head over the border into Kosice, Slovakia (pronounced Ko-sheet-suh). Ignored by most tourists (good for me, bad for them :p) Kosice, is Slovakia's second largest gathering of inhabitants. I refuse to call it a city, but would settle for something in between town and village. Kosice has the most beautiful centre ever....gothic cathedral, a palace with a breathtaking roof, a musical fountain which belts out hits from the 20th century all day long, beautiful gardens, statues and sculptues, street cafes, bars and ice cream shops. Sounds familiar right? That's what every European town/city/village I've visited has had in some measure. But, the border of that beautiful centre is where Kosice gets different, and consequently interesting and worth blogging about. The minute you step out of the centre, all you see are blocks upon blocks of ugly communist style buildings. The transformation is immediate.

Kosice is located in a valley and after a wander through the centre, we took a bus out into the hills, to a lookout tower which overlooks the town. We took in the views while the tower swayed gently with the breeze. It was bizarre!! Gently rolling hills rim the city, a ring of ugly clumps of concrete come next and the town centre basks happily in the middle. It reminded of the 'feedback giving shit sandwich principle' :)

After a delicious lunch of halusky and pierogi, which probably sent my heart one step closer to cardiac arrest and some giddy headed hilarity over 'special biscuits' we headed back into town to soak in some more of the centre. The blueberry ice cream was good. The shop windows were even better. The ball gowns and shoes in particular were sights to be seen. I would truly have nightmares of my clothes taking revenge on me and turning into ferocious and bloodthirsty beasts if I were to wear one of those outfits. Clearly nothing is too bizarre or outlandish in the world of Slovak fashion :) There were shoes that sparkled with all the colours of the rainbow and dresses that blinded and bedazzled....and could possibly injure too. As luck would have it, we were visiting on a Saturday, which is also when the catheral and the chapel next to it, churn out a married couple every hour. As a result of this, we were treated to some stunning creations on real, live people!!

Our day was now complete and after one last scoop of ice cream (this time in a cup of coffee) we headed back home to a land which clearly faces some stiff competition when it comes to fashion disasters.

La Journee Parfaite

2009-02-04T11:12:00.003+01:00

It doesn't take very much at all to make me happy and here is the perfect example of what made me, a content me.

Drag myself out of bed.
Drag myself to class.
Cold crisp winter air.
I'm awake.
My students and I plan a jazz festival. The lesson plan tells us that our festival is a success.
A ride on a rattling tram with a warm, freshly baked turos taska.
Witty, smart alecky repartee back and forth all day long.
Late cancellation :)
The elusive postcard with the 'hot' Magyars makes an appearance once more.
Kapalbharti, a 17 minute run and crunches.
Soup and crunchy pita triangles.
Eat in Rome....I could stay here forever and never move onto to Pray in India and Love in Indonesia. After all, food is my first and true love.
Bedtime.

Spinning.

2008-11-06T11:12:00.003+01:00

My life as I have know it has kept changing every year for a couple of years now. And that's the way aha aha I like it aha aha.

18 million people was too much. 300,000 seemed too little. 2 million is close to perfect

Coffee I enjoyed, but I was still to discover the true brilliance that coffee can attain. Then I discovered the perfect Mocha. That perfect Mocha lies in a land far far away and is temporarily unattainable :(

I walked on grimy 'rastas', filled with people and loved it. I walked some more, this time on clean, hilly streets with no people...loved the streets, but missed the people. I still walk and this time around, I have the best of both worlds so long as I choose the right 'utca'.

Walk on the left side of the street and all's good. Walk on the left side of the street and snigger a little at the Europeans who kept bumping into people. Swing between left and right (left more often than not) and this time around it's me bumping into people and occasionally grazing past a cyclist. I bet I'm getting sniggered at too!!

Work, work and work some more. Work, play at work and use all and any snatches of time to work and play. Work, play at work and playyyyy :)

Listening to the waves of the Arabian sea on the rare nights that I sat up to study. Long, long walks along the Wellington harbour and the one paddle boat ride in the harbour. Criss-crossing the Danube (both under and over) every single day.

Vada pav. Scones and muffins. Constant indulgence at pékségs and cukrászdas!!

Juhu by the beach. Kelburn in the hills. Angyalföld in the middle of nowhere.

So what's stayed constant? Well, that's an easy question! The fun people and the opportunity any and every city offers to be discovered.

In the words of McDonald's 'I'm loving it'

I've been assaulted

2008-09-11T20:30:00.003+02:00

A recent long distance train ride home proved to be the most unwelcome assault on my ears.

It started out well, with young, old and everyone in-between stocking up on 'snacks' pronouned 'snecks' or 'snakes' depending on whether you were leaving home or heading home on this particular train. This despite the fact that the Rajdhani is well known for feeding its passengers till they can truly eat no more. Still, this is the way we do it in this part of the world. And why should we ever do it any different? Rajdhani or not.

The train lurches to a start, bang on time and I make myself comfortable....good read in hand and ticket accessible should the TC come-a-checking. Indian trains have always been smelly. Indian trains have always been loud. But when did our good ole blue vinyl berthed bogies turn into entertainment centrals?

Was it absolutely necessary for the podgy 20-something to watch a movie on his overloaded-with-unnecessary-software-laptop on full volume? Or for the teenager on the top berth to play every polyphonic ringtone on her mobile atleast thrice before she chose the one that was to ring out to us every time we passed a state border and had to be alerted of the same by super-enthusiastic service providers? Or for the 'uncle' to belch and burp after an intake of anything, quite so loudly (although this I grudgingly admit is no new phenomena)? And, the newly refurbished air-conditioned bogies now have plugpoints!!! Our little electronic friends and life partners are no longer even given the chance to slip into a silent coma till they reach the next plugpoint in the next town or city.

My memories of drinking chilled Frooti and reading Tinkle are being replaced by memories of awfully high pitched and out of tune ringtones and Bollywood scores!! Me no likes!!

I am

2008-07-28T22:06:00.000+02:00

Home.
Well.
Disconnecting.
Reconnecting.
Taking it one day at a time.

Closer

2008-06-26T11:31:00.000+02:00

And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time......

Well, this can't be one of those times. I'm getting closer to leaving my life of the past year behind and it's not easy!!

I'm still superficially upset about it and I'm really not looking forward to the time when the rude shock of reality hits me. A few days back somebody asked me what I would miss the most and after a long long pause, the only thing I could get myself to say was "The fact that Wellington is such a picture perfect city". Now, this is definitely one of the many things that I will miss, but doesn't come anywhere near describing the never-ending list of things that I will miss.

I'm not a coffee connoisseur, but I will miss the option of being able to walk into one of Welly's many superb cafes and ordering that perfect mocha or chai latte with a warm, buttery muffin or scone.

I live by the sea back home too, but nothing beats a walk by Welly's gorgeous waterfront. I don't think there is a single person who can actually tire of that view. And if there is, they need to get themselves checked out for a disorder of some sort.

I will miss the wonderful people I've met, especially those who I share a connection of some sort with. The ones who have entertained me for a year and kept my spirits high. The ones who have put up with me when I'm being the worst kind of me I can be. The ones who have kept me grounded and connected to reality. The ones who have been there when there's really nowhere else to go to.

I will miss my little world in Kelburn and its surrounds where everything is within walking distance. Home, work and play: nothing is more than a half hour walk away. I have to admit that I haven't enjoyed having to hike up hills on a daily basis, but given the overindulgences in all things fattening, I would have been pumpkin sized if I hadn't. The admittedly smelly and cold 100 Kelburn Parade is soon going to be a memory and not home.

I will miss the endless hours spent window shopping and browsing through books at Borders, Whitcoulls and Arty Bees. But this I can do at home too =)

I will miss having the option to pick up some affordable but good wine and chocolate at the supermarket and enjoy a chocolate appreciation night. I will miss enjoying a beer, because there is no Tuatara Hefe back home..and that's the only beer I've ever really enjoyed. Exit vodka and L & P. Re-enter vodka and Sprite.

I'm in a country that has very little to offer in terms of indigenous food, but I'm such a foodie that i have found foods that I will miss too!! Kiwifruit (only green, cos we don't have gold) will turn into a delicacy again. Pies will once more be associated with dessert. And I wonder when I'll taste my next nectarine, persimmon or bagel with raisin walnut cream cheese. And the wedges...the amazing variety of wedges!!

I wondered why I didn't miss home when I left it. And now I know. Its because I knew that I would go back someday and probably someday soon. But this time around, I don't have the same luxury.

Née encore (?!?!)

2008-06-24T11:22:00.001+02:00

It emerges from the wilderness after months and months of hibernation.

For how long, you ask? Well, truth be told, I haven't a clue!

Khao Galli

2006-10-22T09:02:00.001+02:00

Iftari khana ...I can't believe that I've actually ignored it despite having lived in Bombay for almost 12 years now. Earlier this week, I took the best decision I've taken in a long time and heeding my rumbling stomach headed to Bhendi Bazaar. The BEST bus No 5 with a back seat full of hungry @ers wove its way through the jampacked streets of Kalbadevi and Pydhonie till we finally reached our destination.....Khao Galli at Bhendi Bazaar...it couldn't be more aptly named. We started our gastronomic adventure, seated at a slightly shady :) joint with the ever enthu waiter serving up plates upon plates of the best food I've eaten in along time !! Baida roti, chicken roll, mutton sandwich (nothing like a regular sandwich), delhiwala aloo chaat...all livened up with a dash of lime. We were just about half way through. We moved on to another joint less than 10 metres away, and eagerly ordered the next round of seekh kababs. This time we also got slightly more adventurous and got persuaded by the only experienced iftar khana khanewala among us. We ordered Khiri. Now, khiri may sound absolutely innocent and may even be mistaken for kheer, the dessert we're all so well acquainted with, but its nothing like and nowhere close to kheer. Khiri, beleive it or not is cows udder. I like to think of myself as somebody who likes to try new foods and I couldn't possibly let myself down. So, I very gingerly placed a tiny little piece of khiri in my mouth. And guess what, it was really good....slightly chewy, but definitely worth a try. Right after this we headed off to a sweet shop. After a few rounds of malpuas and phirni, we decided that it was time to head home. Now, all along we'd been looking for a drink called Rimzim, a local version of a cola.....but hadn't managed to find a shop that sold it. We did manage to find a close substitute though....masala soda. I've always seen them hanging precariously from the snack stalls at the local railway stations, but never tried it. The masala soda with a hint of jeera and kokum turned out to be the best way to wash down our meal. Happy and well-fed we headed off to Bombay Central station with me vowing to myself that I was never going to miss the iftar khana at Bhendi bazaar ever again

And then, a few days later, I found myself braving a rickshaw ride through the infamous Garage Galli with lakshmi bombs and other life threatening fireworks ( as you can see, I'm not a fireworks enthusiast) being burst dangerously close to my rickshaw. The sole reason for my bravery being a Diwali dinner. And guess what was cooking, aloo dum and luchis, my all-time favourite Bengali food that I hadn't had in sooooo long.

Waiting in anticipation for Ramzan 2007 :)

Summerthings

2006-05-15T08:04:00.000+02:00

I don't beleive this. I'm getting addicted already. Addicted to endless minutes of tapping away furiously at an ugly plastic contraption that I still haven't quite mastered.

I start every summer with a things to do list. More often than not I end the summer with the same list. Things to do. Dance...let myself go...one, two, three, spin.......jive...salsa...dirty dancing. Get rid of my two left feet and emerge triumphant after a month of classes with one well trained right foot and another equally well trained left foot. Wishful thinking. Hmph

Things I've done. I went under the knife.....more so the scissor actually....letting my head full of wavy, frizzy, completely disobedient hair be operated upon by an amateur. Definitely not the best decision I made.....although not quite the worst either. An endless life of bad hair days.............I look into the horizon and what do I see........bad hair days.

Things I should have done.....attacked the endless pile of books that beckons me night and day...Rushdie, Mistry, Wyss et al.....will I ever be able to devour them all. For two summers in a row they've eluded me...cunning lil things. Always, just out of arms length.

Things I really should have done.......gone for it. For what, one may wonder. Mastered a certain skill....a skill that constantly eludes me...so much so that I wonder if its innate or learned. I'm reassured by others (who just by the eay are masters of the skill) that its learnt...easy for them to say. Will I ever know how? Will I ever get it right? Will I ever gain the confidence to pull it off with a flourish?

Things I shouldn't have done..........Kentucky Fried Chicken..........phoooeeeyyyy....cold, rubbery and tasteless. I hope they go out of business !!!!

Summerthings....gallons of nimbu pani, train journeys to family reunions, lazy walks along the seashore, taboo and dumb charades at pajama parties, almond fudge icecream, chocochip mint icecream, litchee icecream, any kind of icecream, drunken nights at a bungalow(masquerading as a resort) in a nondescript village by the Arabian sea.

Summerthings.....an endless string of meetings just because you have the time, hours and hours and hours in front of a screen waiting and waiting and waiting for a complete stranger from the other end of the world to respond to your plea to 'match', migraine and sinus, sleepless nights

Slowly but steadily the end of the summer draws closer. A luxury to be enjoyed no more...as I'm constantly reminded by Mommy dearest. Am I waiting in anticipation for summer '07? Am I? Can I push the thoughts of decisions to be taken and choices to be made out of my skull?

I'm just being dramatic...I still have a month to go....a month to enjoy my summerthings.

1 down and 99 to go

2006-05-14T21:17:00.000+02:00

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

I've visited 1% of the world and I have 99% to go.........kinda reminds me of my life right now and the things I have to do...........SIGH!!!!

Isn't it just lovely to wallow in self pity?

Quite by accident

2006-05-14T20:37:00.000+02:00

Hmm.....i've just discovered (and quite by accident at that) this whole new alternative universe. Never done it before and don't quite know where I'm going with it.

Is it like keeping a diary? A diary that the whole world has access to? When did I let a keyboard replace the good ole pen n paper? Why I am I letting this happen? Does it even matter? I don't know....but I guess I'm gonna find out