Jaj Istenem

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

Sor for sör

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

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!

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?

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

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

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 :)

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

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

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!

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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

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

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!

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?

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

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!

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

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

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'

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

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.