Adventures in Castilla-la-Mancha

It's only on the way back that Zab mentioned that the area we travelled all day was the setting of Don Quixote's adventures. Though I saw no windmills, we visited the Palacio Real in Aranjuez, which was used to be the spring residentce of all sorts of King Felipe and one Carloss III, and now on the World Heritage list of UNESCO.

We briefly visited the interiors, mainly the Queen's quarters, and also a part were they showcased various cribs, uniforms and even velvet covered weight machines (photos courtesy of Zab to come eventually). I was delighted by the curtains, assorted with the different colours of each room.


There was also a room full of porcelain figurines as wallpaer, and even the hanging light was of porcelain...the overall effect was most crowded and creepy.

Outside, the sun was burning on a canals, gardens and our poor heads. I forgot my hats at home, and I still haven't bought a spanish fan.



After all that, we wanted to go to an aquapark to get some fresh water, but after much turning around all over the place for almost half an hour, we discovered upon asking for the 2nd time in a 4 star hotel that the place has been closed for the past 3 years...and on our way back in Aranjuez to sample local food, the car broke down and started to emit black smoke on the right front!
Luckily, the really nice policeman that Zab hailed was very helpful, as well as my nice mini dictionary helped us thourgh getting in touch with the insurance, and get us a cab back home without paying a penny...now the only concern is to send the car to the garage and get it repaired...

'Concierto de Aranjuez'

Narciso Yepes performing the piece by Rodrigo.
I am not sure our adventure in the area match his musical interpretation, as we managed to visit...

'I had a farm in Africa'

Out of Africa, Karen Blixen


Except out here, it's a barn, and we're in Spain, around Madrid. I did not expect the place to be so arid, vast yellowish land stretching to the horizon, sparsely greened by pine like trees. Almost remindin me of the Wadi in Yemen. The airport was really modern and an ode to glass structures and ceiling ventilation. I will have to take some pictures when I leave because there are a lot of geometric shapes and lines that trick my eyes and play with the lights.

We drove on highways around Madrid to pass Mostoles University where Zab works, then took a dirt road off the main road to safaria cross dunes of plants and get to the barn she calls home in Spain. It is her 'domaine', complete with a barn house, where the chicken hide from the mighty dog of the house -Ouessant - and a neighbourhood vineyard (where she'll get her free supply of grapes), and a hill from which to enjoy the sunset on the yellow grassland.

(I then didnt resist the temptation of going to the nearby Xanadu mall to explore the local 'ropas y vestidos' and have a peek at the artificial ski lanes...)

The end of a job

So it has come to an end. I am now officially unemployed till september, and it feels like a deserved holiday. As a matter of fact I am headed for few days to Madrid, to sample the warm and hopefully dry weather.
Today I am recovering from the excesses of last night (3 rhum n coke, champagne, white wine, mojito), and trying to ward off the sniffles..weather was crap over here lately.

It's hard to turn the page, but change is good and exciting even if it is stressfull. I seem to be in good hands, as the new job already sent me a whole welcome package with directions to the office, restaurants, shopping mall, etc...pretty cool...all i need now is the energy to tune my brain into the new set of skills to be learned ot master the new job...

Cousin Kim's visit

In Camden market

At the new City Hall

LIVE! From Studio 1

SO here is how a studio looks like during rehearsal from the observation room. We ended up being part of the audience, which was ok apart from the time wasted while waiting for prerecorded stuff to go on air as well..but we did go live to '20million spectators', watching a dance competition where the competitors were convinced they could dance...hahahahaha
We got a kitkat bar and water...now, when you know the food element, I say they have a free audience who claps on queue.

Talk to me...

Of course it is better if you use this before attempting to come with me to Madagascar...found in a bookshop in central London...

Laisse tomber les filles

France Gall sings Serge Gainsbourg

Summer in London, at last!

Escape from .... London

Destination: Bournemouth.


Of course, the slouched old lady doesn't look very inviting at all after the 2h train from Waterloo. But the train was full of beachgoers so I thought this must be THE place. Without knowing where to go upon arrival, all I had to do was follow the crowd (almost) dressed in white/fuschia/yellow carrying all sorts of inflatable objects(my favourite) and towels. Some people even had tents...Hopped on the yellow bus, and got dropped at the seafront to be assaulted by the cries and screams of children..I forgot it was the holidays. So much for avoiding the crowd by going on a weekday!

And those were not your well behaved kids that you would want to have around. Those were hyperactive, running all over the place, sand skidding, sand throwing kind. And their parents weren't better...It was 11:00 and those s** of **** were wasting my day. But I had my magazine, my book, my umbrella, my lambahoany and my SPF30 sunscreen, so I was happy to lie around like there were no worries in the world...felt really nice, despite the sand in the hair, nostril, and eventually eyes...There was a nice breeze so I didn't feel the heat until my shoulders actually burnt, despite all the sunscreen.

I have done people watch on the beach when tired of reading the N*ew S*cientist, and decided that people go to the beach for weird different reasons:
- to tan, even if they are very dark and brown like me
- to let the kids get dirty in sand and sea and yell at them (especially for the ninjas that came and kept scolding the kids, who were also in ninja)
- to smoke
- to watch people (yeup, me too)
- to show off their hot bodies (ugh, haven't seen a single one,...sob)
- to show off their tatoos (every single adult I saw seemed to have one at least)
- to dig up a big hole in the sand (kids' favourite activity)
- to hide in a tent (not sure why on the beach though)
- to watch the planes make a heart shaped cloud out of their rears

I came to empty my head, and I couldn't quite get to that stage where I was relieved of stress and tranquil..I missed the deserted beach and the crystal clear ocean.

'as nutty as a squirel's poo'

quote from the last Harry Potter book by JK Rowling.
And yes, i have finished reading the book...I originally didn't plan to read it soon, waiting for a nice holiday to read it nicely, but Wednesday afternoon was a gorgeous sunny day so I took it to the park with me. I nearly burnt my back as I devoured the first 200 pages and forgot to turn around. By Thursday evening, I was done.

Now I can ruminate the plot and twists..and then will read the whole series as soon as I get enough money to get them all.

Dogs of Lust (The The)

Sun! sun! sun! suuuuuuun...

AHEM
After an excessively drunken Friday evening where I drank way too much to behave (cuba libre, bloody mary, rhum and coke, mojito) and danced like a mad woman, I ahd to face the fact that saturday was very sunny and that I was expected at Regent's Park for an all jocks afternoon...well, I assumed we were going to play games and chill...my meetup at Great Portland St station however was completely dressed up for sports, so i felt out of place with my jeans and sneakers...ah well, the first order of the day was to detox of all the alcohol molecules that were navigating through my blood. After wandering about the park looking for the group, Sherlock finally spotted them, and I was relieved to find out they were not wearing team jerseys..hahaha

In any case, a fun day at the park, celebrating a birthday with a 99.9% american expats, playing kickball (baseball with a football), frisbee, ultimate frisbee, football, american football, and for me by the end of the afternoon, cloud gazing and listening to trees whispering...my adductors were hurting and my head was finally feeling the hang over..arghhh. Almost felt like college and lying around on the Drillfield. I managed to also hurt my knee while stumbling over the football...really, I am clearly out of shape, but at least I was happy not to be like the other 6 girls who came dressed up for talk and gossip and would build a cheerleading pyramid instead of doing sports...giving me headaches.


Next day, the sun was out again (SURPRISE!) despite all the wet and rainy forecast during the whole week. The Viking reminded me of the Red Bull air race in Canary Wharf so dragged the new flatmate (need to find an alias for her) and Happy Feet down there as well...we were too late though and ended up avoiding the crowd getting into the tube by starting to follow a moving crowd walking along the Thames route...that was a 2miles adventure along the most industrialized banks of the Thames, with rotten smells and wrecks. The view was pretty nice for a litle while, but we were relieved to finally get to Cutty Sark, where Greenwich Meridien is...


Met the Viking, grabbed some food at the Museum Cafe, and then headed home completely knackered.

And today, more sun...but unfortunately I have to work ET hours...ironic.

The world is changed by discontent men and women

«Le monde n'est qu'un égout sans fond où les phoques les plus informes rampent et se tordent sur des montagnes de fange.»
On ne badine pas avec l’amour (Alfred de Musset)

Maybe Lady Justice is not that blind, or karma is really master of this world's events. In any case, my getting a new job definetely changes my world. And those who didn't bother appreciate my good will and performances only have themselves to blame for the turn of events that leaves them short staffed and ridiculized.

A few picturesque observations on this day:
-in the tube today, the well dressed man in front of me ruined it by ferociously seeking something in between his teeth at the back of his mouth...urghh
-I could see big rats frolicking outside, down on the ground, from the 4th floor of the building where I work....Those were huge rats the size of cats.
-my friedge only contains lettuce, which is rotting miserably as i keep eating out, and drinking like a viking (not beer though) so that I am growing pimples on my back and bum...disgusting...must stop the drinking.

All in all, I only have one more issue to deal with, and quickly before I burn into a pile of ashes: He WHO Cannot Be Named...must put him out of my head and away from me ASAP. I do not trust my strength and will not be distracted further.

Amado mio

By Pink Martini

Enchanted

At the Harry Potter book launch last friday night (Piccadily Circus Waterstones bookstore)
I was the only Ravenclaw girl there as far as I could tell. Lots of muggles..

Una furtiva lagrima - Donizetti

Sung by Placido Domingo

Una furtiva lagrima
Negli occhi suoi spuntò... quelle festose giovani invidiar sembrò...
Che più cercando io vo?
M'ama, lo vedo.
Un solo istante i palpiti
Del suo bel cor sentir!..
Co' suoi sospir confondere per poco i miei sospir!...
Cielo, si può morir;
Di più non chiedo

Anger management

In some situation, I can see myself very angry and put on my hate mask. In those moments, a burning rage builts up from my inner soul, spreads dangerously through my hormonal circuits and takes hold of my stomach, throat and brain. It distorts all other feelings that I know I can feel on a regular day, and makes me focus on how to impair, hurt and destroy the objects of my hate.
It is unbelievable to hate that strongly until you can actually taste it in your mouth and your mind is already churning ways to pulverize those people, their family, etc...I am not talking about sudden death or dissapearance, I am talking about the Count of Monte Cristo vengeance or vendetta: slow, inevitable, humiliating, and self inducted misery and death.

Unfortunately for me, I haven't found a way to achieve that.

Most importantly, I need to focus on what I am going to do next for myself, to steer away from any confrontation or dealings with those useless incompetent and despiseful egos, and progress my life and career. For I wear my emotions on my sleeves and will not be able to hide my passionate loathing for long.

Mint tea

Sunday morning in London dew
As silent as a coral reef
And as sweet as 'goodness gracious me'

Waking up to the sound of mint tea
Stretching in slow motion
life lezards in the languid music and languages of the Mediterranea
bringing in heady aroma of spices over the market hustle
An old man is following his cane
My mind is lolling and easing into a lazy mood

When the bitter aftertaste hits my throat
You are not with me
My palate long for that sweet freshness
Like my head starves for your sight
I drink some more
And as long as the pot isn't empty
There is a hope of enjoying your intimacy
And the delicate moments when I miss you.

Fire fire...are u running yet?

Received this morning by email...makes you wonder..

From: Someone silly who cannot be named.
Sent: 12 July 2007 10:54
To: !All *** London Staff
Subject: FIRE ALARM TEST

THE ALARM IS GOING OFF NOW



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