The face of the desert

Forget the cliche of the sand dunes. I did not see those. After all, the trip was to be in a valley, where an intermittent river would form after rainfall. Instead, picture a long sinuous valley bordered by very high plateaux that are similar to Cape Town's Table Mountain. And you get the region of Hadramout.





It rained a couple of days ago and the river bed is blessed with some water, and some crops are an eerie green along the road.

Along the straight new roads, water station sparsely sprout out of the beige ground, celebrating and nurturing the idea of water to the thirsty and drained travelers. Truly a life saving station.

We also came across many goats herds, escorted by their lovely shepherdess, kinda dressed for Halloween.

Minarets towers in all shape and colors signal human civilization. Minaret also travels by truck on the long desert road.

On the plateaux, the immense flat dry surface stretches to the horizon, hiding the abrupt cliffs onto the valley.

The sunset can be viewed in higher grounds to get a view of the palms trees in the wadi and the sand storm raised by the breeze.

And finally hidden charming oasis of rest and peace cater to tired travelers.

The three musketeers

Hook (black eye), Gruyere, and Voatavo (ie swiss cheese and pumpkin)
Their mom is called...Orangina

On Weekend

I should have had a graduation ceremony, because I can now read...supposedly, in Arabic, when they bother to put the vowels on the words. Instead walked home through the souk one more time, taking some pictures like some vulgar tourist:

Observe the man walking up the hill, like any yemeni, he is wearing the traditional jambia, a mighty knife he keeps in a decorated belt near his ....belly, to protect his....belly:)

And here is one of the many shops selling the accessories for men: jambia belts.

And to finish, a nice picture of the old city, seen behind its big wall:

Since my classes finished (yes, short but intensive) I am not sure when I will be back in the old city. On the other hand I need a REAL vacation...days of doing nothing...and not waking up with an alarm clock.....

High...

Game: Not that i have tried qat or any popular local hallucinogens. Just that having a glimpse out of the window of the laundry room, here what I saw:


Spirits: And from the bedroom, I can see the muezzin that wakes us up at 03:00am for prayers...they are pretty hard core on prayers.

Voltage: Finally,I barely completed my homework when the electricity went off. So we had a candlelit dinner and a game of spiderweb, and sudoku.

Dryness

Every single hint of humidity out here is sucked dry out here. The ground is marked by small wrinkles and the trees are all very dry or burnt. However the recent urban planning included planting trees to separate boulevards, like the one next to the mall across from the house (below).

Also the skin, and other wooden crafts we have had since we moved, are completely dried up. For our skin, we have to butter ourselves with all sorts of yummy cream, from heal to face. The wooden chests and chairs have to be oiled apparently.

And worse, it is dry of cute guys. Have I mentioned that they hold hands?

Starting school

This morning was nerve wrecking as I was supposed to go to class by myself, like a big girl (not fat, just big). Took a cab which had plastic covered seats in case i vomit inside because of car sickness. Given how they drive over here, it is expected. Then I was dropped off at the entrance of the Old City (Baab el Yemen) and had to go through the souk by myself, following a map my Mommy drew. I managed to get to the school 15min in advance, so they put me in the kitchen to wait for 10:00.

I must stress that the city is in altitude so climbing regular stairs leaves me breathless. The school kitchen was on the second floor, after climbing old style stairs made for giants. I waited 30min, then at 10:10 I called the director of the school asking where my teacher was after seeing all the other students being picked up by their teacher. He told me to go upstairs, on the 3rd floor where my teacher was waiting for me. He basically forgot he sent me to the kitchen.

Anyway that was enough exercise for my poor legs, lungs and brain...tomorrow, class is at 08:00..........

Yeah Man !*

*coined by Hobbes

Finally landed safely on the second try! We almost landed the first time but at the last minute, ie after the tires were out, the pilot decided to turn on the engines again and take off...mainly because a violent wind was shaking the plane, and lifted all the dust around so ze could not see anything, the sky and everything we stared at was red yellowish fog.

But the trip was comfortable enough, except that in the new fleet of Emirates, the seats are higher than usual, meaning the height challenged like me could not touch the floor with my feet, and the footrest could not be used during take offs and landings. Quite painful then. I also cursed for 6 hours after a party of 3 guys in front of me who kept drinking and got really drunk and really loud. May they be sterile.

So far I am getting lost finding the rooms I want in the house. Imagine when I have to walk through the souk in the old city to go to my Arabic classes tomorrow...

Our life in Science

Convinced that my granny still lives in the 50's, I wondered how it would feel 50 years from now on. Hell, it's hard enough being born in the 70s and growing up on stuff that don't make sense anymore, such as:
- Pluto is not a planet
- It is now scientifically impossible to go back in time. This must be very hard on magazines and the cosmetics industry. How are they going to sell them products that are supposed to make you look and feel like 10 years back in time?



And then you start to imagine waking up one day 50 years from now and finding out:
- that all your kids (if you have them) look alike, except for their hair color, and they're not the same age either.
- you can go to the hospital and ask for a hip replacement, not because yours broke, but because you get a new hip, grown from the cells you gave earlier (or did they just take that sample when you were being treated for an appendicite?)
- When your child is sick, you can either replace the malfunctioning organ with another one that was grown in vitro (same as your hip) or...get one from a clone of your child...
- Your food doesnt taste like anything anymore. Instead you have pills that treat each vital organ..and your tastebuds are not vital apparently...weird because it can be useful to taste poisons...ah well
- You can't have babies by having sex anymore. For babies, you go to the bankand fill in a form and get your order like at McDonalds. In fact everyone (men and women) has to do it for the survival of the species.
- Everyone is using public transport that don't stop for no reason for engineering work. The only private vehicles are the ones to the other planets and moons.
- You can learn a new language in 3 nights' sleep

I stop imagining because it's been a while since I read a science magazine so I can't remeber what other stuff is shaking up our lives...but just imagine though...pretty scary sometimes.

Flashback

Sometime yesterday in Paris I was walking briskly along the corridor of the metro station Cluny La Sorbonne. And I felt like almost 10 years ago, when every morning I had to run in that same corridor to catch my connection train to Jussieu...very weird feeling.

Otherwise, I was quite happy to fly with a woman captain on my flight back to Heathrow. Her voice was very reassuring, even if her landing was a bit bumpy. However the stewart had a terrible French accent, so bad it hurts to listen to him. 'oui invaite u to reed zee and out in front ov u...' arghhhhh Maybe if he was cute i would have felt better.

Top 3 things I can't buy

3-Dietary food, such as slim fast and such . I feel miserable because if I buy it then I have to eat it, and they're not very good, except the ones I bought in France years ago but which is now discontinued... I don't like slim fast.

2-panties. Because no matter how I look at them they look huuuuge...:(

1-Condoms...I've never even tried. In a supermarket I walk down that aisle and glance around and discover to my horror that there are millions of boxes of different colors. Geez, as if it wasn't difficult enough. And then for some reason I can't read anymore so I just stare at the aile, continue walking and wonder what's the difference between those condoms: thickness of rubber? talc and powder? reservoir? size? breathable (huh?) flavour? texture? glow in the dark? with or without lubrification? So I leave it to the guy to get them.

I just imagine guys shopping...
'oh man, i only have 2 condoms left and it's the weekend. Gotta get some more. So let's see...what's the cheapest?...hmmm...3 for the price of 2. yeah but this is small. And I need lube. Don't they have family size boxes so that I don't have to do this so often? Hehehe, the ones with flavours...******(censured thought). Oh shit, another guy is coming over (this one is hetero right?). Ah well, whatever is under my hand then. Oh shit this is not what I wanted. Ah well, maybe she will....grrr...run run...ah damn, all the cashiers are girls, ah well, gotta hide this one with the lettuce, or shoo, how about some flowers? yeah..smooth!'

Arghhh that was painful, to try to think like a guy like that. Am glad I'm a girl.

Who are you?

It must be very strange to not remember things. I do it already but I usually forget events...Yesterday however, my grandmother asked me who I was. LOL. I don't blame her from bloking me from her consciousness though, I've been a bit of a troublesome lady to live with. But it was quite funny to find out she doesn't know who I am and that I finished school...Instead she said she remember my sister she hasn't seen in 5 years. Some shortcircuits going in there...

Airports or terminals?

It is a place where people pass by and don’t stay, except for the shops. So travellers usually move in hordes, in and out of the terminals. I do like airports mainly for that reason, but only when I am leaving. Picking up someone or waiting for someone at the airport or dropping someone is not very enjoyable, mainly because you wait (waste of my life), or because you feel left behind.

I don't like the word terminal because it sounds so definitive and very ill. Airport is a better word because it is much more descriptive of a bustling port where things are done: goodbyes, greetings, business, meetings, extraditions, body searches, etc...It's where I rush to, take my ticket, check my luggage get in line for the security check...and most of the time don't look back. Either I know I'll be back and will rejoice in seeing family and friends again, knowing that rare comfort of being loved no matter what, or there is just nothing to look back on because I am glad to leave it behind.

'Kuroi namida'

Here are the translated lyrics of the song from 'nana'. And I do feel like this....

can’t count the nights when I’ve hoped tomorrow won’t come
I’ve lost my dreams and my love; lashed by the rain, I’m crying, crying, crying…

What do I need to do
To be able to live as I am, without dressing myself up?
I can't even believe in myself, so what should I believe in?
The answer is so close that I can’t see it

I cry black tears
I have nothing, I’m so sad
Unable even to put it into words
My whole body begins to ache
I can’t take being alone

At night I grew tired of crying and drew my face, yet it wasn’t my face
I need to stop hiding my weakness and putting on a smile

Is it the hardest thing in the world
To live without dressing oneself up?
If I could have something from you, I want something intangible
I no longer need things that can break

Even if I cry black tears and scream
Tomorrow will come with an unfamiliar face
And I’ll come up against the same pain
If those days are going to continue
Then I want to go far away
Even though I know it's selfish of me...

I cry black tears
I have nothing, I’m so sad
Unable even to put it into words
My whole body begins to ache
I can’t take being alone

Even if I cry black tears and scream
Tomorrow will come with an unfamiliar face
And I’ll come up against the same pain
If those days are going to continue
Then I want to go far away
Even though I know it's selfish of me...

In a rush and a void

I've been quite busy creating, reviewing, editing a French CV lately. It is my only deadline in about 3 years now and it felt good to be compelled to do something for my own good. Even if the results are not guaranteed and the job itself doesn't seem too technically challenging.

It also left me quite empty. I realized when I feel something I do tend to almost immediately express it, either to a plastic composite and metal scrap (i.e. a computer), or to the relevant person. So if I am happy I say so, if I am sad and missing someone, I say so, and if I like someone, I say so as well, which has the relly annoying effect of making the guy run for shelter and for a boat off the island or continent. Very disturbing. I am not sure if it is the way I express it or just the fact that I have those feelings.

I have tried being subtke about hings, but then again I don't like the idea that I am not sure what the other person understood. So soon or later, usually sooner, I blurt out what excatly is my feeling or opinion. I have been shy before, and I am still considerate to others' feelings. But I put my own feelings first by expressing them.

Electra said we are not women who receive gifts. That is because we do not know how to act needy and demanding...and maybe also I am too independent and proud to ask for anything sometimes. If I need help I will eventualy ask for it. Maybe I get it, maybe I don't but at least I asked and tried.

Yeah, i feel empty...I need that rush to make me feel alive again.

The whereabouts of the Moon Rabbit

Can you see it? I thought I was loosing my wits when remebering the moon rabbit. Apprently it is only visible in the southern hemisphere where I grew up. In those days we spent a large amount of time staring at the moon before going to sleep, making up stories and conjectures about what the rabbit was doing up there. It is a shame it cannot be seen from up here north...
It is a very well know figure that can be traced up from the shades on the moon. For those unlucky one who grew up without the Moon Rabbit, here is what you are missing then:

Sun, Earth and Moon

A total lunar eclipse is visible tonight, straight out of my window. The sun, earth and the moon are on a straight line apparently, in that order.I wonder if that accounts for my mood. In a few hours, the moon disapears in front of my eyes and may reappear again while I am sleeping.



The moon slowly drifts out of my sight, like any other goal or dream I had in mind. Planes fly between my crapy camera lens and the moon, and I wonder if the passengers look at the moon and if they see it bigger. Also, if they reach up with their hands, they could touch the moon...sigh.


I didn't get to see the moon re-appear, but while dozing off to sleep, I unfortunately have to get real and realize bitterly that it is only I who decide how I feel. And so I am angry for a while, because I forgot to depend on myself. I will stop watching the parade, and walk away to go on my journey. That parade is only a collection of fake clowns, fake giants, cheap glitter, and loud ear tearing noise, disguising boredom, uselessness and aimlessness.

I missed the Haley comet a few (maybe decade) back. I'm glad I saw this one. And I even caught a blue moon. without using any filter or any sophisticated equipment...but the photos don't capture the rabbit on that side of the moon.

Porque te vas

The first song I learned in Spanish, even before 'Hijo de la luna' de Mecano.



Hoy en mi ventana brilla el sol
y el corazón
se pone triste contemplando la ciudad
por que te vas?

Como cada noche desperté
piensando en tí
y en mi reloj todas las horas ví pasar
por que te vas?

Todas las promesas de mi amor se irán contigo
me olvidarás
Junto a la estación lloraré igual que un niño
por que te vas


Bajo la penumbra de un farol
se dormirán
todas las cosas que quedaron por decir
se dormirán.

Junto a las manijas de un reloj
esperaran
todas las cosas que quedaron por vivir
por que te vas?

Todas las promesas de mi amor se irán contigo
me olvidarás
Junto a la estación lloraré igual que un niño
por que te vas


Todas las promesas de mi amor se irán contigo
me olvidarás
Junto a la estación lloraré igual que un niño
por que te vas

(Jeanette Dimech)

Made up

Something I'm not used to wear:

And something I usually wear (yessss there is a thick layer of shiny cream there!)

Tongue twisters

Ala, this is not kissing tricks description you all expected.

I only know a few in French and they can keep me busy for hours:
'-combien sont ces saucissons-ci?
-ces saucissons-ci font six sous.
'

The only one in English I know is from the movie Singin'in the rain, from the soundtrack titles 'Moses'
Moses suposes his toeses are roses
But Moses supposes erroneously
And Moses, he knowses his toeses aren't roses
As Moses supposes his toeses to be

Moses suposes his toeses are roses
But Moses supposes erroneously
A Rose is a rose
A Nose is a nose
A Toese is a toese

Hupidubidu!

Moses suposes his toeses are roses
But Moses supposes erroneously
And Moses, he knowses his toeses aren't roses
As Moses supposes his toeses to be

Please tell me more of those tongue twisters

Why is it that...

...when I am most in need of empty space I end up in a crowded area?
...the weather is bright and sunny when I need to sleep?
...my bank account always empties faster than my shopping list?
...my love life is as fruitful as a desert?
...people never say what they think and mean what they say?

Preparing for housewarming

LA CHANSON DES VIEUX AMANTS de Jacques Brel

Bien sûr nous eûmes des orages
Vingt ans d'amour c'est l'amour fol.
Mille fois tu pris ton bagage,
Mille fois je pris mon envol.

Et chaque meuble se souvient,
Dans cette chambre sans berceau,
Des éclats, des vieilles tempêtes.
Plus rien ne ressemblait à rien,
Tu vais perdu le goût de l'eau,
Et moi celui de la conquête.

Mon amour,
Mon doux, mon tendre, mon merveilleux amour,
De l'aube claire jusqu'à la fin du jour,
Je t'aime encore, tu sais, je t'aime.


Moi, je sais tous tes sortilèges,
Tu sais tous mes envoûtements.
Je t'ai gardé de piège en piège,
Tu m'as perdue de temps en temps.

Bien sûr tu pris quelques amants,
Il fallait bien passer le temps,
Il faut bien que le corps exulte.
Finalement, il nous fallut bien du talent
Pour être vieux sans être adultes.


Oh, mon amour
Mon doux, mon tendre, mon merveilleux amour,
De l'aube claire jusqu'à la fin du jour,
Je t'aime encore, tu sais, je t'aime.


Et plus le temps nous fait cortège,
Et plus le temps nous fait tourment.
Mais n'est-il pas le pire des pièges
Que vivre en paix pour des amants.

Bien sûr je pleure un peu moins tôt,
Je me déchire un peu plus tard,
Nous protégeons moins nos mystères.
On fait moins faire le hasard,
On se méfie du fil de l'eau,
Mais c'est toujours la tendre guerre.


Oh, mon amour,
Mon doux, mon tendre, mon merveilleux amour,
De l'aube claire jusqu'à la fin du jour,
Je t'aime encore, tu sais, je t'aime...

Invisible fountain

My room is very zen. I have white paper lamps, sakura flowers, white furnishings, big windows opening to tha farm and inviting the sunlight, and then a gurgling invisible fountain. I hear it sing, burp, drip through to the ground on the balcony. Sometimes it invites your imagination to picture disgusting activities (diarhea, vomiting), and sometimes it sounds as peaceful as a gentle river running on polished rocks and pebles. In any case it inhabits the room.
I must mention that my room has plenty of pink flowers and the scent of pink lillies and pink cherry blossom. Truly girly and peaceful. It was designed according to the principles of feng shui, or at least my interpretation of it: sometimes tidies up, with water, soil around the bed, bed not facing the door.

When time flies

When I am sleepy and wait for the time when I get to bed, time takes its time and rolls ever so slowly. It makes my head hurt and my eyelids feel like a flatpacked wardrobe. I have been awake before dawn and the dayis dragging its feet to completion.

I was feeling better earlier though, having spent some quality time chatting away and having a stroll on my favourite Queen's walk with an old friend visiting from the land of marmots, snow storm and Cirque du Soleil (ie Montreal). He was only in town for a few hours, which felt like seconds.

Yes, it is the standard picture I take of my friends when they visit London: on the millenium bridge with St Paul in the background.

After a very long day then, I come home to see my bunch of cherry blossoms blooming prettily with its delicate touch of pink. Puts the life back in me.

Wasting £2 and 45min of my life

This started as a pretty ok day but turned into a very very bad case of the Mondays. Woke up before the alarm clock, had time to have healthy breakfast (oatmeal) and even got to wash the filthy hair. Managed to catch the tube after peak* hours for Wimbledon. Because on this day I was ready to have the DVLA (driving and vehicule licensing agency, yeah) certify that the picture I will put on the provisional** license is really resembling me...they are very suspicious in this place.

Took me 4 podcasts in Spanish and a full £2 to get there, get a ticket, and wait for 2 minutes before the guy at the counter tells me:'ah yeah we don't certify for foreign passports, only British passports. You'll have to send that passport as proof od ID'. So basically all my efforts not to send my passports to useless bureaucrats were lost on this universe. So I stayed in that building for 4minutes and took another 20min to get back to central London.

Managed to get some shopping done before going to work. I even managed to get there early, to grab lunch, but they took 15min to grill a bloody chicken and rocket wrap. I am not sure I stayed very polite during the day. No amount of cofee or sugar can calm me down and I apparently had a tan (red cheeks, maybe because I was so unnerved by it all).

*peak time as opposed to peek time, which is when I got mooned by some lady parading naked at her window without any consideration for us tube travellers going about our business staring blankly out of the coach's window!

**a provisional license is a license to allow you to learn how to drive and sit for the driving test..yes, you must have a license to sit on a chair and anwer questions about road rules. Don't ask me why. They probably need money as this provisional license costs £38....I will die of nerves I tell you!

Home sweet home

The balcony has no light and has loads of laundry drying so will show that when the laundry is off and during daytime, with even closer view to the farm

Moving in...

The stupid pig moved out his crap this morning at 5am, disturbing me in my peaceful sleep. He won't get far hopefully, with all the curses I directed towards him!

That means today I can move in my new room, which has a balcony filled up with laundry ropes. But there are some funky fixtures on the walls and a big vertical tube in the balcony. Alas, it's not a pole worth dancing about. It's merely a passage for the dirty waters to go into the ground. Architecture over here is a mystery.As for now I'm using wet laundry to block the view from outside I will be putting up curtains shortly, after everything is stored and tidied up inside. I had to broom and mop the disgusting remains of a filthy immature bastard. I even found a condom behind the couch (arghhhh).

The room is now bleached and awaiting the lovely lady who will soon enjoy the sun and donkey (yup, I get closer to the farm). Which reminds me of a quote from Mr Sheeppy (yet another animal). I told him my room has 3 walls, so he said astonished:' do you live in a triangle?'.

It is with some sadness that I leave my beautiful room.


But hopefully I'll enjoy the big living room as well...Just went to Ikea yesterday (took me 3h total) and got some metal curtain cord. It' hard to imagine this is a living room with no curtains at all originally.

Trips...

So here I am trying to plan for the upcoming tax year. it's that time fo the year when I feel restless. I have 25 days to fill and just staying in London won't do, no matter ho fun it is here.
The options or wish list that always seem to be must-dos are:
-climbing Machu Pichu (May?)
-visiting Montreal (before June)
-going to Madagascar (May or November?)
-murder party in Brittany (October-November)
-South East Asia somewhere
-Malta
-Texas
-Madrid
-somewhere sunny and exotic where I've never been...(trouble is maybe I won't come back)
-christmas/New year will be with family (paris or wherever the family will be)
-Ireland

Am sure I'm forgetting some....

And even if all those could fit in 25 days, it will not fit in my budget unless I stop eating and resign myself to walk to work...ah well. Enough headcahe as it is!


So maybe I'll just make a trip to Ikea!

Flatmate sought...not anymore!!!

For the past week or so, we've been putting adverts online and on the market for my room to be let. I am moving in the bigger room/ex-living room at the end of this week so my current room will be vacated and let to a potentially really nice girl. Except it's very difficult: either the girl is very nice but doesn't like us or the room (i did tidy up the place, and we even vacuumed, scrubbed and burnt candles), or the girl that shows up to visit the room is completely opposite of the ones we usually get along with...meaning we didn't like them.

There are a few anecdotes worth mentioning though.
First there was the very butch girl from New Zealand. She didn't stay long but made such an impression on us we decided not to invite her for a second interview.

Second there was the really nice french girl who just moved to London. I think she was nice because she asked us what we were studying...ahem! We even offered her the flat but she found something else..which made us panick a bit because of all the dozen girls we've met, we only liked 3 of them.

Third, there was a girl called Ariane who wanted to visit the flat but when she called me she said her name was Ariana. So I asked her to pass by 19:00 and by 19:15 she finally found the gate. We opened the gate and waited for her to show up on our doorstep. Except she never did...she called later on asking where on the 3rd floor the flat was...given that it was on the 1st floor, she was never going to find it. Anyway she finally made it to our doorstep. She was very pretty and well dressed and well made up, with knee-high boots and flat blonde hair. She barely looked at the room, kitchen and bathroom, took a picture and left! later on that evening, she rang me panicked saying she couldn't find number 257...and I said I lived on number 5..obviously she mistakenly rang the wrong number...sweet and stupid. We were tempted to get her back to our house so that she can rest and have a cup of tea, because obviously she didn't know anything about the area..LOL

Anyway, we finally settled on a French girl from Lyon who made her decision at the last minute and paid the deposit in extremis. It was very stressful because we didn't want to go through the whole process of having strangers visit us again...
She works in beauty product marketing but wears no make up....I work in TV but don't watch TV, and Electra works in bars but doesn't drink alcohol, so it's a perfect fit really. So from next week, I will have a bigger room with a 3 seater, a balcony and not much closet space.

So to celebrate I'll be going to Brussels to stock up on chocolates...

Heart

Another overdose of chocolate today I suppose.
Thinking of family and friends...

Happy birthday to you!

A special thought for a little brother who now joins the world of late teens...and will soon face University life..good luck and happy birthday!

Sorrow

'As for us, our life is like grass.
We grow and flourish like a wild flower;
then the wind blows on it, and it is gone'




Reflecting my mood at best, the snow envelops me in its cold fluffy numbing coat. And I pray for my friend who is in pain, and wish I was by her side to hold her tight and close, to give her courage, for her to rest her head on my shoulder. I cannot hold my despair at being so physically far away.

For the first time in years, I implore the powers above to guide her and her family through this loss.

Time machine

If I had a time machine, I'd go back in time when I was a happier person, with no worries, and I would bring you there from the future so that I can enjoy it with you...

But I don't have a time machine so I am left to watch the clock like any other mortal, straining to hear the seconds tick by while the future gets hold of me slowly (is the future=death?).

When I'm not watching the time, I am watching likely happy events to be, such as:
-a real positive email for a date
-my body hitting the bed and fluffy pillows
-my trip to visit my family
-my promotion
-the 7th book of Harry Potter saga
-my accelerated weight loss (hmmm..crossing my fingers and toes)
-my nails grow...ugh, yup apart from my left thumb it looks almost normal

I am sure there are more..it's just I haven't got the time to list them all before they dissapear from my present...

'NaNa'

I don't have TV but I have an internet connection. And that means I can get addicted to series from far far away. In this case, I am addicted to an anime called 'Nana' I mentioned this before but I am at a point where I am collecting all reference to it, the way kids collect and trade cards about Yu-Gi-Oh or something.

The most addictive thing about Nana is that it has everything talked about: single mothers, friendship, forbidden love, abandoned child, etc...It is an anime, but it is based on a very popular manga. And it is now airing in Japane every thursday. It is also being turned into a movie, which is really strange to watch becaus eall the angles and camera point of views are the same than in the anime, only there are real people in there, not drawings..I kinda prefer the anime because at leas they can't be accused of being bad actors, as the voice actors are really good. I find myself collecting the songs from the anime..which is probably what the producers are expecting since it's the story of the members of two punk/rock bands (Trapnest and Blackstones).LOL.

Anyway here is one of the beginning credit song of the anime.

It's called 'Rose'


And here is one of the most famous theme ('Glamorous sky'), sung by Mika Nakashima who stars in the movie as rock n roll Nana.


And I just love the song for the one alternate ending credit:




And here is another one, called 'starless night'


So if you are passing by Japan and coming to the UK, please drop me a line and I'd beg you to bring me some Nana stuff...:)
Arigatoo gozaimasuuu!

I hope you dance (Lee Ann Womack)

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

In the country...

I live 5min from the City in London, where bankers, investment giants and towering glass buildings occupies the landscape and crowd the horizon. But I wake up with the sound of the dear donkey next door.


And on a nice weekend like today, when I am so lazy I can't even cross the road to visit the farm, I just take pictures from my window, and try to block out the sound of the neighbours redecorating the nearby buildings, or the muffled sound of the trains passing 2 miles away.


No need to have a chalet in the mountains or a getaway manor in the country...East London has it all.

Relativity

I was knocked alive by my throat choking itself from a surreal feeling that last night never happened. Then it slowly damwned that it may have been a really happy day indeed despite the physical failings.

However I was soon reminded of my carelessness, not only towards my close friends who either got hurt or helpessly watched a train wreck, but by my own subtle memories that kept crawling back to mind, writing themselves on the 'shouldnt have said' and the 'shouldnt have done' lists. The whole night now seems like a horrible free fall to ridicule, but I was too lightheaded by the thrill of falling and what I saw (and ate and drunk), that I managed to pass out before hitting rock bottom.

It isnt just a hangover. I was living like there was no tomorrow, and waking up to realize I was not dead and now have to face and rebuilt everything I destroyed.

Ouhhhh Candles!!!

It's been a while since I blew out candles. or maybe I keep forgetting so I forget my age as well. Its a little trick of the mind when I don't want to admit how time flies. I had 6 candles, one for each person around the table, and 4 litle chocolate stars...
You missed all the waitresses and waiters who are singing for the nth time of the night (apparently on a football song's tune). And my corset was holdig fine despite all the food


A woman with a mission!

I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and truly sincerely heartfelt thank you to all of you who were there...and for organizing this memorable day.

For reason of privacy I cannot show the members of the party...but all of them are very special to me.

Thank you thank you!

Ice Queens

Yup, last Friday we went to Canary Wharf to breathe the same air as bankers', financial advisors and all those people in suit that work in glass buildings. It is a part of London I am not very familiar with. And it was a surprise for me because we went there to ice skate!


Among shiny buildings, screaming scary kids and canal from the Thames, we skated for an hour.And after dinner we went down the famous tube entrance...I like it because it's kinda futuristic and modern yet very airy and spacious entrance.

Forcing myself and trying

I forced myself to go out last night and I dont regret it. No matter how sick, no matter how dead my body is, and no matter how annoyed I was to wake up from a 2h nap, the party was fun and I even got an early birthday card! So sweet!

Even going to work is not so bad because 'LIVE FROM AUSTRALIA, ITS THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN'S FINAL'!

So maybe I'm not going to die now. Maybe I'll wait a bit...Oh and my horoscope says this:
'No one is standing in your way right now, so why are you standing still? Today the road ahead of you is clear, straight and flat -- perfect conditions for a gorgeous takeoff! One small effort will take you a lot further than you can imagine, so buck up the courage to start that conversation, smile in the direction of that cute stranger, or march into your supervisor's office and ask for that long-overdue raise! Prepare yourself for an enriching tomorrow. '


Hang on, I've got my dead-woman-from-the-grave-face with snout all over from my running nose. I aint gonna humiliate myself in front of some cute stranger! And my supervisors dont have a bloody office and dont work on Sundays....but am heading down somewhere..to my bed for a 3 day sleep hopefully

Malade!

I thought I was getting better, but once again I am sick as a dog. You know when your head is about to explode but all that happens in this dimension is that your nose and lungs explode...
Every little sound is amplified and am getting deaf from blowing my nose. My limbs are weaker than marshmallow and my belly and bladder have had enough of fluids.

Ironic: I live in London...
Which means sociall life to maintain, parties and drinks to go to, etc...I will leave my body at home and try to drag my soul out there to see how happy people are.

Superhero

Your results:
You are Hulk

Hulk 70% Spider-Man 70% Supergirl 67% Superman 65% Robin 62% Wonder Woman 57% Green Lantern 55% Catwoman 50% Batman 30% The Flash 25% Iron Man 25%

You are a wanderer with amazing strength.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test



I never thought I could be so green

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18)

Yes, once again I can post another horoscope in appropriate time.

'The wonderful thing about new people entering your life is that they bring new concepts with them. Do not be afraid of people from other cultures or belief systems, because they present no threat to you whatsoever today. On the contrary -- they represent some fresh new ideas that will ignite your creativity and burn brightly in your imagination. Friction causes heat, but it also smoothes away rough edges and creates something beautiful and precious'

And for more info about this beautiful sign, you can check here.

Tourist in London 102

This can be called the Time Wrap.
Pre-requisite: Tourist in London 101

Because a visit of London is not complete without seeing the famous Tower Bridge, it is always worth it to folow the horde of tourists or the open roof tour buses that goes east.

I however recommend to visit thispart of town on foot as the sight is very unique.



For the lazy tourist like me, it is nice to start the walk at Tower Bridge itself. This is the bridge that opens and splits to let boats with high mast pass through. Walking along the south bank of the Thames, following a path called the Queen's Walk, it's always very strange to see the odd mix of modern and ancient architecture across the river. The Tower of London and the modern glass building the Gerkin very much symbolizes the timelessness of London.

The Tower of London has a Traitor's gate that opens on the river. I heard once that the last traitor whose head hung above it was none other than Braveheart (no no, not Mel Gibson!).

Further up the river, a huge naval ship is anchored and has been recycled as a naval museum. It can probably be rented as well for Christmas parties and New Year's Eve dinners. A note for the die hard window shopper: there are no clothes shops at all on this walk. There are however lots of galleries along the way that can tempt the big spenders.

The next sight is the Shakespeare Globe Theatre.
This is truly amazing as it was built with the materials they would find in the 16th century.

There are no bolds, nails or anything in that whole building. Its all wooden knobs and big joints. The inside is amazing as well and watching a play in that theatre is sucha thrill (a few members of the audience faint) as the actors runs among the audience. The plays use 16th century sound effects and special effects (canons, nice gooeye red blood, pots and pans)and usually last 3h.


And of course, right next to this ancient architectural reproduction sits a red brick power plant. But instead of bringing the crowd some common electricity, it now hosts the Tate Modern, which is a free museum of modern and contemporary art, electrifying the public with its often strange exhibitions.


It is best to cross over to the north bank of the river at this point, using the millenium bridge. It's a pedestrian bridge that is quite slippery when it rains. Most importantly the view is beautiful from the south bank as it shows the dome of St Paul's cathedral in the background. You can either rest your feet inside the protective massive dome or start to roll down the hill along Fleet Street and end up in the West End where plays and musicals can be booked and enjoyed all year round (except Christmas, NOTHING is open on that day).

This can be done in an afternoon or on a much slower pace to fill the day. Besides, when the weather is that sunny, there is no rush really. If you have fog, rain and cold weather though, maybe you can take a boat tour instead...or enjoy one of the museums....indeed, there is a museum in every post!

There is hope

For once in my life...

(Lyrics by Ron Miller)

From 1968 to 2006




For once in my life I've got someone who needs me, someone I've needed so long
For once unafraid I can go where life leads me, and somehow I know I'll be strong
For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew someone warm like you
Could make my dreams come true
For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me, not like it's hurt me before
For once I've got someone I know won't desert me, and I'm not alone anymore
For once I can say: "This is mine you can't take it"
As long as I've got love I know I can make it
For once in my life I've got someone who needs me

What happens in Vegas...

...Stays in Vegas...but here are some snippets...

First, we stayed in Circus Circus. We went out to see a show of Le Cirque du Soleil, and basically could not escape this whole circus that is Las Vegas (strip clubs, limousines, slots machines).



We didn't spend money on gambling: a mere $4 each, just enough for the waitress to bring us some free drinks. We basically played penny slots and made a dollar last forever! We did spend some money on shows and food, and shopping (that goes for me).

Of course there were the must sees, usually free. But my all time favourite is the dancing fountain in front of the Bellagio.


I could watch it over and over again and never get fed up with it. And I was so lucky on this one as I caught the show with the music from my all time favourite movie.