Location: Gandhi Peace Library, PATRIR, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Time: 11ish. Friday morning. 31st August.
Feeling: tired, in need of coffee, stressed
Yes... My blog has suffered another lapse in the regularity of writing. Why you may ask? Well... I couldn't really blog in Tiraspol - I can't do it on someone else's 'puter, I need the time, I need the ambiance.. Here in Cluj I've been pretty busy running around with Denya and Julia, trying to study in between Denya's guilt trips about me doing precisely that. And now that Kai is back, gotta get this review on the road.
Every time I come to Europe I end up thinking "that's it, I can't live in Melbourne anymore. I must move." Then I get back to Australia and get so caught up in day-to-day stuff that I forget to plot my escape. It's like any place you go to in Europe has history and ambiance...
eh... will write more after have done some work...
Reminder of topics to cover:
1) clash of personalities - my introvertedness and the need for down time
2) the difference in character of people that I'm meeting here and there... so much more open and open-minded...
Friday, 31 August 2007
Friday, 17 August 2007
Hedgehog in the Fog!
I am sure you all know of my obsession with hedgehogs... I think that this is where it all started...
And another one of Russian Animation Classics. They are great. By the way, can you tell I'm bored? I haven't left my room in 48 hours...
And another one of Russian Animation Classics. They are great. By the way, can you tell I'm bored? I haven't left my room in 48 hours...
Thursday, 16 August 2007
A quiz
You're Prufrock and Other Observations!
by T.S. Eliot
Though you are very short and often overshadowed, your voice is poetic
and lyrical. Dark and brooding, you see the world as a hopeless effort of people trying
to impress other people. Though you make reference to almost everything, you've really
heard enough about Michelangelo. You measure out your life with coffee spoons.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
and i'm sick again....
Location: Haus International, Schleining, Austria
Time: 10am, Thursday morning, 16 August, 2007
Feeling: sick as a dog, sorry for myself, cold/hot, miserable
Need I say more? Every single holiday I take. Sigh.
It also came on so suddenly that I got a headspin. I probably should not have been drinking though - I had 2 glasses of wine last night and went from feeling mildly unwell to being unable to get home unassisted. Well I did get home unassisted but geez it was hard. Walking uphill with a spinning head. I had to rest mid-way.
I did have an interesting thought though, as I lay shivering in bed at midnight. I was wondering why people feel embarrassed to say how they really feel - in front of strangers anyway. As I struggled out of the pub, I kept maintaining that I feel fine and just a bit tired, so I might go to bed. Is this a common phenomenon, or is this just me?
Thinking back, I could come up with a LOT of examples when I was simply not comfortable telling people how sick I felt, and frankly, I probably shouldn't be left alone let along making my way home unassisted. Does anyone else get that? Same thing with intoxication. I will never EVER admit that I'm so pissed I don't know how to get home to a person I don't know well....
Perhaps the most extreme example I could remember was during a martial arts class back in uni days. I had a near-faint (I think I forgot to eat for a day or two, or something) - and I managed it in such a manner that no one except one person next me actually noticed... I carefully just backed out, went around the corner and waited while the blacking out bit passed over or took over. Luckily it passed over, but I was so exhausted afterwards I was scared to go home. And yet, when asked if I was ok, I said 'oh, just a bit dizzy'. And then caught a train home. Fuckin' weird, hey?
I don't know... Just a thought... I do usually tell friends how bad it is though...
Time: 10am, Thursday morning, 16 August, 2007
Feeling: sick as a dog, sorry for myself, cold/hot, miserable
Need I say more? Every single holiday I take. Sigh.
It also came on so suddenly that I got a headspin. I probably should not have been drinking though - I had 2 glasses of wine last night and went from feeling mildly unwell to being unable to get home unassisted. Well I did get home unassisted but geez it was hard. Walking uphill with a spinning head. I had to rest mid-way.
I did have an interesting thought though, as I lay shivering in bed at midnight. I was wondering why people feel embarrassed to say how they really feel - in front of strangers anyway. As I struggled out of the pub, I kept maintaining that I feel fine and just a bit tired, so I might go to bed. Is this a common phenomenon, or is this just me?
Thinking back, I could come up with a LOT of examples when I was simply not comfortable telling people how sick I felt, and frankly, I probably shouldn't be left alone let along making my way home unassisted. Does anyone else get that? Same thing with intoxication. I will never EVER admit that I'm so pissed I don't know how to get home to a person I don't know well....
Perhaps the most extreme example I could remember was during a martial arts class back in uni days. I had a near-faint (I think I forgot to eat for a day or two, or something) - and I managed it in such a manner that no one except one person next me actually noticed... I carefully just backed out, went around the corner and waited while the blacking out bit passed over or took over. Luckily it passed over, but I was so exhausted afterwards I was scared to go home. And yet, when asked if I was ok, I said 'oh, just a bit dizzy'. And then caught a train home. Fuckin' weird, hey?
I don't know... Just a thought... I do usually tell friends how bad it is though...
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Pondering: Impact of infatuation on friendship
Well... I actually wrote this one a long time ago. It's been sitting in a word document on my desktop for over a month.... It wasn't written with anyone specific in mind - so don't try to find parallels there anywhere. It's just a thought that I had - after observing, not only my relationships but also those of others. If you decide to get offended or hurt nonetheless, you gotta let me know! Otherwise, I may never know and it will stew unresolved blowing into something big. I prefer offending people when it is my intention. Not without. And do comment on your experiences ....
"One of the greatest mysteries of life has been how your friends, even best friends, simply abandon their friendships for the sake of their relationships with men.
It seems strange that the two cannot coincide.
It often takes years (possibly an exaggeration) to re-establish the friendship that has withered under the strain of being ignored, placed last and otherwise screwed over for the sake of the boyfriend.
But not a single of my friendships (a gross exaggeration) has managed to last for the whole trajectory between singledom (paaarty!), inception of a relationship, dating, serious dating, living together and seriously living happily ever after (or not).
Is it just the bitter left behind single side of me that is complaining?
But it just seems so ... hurtful... and negligent...
Why is it so hard to reconcile the two?? Surely keeping a boyfriend is not a 24/7 engagement? Or is it? Someone... explain ... please? "
Ah, the student days (Part 2)
Location: Haus International, Schleinig, Austria
Time: 11am, Wed morning, 15 August, 2007
Feeling: pretty good actually...
.... As I pretty farken should after 16 hours of sleep! Yep, 16 hours. How you may ask? Well, after a nice lunch in the village, we waddled back to the Haus and I contemplated taking a walk to the scenic hills just outside the village vs taking a quick nap to top up a rather inadequate previous night's sleep. I've settled for the latter, reasoning that after an hour or so I could still manage to check out the forest. Yes... and that was the end of that.
I've also slept through the visit of Augustin and Anna from Vienna when everyone proceeded to get sloshed on schnapps and cognac and generally cause havoc around here.
But geeesh I feel great now...
Time: 11am, Wed morning, 15 August, 2007
Feeling: pretty good actually...
.... As I pretty farken should after 16 hours of sleep! Yep, 16 hours. How you may ask? Well, after a nice lunch in the village, we waddled back to the Haus and I contemplated taking a walk to the scenic hills just outside the village vs taking a quick nap to top up a rather inadequate previous night's sleep. I've settled for the latter, reasoning that after an hour or so I could still manage to check out the forest. Yes... and that was the end of that.
I've also slept through the visit of Augustin and Anna from Vienna when everyone proceeded to get sloshed on schnapps and cognac and generally cause havoc around here.
But geeesh I feel great now...
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Ah, the student days
Location: Haus International, Schleining, Austria
Time: 11am, 14 August 2007, Tuesday morning
Feeling: mildly hungover, seedy and paranoid
So... Here I am, living in a student dorm and having serious flashbacks to life before full-time work. It is Tuesday morning and I haven't managed to waddle out of bed before 9 to attend Denya's class. I gave it some serious thought, but I figured that I should go with the student experience all the way and proceed to skip classes.
We managed to get reasonably trashed last night - you gotta be a student to drink on Monday night/ Tuesday morning. I got to bed at 4am. Denya at 3. He has a suspicion that he may've still been drunk when he started teaching. Don't know. Wasn't there. Muahaha.
Schleining - a village of 800 people, home of the EPU (European Peace University - ~50 in student numbers), happens to have its bowling establishment inside a local pub. I just had to see it. It's kind of like mini-bowling. The "runway" (pardon dodgy terminology) is about half the length or so of a normal runway. Bowls are half the size and have only 2 holes. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in all the excitement and thus, there are no photos. Bizarrely they had "Rysskii Standard" as the house vodka. We proceeded to severely reduce their supplies in that area. (Even Denya managed a few, in between his lengthy phone calls. Hehe)
And then we bowled...!
And then, as per usual, my memory goes a bit blank.
And then it reappears at a rather strange point which I'm not altogether comfortable sharing just yet with public at large.
And here I am now, feeling the paranoia associated with coming down from alcohol (for me anyway). It's the bit where I feel compelled to seek reassurance from everyone that I didn't do anything bad, everything is fine and people still like me.
I wonder whether this is something that would be alleviated by memory retention... I don't know...
So anyway... Just have to tough it out. It usually goes away after ~24 hours. It is annoying though how despite knowing what it is and experiencing it every single time I drink, I still get caught up in it. Farken.
Time: 11am, 14 August 2007, Tuesday morning
Feeling: mildly hungover, seedy and paranoid
So... Here I am, living in a student dorm and having serious flashbacks to life before full-time work. It is Tuesday morning and I haven't managed to waddle out of bed before 9 to attend Denya's class. I gave it some serious thought, but I figured that I should go with the student experience all the way and proceed to skip classes.
We managed to get reasonably trashed last night - you gotta be a student to drink on Monday night/ Tuesday morning. I got to bed at 4am. Denya at 3. He has a suspicion that he may've still been drunk when he started teaching. Don't know. Wasn't there. Muahaha.
Schleining - a village of 800 people, home of the EPU (European Peace University - ~50 in student numbers), happens to have its bowling establishment inside a local pub. I just had to see it. It's kind of like mini-bowling. The "runway" (pardon dodgy terminology) is about half the length or so of a normal runway. Bowls are half the size and have only 2 holes. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in all the excitement and thus, there are no photos. Bizarrely they had "Rysskii Standard" as the house vodka. We proceeded to severely reduce their supplies in that area. (Even Denya managed a few, in between his lengthy phone calls. Hehe)
And then we bowled...!
And then, as per usual, my memory goes a bit blank.
And then it reappears at a rather strange point which I'm not altogether comfortable sharing just yet with public at large.
And here I am now, feeling the paranoia associated with coming down from alcohol (for me anyway). It's the bit where I feel compelled to seek reassurance from everyone that I didn't do anything bad, everything is fine and people still like me.
I wonder whether this is something that would be alleviated by memory retention... I don't know...
So anyway... Just have to tough it out. It usually goes away after ~24 hours. It is annoying though how despite knowing what it is and experiencing it every single time I drink, I still get caught up in it. Farken.
Thursday, 9 August 2007
Mmmm Cillian...
Ok... Since I've been going on about this for a while and people keep saying "who?", I've decided to launch a mass education campaign. And for those who DO know, just appreciate the view....
Drizzle after drought
Date: Thursday, 9 August, 2007
Location: Polina and Jack's Place, Leipziger Strasse, Berlin, Germany
Feeling: Content, relaxed and sleepy
Well... People have actually been encouraging me to write. Imagine that. An appreciative audience. Faaark me! Who would've thought someone actually reads my whingings. I'll also have to sift through random word files on my desktop as I've tended to write stuff down on occasions when I've had no access to 'net.
Well, where do I start.... It's been a long time....
After successful conclusion of my stint in Brunei, I was placed on a high-profile strategy job in Sydney for 6 weeks. It drove me to conclude that I'm an operations person. Stuff high-profile strategy - give me ops work any day. Upon conclusion of that I departed the new home-land and went to London for a few days.
People I caught up there include: Julia L, Zoya (Clive and baby Cat), Lacey, Mandy, Mischy, Corina and Martjin... Managed to miss Jules and Haiko... So have to make sure I come back through London on the way back.
Now I'm in Berlin. Very nice. I can see myself living here for a bit. Sick of packing up, unpacking, catching planes and going to the airports. *Sigh*
This is obviously work in progress - as it may take a bit to get back into the swing of blogging...
Top 3 events (aside from catching up with people after years of absence)
1) Receiving a gift of fluffy bunny ears from Michele (along with other almost equally interesting objects)
2) Walking through Hackney at 11pm on Saturday night to get to "Bentham Green Working Men's Club" and then walking back to the hotel in Euston Square (estimated travel time = 1.5 hours, one way)
3) Getting upgraded to Business Class. Using First Lounges at airports where they cook you dinner! (the platinum thing)
Bottom 3:
1) Packing
2) Going to airports
3) Catching Flights
Location: Polina and Jack's Place, Leipziger Strasse, Berlin, Germany
Feeling: Content, relaxed and sleepy
Well... People have actually been encouraging me to write. Imagine that. An appreciative audience. Faaark me! Who would've thought someone actually reads my whingings. I'll also have to sift through random word files on my desktop as I've tended to write stuff down on occasions when I've had no access to 'net.
Well, where do I start.... It's been a long time....
After successful conclusion of my stint in Brunei, I was placed on a high-profile strategy job in Sydney for 6 weeks. It drove me to conclude that I'm an operations person. Stuff high-profile strategy - give me ops work any day. Upon conclusion of that I departed the new home-land and went to London for a few days.
People I caught up there include: Julia L, Zoya (Clive and baby Cat), Lacey, Mandy, Mischy, Corina and Martjin... Managed to miss Jules and Haiko... So have to make sure I come back through London on the way back.
Now I'm in Berlin. Very nice. I can see myself living here for a bit. Sick of packing up, unpacking, catching planes and going to the airports. *Sigh*
This is obviously work in progress - as it may take a bit to get back into the swing of blogging...
Top 3 events (aside from catching up with people after years of absence)
1) Receiving a gift of fluffy bunny ears from Michele (along with other almost equally interesting objects)
2) Walking through Hackney at 11pm on Saturday night to get to "Bentham Green Working Men's Club" and then walking back to the hotel in Euston Square (estimated travel time = 1.5 hours, one way)
3) Getting upgraded to Business Class. Using First Lounges at airports where they cook you dinner! (the platinum thing)
Bottom 3:
1) Packing
2) Going to airports
3) Catching Flights
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