Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Me and Esther are going on a quick hike in a moment (about 7-8 km). She hasn’t got a clue of where she’s going or where she’ll eventually end up, and that’s the way I like it.
I’ve instructed her to meet me in Perivale (I mean, who the hell would know where that is? Almost not even me, and that’s sort of worrying since I’m the one who’s eager to go), and that there will be, at some point or another, a few locks involved (and therefore, supposedly, a canal).
Poor, sensible Esther. Doesn’t know what she’s in for…moahahehe


But I’ve always liked locks. They’re exciting somehow. Fascinating (almost) beyond belief.

Just look at those boats, floating in such a harmonic and non-aggressive way, and then suddenly having to stop! Why? No-one knows! I sometimes think of locks when in an exceptionally philosophical mood.

The thing is, that there’s no-one in charge of these particular locks. You’re expected to operate them yourself. Probably in a “relatively sensible way”, but “sense” in itself is a relatively vague concept! It sort of relates to “logic”. And what is the logical way to work a lock (or anything else for that matter)? Well, it quite obviously depends on the desired outcome!
I’ve always played with the thought of making a little raft, placing it on the top lock (I think there are about ten of them here…) and then open all of them simultaneously! I mean, what a ride, come on…! It would be like Flume Ride but so, so much better!
Maybe blindfold a mate (Esther?) and use her as a guinea pig before you go yourself. (Yeah, that’s where the sense comes in!)
She would probably enjoy it.


PS. By the way, it didn’t really go as planned for Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest. I’m not sure in which place we ended up, but it was in the last ten. Either way we had a great night! After all, the UK came last, and that had to be celebrated, so we ended up joining some guys we met in the Swedish pub to go to a club. Definitely a good night! :-D

Friday, May 23, 2008

I just bought a new plant on Monday. Grass looking lush stuff going in all directions. Cute.
Ok, and today it's Friday and it's...well, if not dead, then very, very tired!

Is this normal?! Isn't this a bit like buying a goldfish and then by the time you get home you discover that he's suddenly not swimming all that vividly anylonger. He's more in a floaty kind of state..

Hmm, well, all my other plants love me and they are the strongest fighter plants ever made. They never give up! Can't believe the cheek of this one... >:I

Thursday, May 22, 2008

A friend of mine, Rory, has recently moved to Dubai for work and just sent me a very, very inspiring email. For once, he's on to something..something big. But he probably doesn't know it yet. Men are like that.

Extract from email:

I miss the BBC.
> Karl Vaneigeim noted that modern capitalism instead of simply relying on machinery to increase the means of production and so depress wages as previous capitalism had done so, now relies on the worker to consume the articles of production. In other words, shopping is the new drink.
>
> The radio is the best example of this:
> Headlines, in the exact order:
> Free WiFi at Abu Dhabi airport
> NewPriMark opening at Ibn Batutta Mall
> Paris Hiton wants a baby (not sure whose)
> Brad Pitt has not bought one of the Islands on "The World" Angelina Jolie has!
> Manchester United win against some other team who dont have a franchise operation here
> Aftershock kills 20 people in China



Jesus...it really DOES take men a while longer to grasp how the universe is supposed to work. Us females have not only realised, but done our utmost to (unselfishly) help the inter/national economy out by uncontrollable shopping since pretty much the beginning of TIME!

Everybody knows that when you guys were out fighting, kicking each other with poles back in the neanderthal days, women were busy trading bones and..nuts and lipsticks and stuff. That's how commerce started. This is well known, Rory. I thought you were educated.

And I really *$#&*&% hope that Angelina hasn't tried to pick MY island over there in the artificial archipelago (it's so cool!!!) cos I've been planning to get my mittens on Greenland for ages now. I'm just saying...keep an eye on it for me, ok, cos if you do I might even invite you to a barbecue (and optional pole bashing) over there in the future.



And...Rory, we can invade the other islands! Oh my God, the potentials...I clearly hadn't thought this through! Wouldn't it be relatively reasonable to expect any kind of micro society to automatically copy the development of the original one (ie earth, where most of us citizens will probably originate from after all).
Ok, we might not have to go through every state of evolution all over again (cos that would be a bit of a drag!) but surely we'd regress to a state-centred perspective when it comes to most international interaction (as we used to have before realising that international cooperation was in every ones best interest and started joining up in federations and international organisations etc etc) which pretty much only leads to one thing - WAR!

Look, what I'm trying to say here is that there really is a severe lack of places to invade in the real world nowadays, and here, suddenly, we could make it happen! I'm sure the UN would leave us to our own devices as long as we don't mess with any neighbouring areas (outside the islands, that is) or start creating allies within the rest of the international society.. It'll be like a real-life game of RISK!

We'd start with Greenland (well, I say "we", cos I would be pretty pissed off if you decided to go off and join forces with Angelina. I mean, bloody hell...haven't you got any sense of loyalty?! Rory, that would piss me off. I'm serious. ) and then discreetly go on with Iceland...Canada...Scandinavia!

I'm fairly sure I could raise a full-time army of a total of at least...8-12 people. And don't you start sneezing at that, cos these are hardcore combat fighters.
One has got a complete camouflage outfit (we can use him for undercover stuff like snooping around) and one has got a really high quality set of cutlery that his mum gave him when he moved away from home a long time ago. We can use him for close up combat.
And a guy I know in Sweden, Jonas, who's really into wars (loves the stuff) - he's got a boat, so he can be our navy. He's quite fit so I think he can row pretty fast if his life is suddenly under threat.
And hey, I just realized that if I could just convince my two pilot cousins to quit their jobs and come work for me - then we've got an air force as well! :D
I'll leave the army stuff to you (for now) cos, after all, you've worked for the army for years!! And honestly, Rory, if you can't manage to defend a miniature Greenland, then, maybe, it was a good choice to quit. Hm?


Wow, this is really exciting stuff!



I suddenly feel a bit dizzy...

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

My friend Sara and her boyfriend Dan has been on a trip around the world for the latest 111 days! They are crazy! :D

I feel really bad though, cos I said I'd go visit them but thought they'd stay a month longer than they were so don't think I'll be able to make it. And time has gone SO FAST!!! :(

But look at their fantastic pics on their blog! 111 days!!! I would have to go through some sort of rehabilitation programme to be able to adapt back to normal grey England after that! How would I cope with not having coconuts for breakfast? How would I ever enjoy having a bath again if it wasn't in a personal turquoise lagoon? Jeez...

www.dsontour.com

Ah, bohoo...I feel so guilty for not having visited them. I really do. But I thought I still had loads of time left and somehow I didn't...it went so quick and then I had already planned other stuff...and now they're coming back next month, and I just wont be able to fit it in. :( I feel really crap about it though. I really do. Excuses, excuses...bohoo

Well, at least it seems as if they've had a fantastic time and I'm so happy for them! It's a memory for life. Must have been absolutely incredible!

Love you and I'm sorry
Xxxxx
Check this out on YouTube! Why haven't I ever seen people bursting out in song spontaneously in Stansted Airport?!

Oh, hang on, I have...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgZuHlDuulk

Monday, May 19, 2008

Well, the weather is back to crap, but that’s relatively ok, because this time I was prepared! I knew from experience that this would evidently happen, so I’ve been happily sunbathing in the park and the beach, and even been swimming in the sea in Brighton! So, this time, who’s laughing? Me or the clouds? I’d say me!! Me 1 – British weather 0!

Brighton is such a happy place! It’s sort of impossible not to be in a good mood when you’re there! It’s so summery and everybody is eating cotton candy and stuff like apples on a stick dipped in sugary syrup. Just the sort of thing you loved doing when you were a kid, so I guess you kind of regress to an earlier stage of your life the second you arrive. You start jumping up and down and getting an indescribable urge to pull your mums skirt! Well…

Just found out that apparently I’m going to Rimini in Italy in the beginning of July! Cool! Never been to Rimini! Nicola texted me earlier today explaining that a friend of hers was getting a group of people together to pop down since he’d found some really cheap deal. £12.70 return. Well, how can you say no to that? :)


I don’t understand how the airlines do it, but when me and Joanna went to Stockholm and Portugal in Sept/Oct last year we paid £0.02 each – incl taxes and fees…return! It’s crazy! But am I complaining? :D

AND…Sweden lost the semi-final to Canada. :( Not sure how to deal with that new found pain, but since I didn’t even know about the World Cup until Thursday, I guess there is a way to live life without a gold medal after all. (Really??)

Friday, May 16, 2008

I love Peep Show! I love Peep Show! I love Peep Show! :D


Can't wait to get home to watch it! Am really looking forward to having a cozy night in watching telly, reading Heat, making meatballs! YES! :D

Met up with a group of people in Putney for a few drinks last night and somehow most of us (about 15) felt it was only reasonable (and sort of a necessity) to have an after party at Gooksie's mate's house down the road. Didn't come home until about 5 in the morning! It was such a great night! Probably because it was so unexpected and unplanned. Thursdays are definitely the new Fridays. :D

Anabelen just texted me to suggest we'd go to The Harcourt Arms to watch the Eurovision Song contest next weekend! YEESSS! THANK YOU! I had totally forgotten about it! Last year me and Jef desperately tried to find a place that showed it on screen, but failed tragically! Turns out there are only two places in London that shows it - The Harcourt (the Swedish pub) and some gay bar in the Strand. Both were full. But now I've got my ticket so nothing can stop me! Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait!

That reminds me... I met a Finnish girl, Heli, at the party yesterday and she told me that both Sweden and Finland were in the semifinals in the ice hockey world cup! Then we both got a bit overly excited about the prospects of having Sweden meeting Finland in the final on Sunday and decided that in that case we had to watch it together. And I just realized I don't know the results of the semifinals that were being held today, yet...

Hang on...google google....

...I actually don't dare to look. I'm serious.

Ok here goes...

...Oh! It hasn't been played yet! Right. Hmm. But Finland lost against Russia. :( Ahh, that's too bad. Bollox. :(

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Well, as I’ve mentioned, it’s been quite warm in London lately, so it’s only reasonable to expect people to get a bit delirious on an on and off basis. But if someone who’s working in public service snaps, you’d probably expect their colleges to take them aside to slap them back to sense before letting them go back to work?


A couple a days ago, while waiting for the tube, the staff made an announcement that I at first suspected was a bit of a joke. They do that at times. But then having heard the same announcement at several occasions and at different stations and lines, I realized they were being totally serious. Well, judge for yourselves:

“It is very hot in London at the moment. It is therefore important that you keep a bottle of water with you at all times. If someone would take it from you while you are between stations, please get off at the next stop and ask for help immediately!”

What??!!!

I mean, come ON! Get off immediately to ask for help??

I was at Ladbroke Grove at the time, going to Hammersmith. That’s FOUR stations… I began to worry whether I’d be all right or not. I had drunk 50cl of pomegranate juice during the last half an hour, but…but…..would that be enough?? What would happen if I – two stations into my journey – suddenly realized that I was thirsty again? That would mean at least 2 more minutes of dehydration before I reached my final destination! I wasn’t sure if it was worth taking the risk. What would my mum say?

I was going to meet Marta in the pub. Surely there would be drinks available in there? The pub was only about 20 meters from the station – should I go for it?
I thought about it long and hard, and then suddenly (a bit like in a movie) I got a feeling…something of a voice telling me from above:

-“Only the brave can be winners. Only people with guts and determination will ever reach their goals in life!”

So, I did it! I did it! I jumped on the next train! I WENT for it! I felt a weird sensation of pride, that I was somehow unstoppable. If I could do THIS, I could do anything. Probably even cross the street on my own.

Yeah, life is gonna be exciting from now on. Remember, at the moment I’m unstoppable!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

And the happy days go on...


...whoopiehey!!! :-D

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Summer is FINALLY here!!! Hopefully this means I can now stop frowning.

For way too long the forecast has been too depressing to watch, and a little too easy to predict to be able to feel even the slightest bit of excitement.



But NOW the tables have turned!! This is how it's gonna be from now on..



Me off to Kensington Gardens with a book and a towel.

Me gusta, me gusta...
The happy man does not look back. He doesn’t look ahead. He lives in the present.

But there’s the rub. The present can never deliver one thing: meaning. The ways with happiness and meaning are not the same. To find happiness, a man need only live in the moment; he need only live for the moment. But if he wants meaning – the meaning of his dreams, his secrets, his life - a man must reinhabit his past, however dark, and live for the future, however uncertain.

Thus nature dangles happiness and meaning before us all, insisting only that we choose between them.




Rubenfield, Jed; The interpretation of murder