London Pride 2007

It happened by coincidence. I had returned to Central London after spending the evening with P and A and landed on Bond Street. Nothing unusual as far as the exhausting combination of constant drizzle and the tourist beehive-like chaos that occurs on Oxford Street at weekends. Only this time the street had been sealed off and i started noticing some extremely eccentric characters walking pass me - men in heels, cowboy hats, leather...rainbow flags flying high. Coincidence had brought me to the start of the London Pride. Friends had recommended that I experience at least one gay pride be it in Paris, Berlin or Sydney -but it had yet to be done. So the anticipation of finally experiencing such a festive celebration was high.

So i waited, patiently ... in the rain

But it was worth it....even the rain couldn't deter the crowd's enthusiasm.

The police, firemen, the Navy, London Transport, Bristish Airways, Shell, Nationwide, random sports groups/teams, old people, young people, muslims, christians and many more...all were represented.

I saw smiles, energy, eccentricity, enthusiasm, bright colors, funny costumes, extremely toned bodies (sigh!) and most importantly pride.

I had never honestly thought about the gay community before as i have no direct contact with them, but i felt proud to live in a country where gay people could freely advocate their rights and their association to their workplace - be it a corporation or a government-run agency.

The rest of the day was spent on Oxford Street searching for those bargain buys. Luckily I was reasonably successful :)

Bomb scare - Central London

London police carried out a controlled explosion of a car bomb at 1 am this morning. This happened one block from where I work in Haymarket (Central London).

As I made my way into work this morning I had no idea that this had happened. The journey into work had been slightly more difficult than usual - the bus stopping in Holborn nd the tubes not stopping at Piccadilly Station. Not deterred (or aware of anything unusual) I proceeded to walk - like many others- to Piccadilly via Holborn /Covent Garden/ Leceister Sq. As I arrived near Haymarket, all the streets were sealed off with police tape. It was a surreal experience to see usually busy streets completely quiet, cornered off and guarded by police with press photographers huddled together at the bottom of the street, trying to capture the action (i.e nothing).

One of the most endearing and also frustrating aspect of british culture I think is what i would qualify as a "get on with it attitude". There was very little information available on the streets, but people just got on with it and continued their journey into work. No complaints or aggressive behaviour. Which to an extent should be expected given the seriousness of the threat. But I can only wonder what the reaction would have been like in France.

One step in the right direction

The start will take place on 30th September 2007 in Antigua, Guatemala.

The rest will follow.

Rock on Baby!

Time

It's only when an experience becomes finite in time, that you finally appreciate it. Why is that? Why is the mind not conditioned to truly enjoy these moments until they are gone. Maybe that's what memories are for.

I have now set a date.

I feel like every moment I spend with the people I care for is too short. It's like drinking the last few drops of an empty water bottle in an african desert with no oasis in sight. I savour them. Happy times that I will remember forever.

We have finally settled into the new apartment. It's a smaller flat, but we now live in a buzzing area of North London where literally everything is on our doorstep, be it bars, restaurants, fruit, veg, kebabs, cinemas, tube, bus...it's all here!. We have made the most of our little balcony, enjoying diners al fresco (weather permiting - which has not been that often), sharing stories around the shisha surrounded by the stars above and the rattling noise of trolleys being pushed and pulled in and out of the Sainsbury depot.

Pure London bliss.

London to me is now random nights out having diner with colleagues, enjoying the succulent and great value Thai food of Busba Ethai, tennis in Regent's Park and the never ending preparation for the move.

A very good friend of mine predicted late last year that 2007 would be a year of change, how right she was. I remember reading the "self help" book, "who ate my cheese". At the time I thought it was slightly ridiculous - the idea that people are not flexible, find it hard to re-assess and change, it all felt distant. Now, a few years later, I am slowly understanding the anxiety that can be induced by change.

Lessons to be remembered:

• Having cheese makes you happy.



• The more important the cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.



• If you do not change, you can become extinct.



• What would you do if you weren’t afraid?



• Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.



• Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.



• When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.



• Imagining yourself enjoying new cheese even before you find it, leads you to it.



• The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.



• It is safer to search in the maze than remain in a cheeseless situation.



• Old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese.



• When you see that you can find and enjoy new cheese, you change course.



• Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to bigger changes that are to come.

I am ready.

Research

Flights - finding the mother of all flights, at the right price takes research (loadza), dedication, patience, love, creativity, flexibility and so much more...... sounds like the recipe for a good mariage.

Blimey.

The search goes on.

Departures

Today, J left the building, to find greener pastures for him and his family.

There's not place like home.

Frankfurt

I have finally mustered the strength (and found the time) to give a little update on my fantastic weekend in Frankfurt.

This adventure started off as an off-the-wall invitation from a very good friend of mine, who having raved about his home city for some time, suggested that I come over and take a look for myself.

And how true he was.

Frankfurt is a small city by most standards ( approx. 600,000 people) and one of the top five largest cities in Germany. Given its size, everything seems accessible; the airport is a short drive from the center, the financial center is a short walk from the (central) residential area, and the bar area (of which I have completely forgotten the location) seemed (in my drunken state) like a very short taxi ride from the central residential area!

The last time I was in Frankfurt, it had been a blurry 2 day stint with my fellow Masters students, visiting the Christmas Market and trying desperately to find a good bar to go to. This time could not have been more different. I enjoyed the city, walked along the leafy streets, guided by my expert hosts who found interesting stories to tell me along the way both about the history and their personal lives.

Frankfurt was almost entirely bombed during the Second World War, which had led to some frenetic rebuilding. The end result is an ecclectic mix of old and new architecture. On the plus side, the city is efficient, very US-like in that there is a downtown (financial district) area complete with high-rises and benefits from a very pleasant river next to the downtown district. On the negative side, with very little medieval infrastructure remaining and some of the buildings being built in the dreaded 1960-70s, the end result can be a little eye-sore.

But overall, I fell in love with the feel of the city. It was relaxing, strolling along the tree lined neighborhoods, walking past numerous coffee shops and restaurants that had outdoor tables and parasols!. It definetely felt European :) - I would say like France but more efficient and more polite!

I enjoyed doing the touristy thing, taking in the sights, going on the cable car ride where the price includes a bottle of cider and some pretzels (i mean how cool is that?). We were entertained by a young german bride-to-be (very Heidi like!) who's sole responsibility for the afternoon was to sell a number of (useless) items to complete strangers (us), so as to fund her hen night drinking session - and provide copious amounts of entertainment for her friends.

Most of all, I felt extremely lucky to be able to get a local's perspective of the city. My hosts introduced me to their family and friends who were all friendly and very welcoming. I mustered a few words of german (mainly "tschuss") , discovered the Russian version of Caipirinha, namely Caipirovska (the Killer drink if you ask me!) and stared down a 259m tower admiring the city from above. All that in the space of two days.

What more can one ask for ?

Nothing.

How little I have seen....

I have visited 23 countries (10% of the world). There is soo much more to see.

Now that's exciting news !



create your own visited countries map

Diving in unusual places ...

Avid divers might boast that they've seen the unusual marine life off the shores of Thailand, Australia or even Belize. But how impressed would your diving buddies be if you told them that you did a night dive under the Eiffel Tower.

Well now you can.

Livin' La Vida Loca - Spanish Style

It was another night of drunken debauchery. With Javier leaving us and moving back to Spain, it was not too difficult to find an excuse to have a few cheeky Mangopolitains (my new favourite drink!) .