Prangstgrup - Reach! A Lecture Musical Prank!!

This is fantastic!

Praha (aka Prague)

It all started in a rush - a rush of excitement, anticipation and a rush to get to the plane on time. I thought I had planned my journey to the "T" - an early wake up call (I think I saw the sunrise, but then again I could have been dreaming) - a dash to the Northern Line - a switch to the DLR at Bank - and then an easy ride to City Airport. City Airport welcomed me like an open mouth full to the brim with unhappy travellers, frustrated by the early morning delays. I would not escape unscathed either - forced to board a later flight to Zurich with a connection to Prague.

I arrived at Prague airport, wondering where everyone was. The transfer into town was easy, a bus ride through the outskirts of town (with scenes of what I can only imagine the Soviet Era might have been like - bleak, tall high rises surrounded by crisp clean roads), a metro (no gates!) and a tram to finish it off.

The hotel was nothing less than enchanting, tucked away in a side street a stone throw away from Charles Bridge- Our room ( which I think was bigger than my London flat!) was on the top floor and boasted low ceilings and exposed beams which gave it a true bohemian atmosphere .

Prague is definitely a walking city. Strolling through the Jewish quarter, the main squares and the numerous churches, one can't help but be amazed by the architecture and charmed by the eerie atmosphere of this city. The experience was only slightly dampened by the huge amounts of tourists roaming the city streets. They (like us!) clutching a badly designed street map, probably trying to locate the Vltava River which would lead them back to where they wanted to be (or at least should be).

A completely out of sync schedule meant that we were never out early enough to sample the (probably) delightful food on offer - but we did sample the beers which were cheap and plentiful and the apple strudel which provided enough energy to walk up the long and steep hills to the Castle.

This weekend was also about trying to connect the past with the future ... and that, I realised is no easy task ... even in Prague.

I like this...

IMaGiNi

"Your Visual DNA"

Try it

ooooh....but for different reasons....

i saw RALPH FIENNES in Soho tonight...looking far too normal, walking down Dean Street....

better than seeing someone getting hit by a bus :)

ooohhhh

i saw someone get hit by a bus on the way home .... he got up but was badly shaken.

oooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Office Etiquette - Guilty as charged

I have just read an article published by Forbes on office etiquette and more importantly the best (or worst) office pet peeves. These were compiled by, what I can only assume is a highly reputable organisation.

As I go on reading this article, I get flashbacks of scenes of "The Office" combined with cringe-worthy encounters with my old boss (luckily where I work now is a relatively tame environment in that respect).

Top Fav Pet-Peeves (listed in no particular order) are the office loud talker, using the speakerphone with the door open, leaving the kitchen in a mess, bringing potentially smelly food in for lunch and leaving the sound of the computer on.

As I come to the end of the article - a slow (and painful) realisation hits me. I think I am an office loud talker (oh dear lord...!).

Fact : My mum calls me in the office (i have never been able to get that habit out of her - and to be fair i enjoy speaking with her during the day) - and our secretary lets everyone know when the call comes through.
Fact : I very rarely refrain from speaking french in the office - probably wrongly assuming that no one understands (it would be so much easier if we were from Mongolia - then no one would understand!).
Fact : However bad I am, I know for a fact that 4 desks down - there is an even worse offender.

So, I admit. I can be an office loud talker at times. My mum calls and everyone knows about it. The one solution I have opted for has been to invite my mum to work- socials so that my team can at least put a face to the voice !

The day I saw the Pope....and Caesar

Slowly emerging from a sleepy sunday morning (ah it's 14h35) still in a daze, vaguely remembering that the phone rang this morning - it was SweetPee. Thank god, my sleepy finger managed to hit the "occupe" button (TWICE) on the sony ericsson. I was in no mood to converse.

I had relatively low expectations for today. Productivity was definitely not a priority. Maybe it was the sun, or the desire to get my third swim of the week in ... in the end I achieved all but one of my objectives (unfortunately the hair is still a mess).

But today I saw him ....



and him....


oh and yes...he was there too....

On my way home from the pool, I noticed a flurry of Met Police activity, which combined with road closures - could only mean one thing - a Festival. This time, it was the turn of the Italian community to big it up home-country style.

St Peter's Italian Church in Clerkenwell had organised a procession to celebrate the Lady of Mount Carmel (aka Marie). The streets were lined with people, mostly english (of italian origins) which, when combined with the mamas and papas and the religious hymnes singing figures made for a ecclectic audience.

Once the procession had walked on, i followed the crowd down a small alley, only to find (to my stomach's delight) a street filled with italian stands - some religious but mostly consisting of pizzas, ciabattas and chianti. Hurraaay....

Random

Random is enjoying a chorizo sandwich at Borough Market....


Random is spending the afternoon gossiping with friends....


Random is indulging in Ping Pong....


Random is drinking Jasmine tea, make the most of free entertainment and good company on the South Bank....

It's not only about mushy peas and warm beer....

Afternoon Tea

Trafalgar Square, London

St Pauls, London

Officially - Done.

Email sent - it's official :

"After 5 years in London (and 3 at Russell) I will be leaving this little island and returning to the Continent. But before I start complaining about the weekly strikes and work a 35 hour week, I will be heading to Mexico to work for a Microfinance institution for a few months (first round of tequilas are on me!).
In true English style I've been told that the best way to say goodbye is with a beer in one hand and a beer in the other, so if you're around , please join me for a drink (or ten two) at the Living Room on Friday 17th August from 5.30 pm

Hope to see you there."

The response I've had has been really positive. Most have expressed delight, actual excitement and overall understanding - every foreigner will most likely end up in a similar situation at some point. The difference is just that i've decided to take one step further. Attempting to push my level of understanding to new grounds, experience new sights, food, people and culture. I can only grow from this experience.

It came as no surprise that one person expressed sheer disbelief at the idea that I would want to move away from this money-focused industry. Just thinking of this conversation makes me cringe. It is such an "old world" view of us vs them, the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. I can in no way pretend to know what it feels like to be in need. I have been blessed in that i have been able to receive a free education and benefit from a support system that allows me to cope if (and when) things do go wrong. But I am also aware of the world outside this bubble of "happy go-lucky" lifestyle. I have the opportunity to change the focus of my work from maintaining (and increasing wealth) to creating opportunity for developement and overall sustainability. I admit, this is (for now) just an opportunity to learn and contribute. But if you can't get excited about that, then it's time for a cold shower.

That 70's Show London Style

"We went, it was...we suffered but boy was it fun ! "

Saturday night, a friend was having a Seventies Theme night, in a mews apartment in the Paddington area. We were welcomed by Bjorn Borg look-alikes, men wearing enormous "fro's", curly black mushrooms the size of the biggest bomb, and the Spanish DreamGirls, with fake tan and Top Gun glasses to finish it off.

The atmosphere at the start of the evening was pub-like and oddly civilised. As the night drew on, this quickly changed. The spanish coalition was out in force and we were subject to a lot of "viva espana" type of chanting. In those situations, you can only do one thing - join in the fun and sing along. It was like a Erasmus party for the older generation, an eclectic mix of south americans on holiday, spanish learning english (erhem), workmates, germans, suedes, frenchies and the odd english or two.

I still don't know how we got home.

A big shout out to A for having such a fab party and the best pimp in London.

Time to celebrate

This ship has started to pull its sail out....

Step One .... Done :)

Christmas 2007 ..... Point-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe) ; New Year 2007-2008 .... Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Confirmed

and the good times keep on rolling...

The good thing...

... about London is the unpredictability that comes with a random Tuesday evening at the office. It started innocently enough with a few beverages with a friend in the Comedy Club next to Haymarket, debating the world, family issues, the future and its opportunities.

A drunken Cheers to that :)

The Tour de France has come and gone

The Tour de France is a french institution - it is a cycling race that takes place during the hottest months of the year in France and its neighbouring countries. I find it rather painful to watch - both in terms of ever increasing boredom levels and the actual physical exertion in generates (for the riders - not me !). It also evokes memories of my childhood. Summer months spent in front of the TV trying to stay cool by literally not moving an inch usually from 13h to 16h, sucking on a fluorescent Mr Freeze. At that time, French television was limited to a paltry 4 1/2 channels (the 1/2 comes from the fact that we never had a clear image of M6) and the only TV programs worthy of my attention were (in order of preference) : Tour de France, Inspecteur Derrek and L'ecole des Fans (for sundays only!). We were spoilt, i know! But anyway...

I can now officially say that I was there!

London played host to the start of the event and I have to admit it was extremely fun. I know nothing about the sport of cycling (apart from the obvious) and now that Lance Amstrong no longer runs - i do not recognise anyone. But none of that deterred me. I reveled in the atmosphere and i enjoyed the vibe of rural France that comes with the Tour; the image of the Bidochon Family - popping the folding table and chairs out on the side of the road, enjoying a lunch of sauci-flard and cheap french piquette - springs to mind.

Ah...douce France....

Majeure et vaccinee

I am the proud bearer of two plasters the size of 10 pence coins, each of them symmetrically positionned on my shoulders, all this courtesy of the NHS.

I am now starting to wonder why i have stubbornly refused any medical care in the UK for the past 10 years - where on earth can you go see a nurse get two jabs and a blood test and walk out without forking out a penny (hint: here!).

Truth be told, the nurse seemed a bit exasperated by my lack of organisation or specific schedule regarding my upcoming trip. To be fair, i cannot blame her. I hadn't quite realised the purpose of her interrogation - where will you be going, in what sequence, for how long, will you be at altitude, taking part in dangerous activities, going to the Amazon .... to all of this i proudly replied ... YES! and little more - vague mentions of months here and there. I truly felt sorry for her. After all, the inquisition was for my better health and to prevent mosquitoes from killing me in the process.

The lesson for today: I have a lot more thinking and planning to do before my next appointment with the nurse... aie :) I feel slightly oblivious to the gravity of the situation (sigh!)