Holiday - Cape Town III

After actually having done some shopping in Waterfront (big fluffy pink slippers and a more discreet blue pyjama as well as some tops - I know, I go all the way to Cape Town to shop but to my defense it was cheap) - we decided to climb up the Table Mountain the next day. Not.

Only fools actually climb up, we clever people took the cablecar. It was one of those great days with clear blue sky, perfect temperature fit for shorts and top but without being too hot. Took a little walk around the top of the mountain, where we fortunately didn't see their most common animal "the dassie".

But look at the view!

Holiday - Cape Town II

One thing that is good with Cape Town is that there is no time difference from Switzerland, so apart from the fact that you have some sleep to catch up on from the long flight you're in the same time zone. One night of good sleep, and you're good to go.

First day was spent in the relatively new harbour area Waterfront, a place that offers loads of shops, restaurants and cafes, booking agencies for trips and is a general hang-out-place. It even has seals leasurely swimming around among the boats. Cool!

Another thing that struck us that come from strong currency countries, everything is cheap! The rand has weakened quite a bit lately, which worked in our favour. A good bottle of South African wine in a restaurant could cost 80 rand, around 10 Swiss francs! This is about what a decent bottle of wine cost in the shop here in Switzerland, in a restaurant it's a lot more than that.

Holiday - Cape Town I

Now over to a much more pleasurable place - Cape Town. I tell ya, I have fallen in love with the place. It must be the ultimate place to live, well apart from Zürich then.

There are gazillions of things to do and see, they have a fantastic climate (at least when we were there, my friend recommended March and it couldn't have been better) and great beaches. The Atlantic ocean is just by the city, with the soothing sound of waves.

We were met at the airport, and spent a nice first evening catching up with my friends. We stayed with them for almost a week, and it's great with somebody who can recommend things to do and see, direct you and get you the inside information. Saves a lot of time, which can then be focused on what you want to do, rather than seeking information.

I am fortunate to have such generous friends. Love you guys!

Holiday - Dubai V

Womens fashion, the newest in burkhas, which I'm sure look exactly like they did 200 years ago. Shame on them again!

Holiday - Dubai IV

Dubai is really an oxymoron. On one hand you see burkhas, and on the other hand you see women walking around with bare bellies. Money really talks in this country. It is apparently fine with religion, as long as it doesn't clash with capitalism. Fuckin' hypocrites.

I am wondering why women are expected to walk around in black burkhas which attracts heat in a country that is really really hot, whereas the men wander around in white sheets with a tea towel in red and white on their heads. Oppressing women was invented here I'm sure. And what bothers me most is that I was there on International womens day, and the women did not object. There were no rallies, no demonstrations, no nothing. It's what I always thought. Women is feminisms worst enemy. Shame on them!

Btw, here's the latest fashion in sheets and tea towels!

Holiday - Dubai III

New, fresh and shiny. Dubai does not have a history, at least not in terms of buildings.

They are currently building 5 artificial islands, where they plan 30 5-star hotels only in one island. The current bank crisis is putting a damper on the construction though.

And for your educational benefit The Arab Emirates consists of 7 emirates, whereof Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the most famous. The other 5 ones nobody can remember the names of. Except for maybe those who live there.

Holiday - Dubai II

Dubai is all about new, fresh and shiny. Here the prime example is Burj Al Arab, the worlds only 7 star hotel. Expensive as hell, and where a drink cost more than a Pakistani earns in a month, the same Pakistani who built the hotel.

Holiday - Dubai I

I have really mixed feelings about Dubai, mostly negative I have to admit. Ok, so on the tourist bus around town you get to hear that Dubai has invested their (oil) money into education, health care and infrastructure, and that islam is a tolerant religion (excuse me! Haven't they heard of suicide bombings?). Investing in education, health care and infracture is great, but when you know that they have done it on the expense of foreign workers (mostly Pakistanis) who they pay 200 US$ a month it leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth. And now with the financial crisis going on, they are laying off those people. Guys who are away from their families for years earning 200$ (instead of a dollar a day at home), supporting their families including the extending ones. These Pakistanis do not get the benefits of the investment in health care. Dubai in short is the big guy (read rich due to oil) tramping all over the little guy. I do not like.

Holiday - Dubai flight

I have never been to an Arab country before, and can honestly say it was the first and last time. Had my doubts already before I went, and now I know for sure.

But I must say that it was a pleasure flying Emirates. Ok, so flying economy is never a pleasure, but at least the service and the entertainment was great. Food was not bad either. The flight information was left to imagination though (but yes, it was also shown in English).

Several hundred movies to choose from and I saw Mamma Mia, Australia, Slumdog millionaire and others. Funny though, it is hard to remember a movie you saw on a flight. Becomes a blur after a while. Nothing to do with the free wine they serve I'm sure.

I'm back!

Didja miss me? Finally after almost 2 days travel I am back at home! Think I've collected enough material for the blog for the next two months. However, very long day(s) so just wanted to say watch this space...

Closed for holiday

Goodbye, adios, farewell, arrivederci, hej då, hasta la vista, auf wiedersehen, au revoir, sayonara, farvel and ciao. Get the picture?

Preparations

Haven't actually packed yet, but am running a dishwasher, have done the washing and ironing, watered the plants, paid the bills, emptied the fridge. Anything to avoid packing. I don't know why, but it's always the same. Packing last minute. And of course the friggin shower drain is playing up. I cannot believe how much ill-smelling hair there is. Seriously thinking of shaving my head. Anyway, tomorrow it's goodbye suckers. Heatwave today in Cape Town, 38-42°C! Yessss!

Dispute between neighbours

A town councillor in Wales, Mark Easton, had a beautiful view of the mountains, until a new neighbour purchased the land below his house and built a new home. The new home was 18 inches higher than the planning dept had approved, so Mark Easton, mad about his lost view, went to the local authority to make sure they enforced the roof line height.

The new neighbour had to drop the roof height, at great expense. Recently, Mark Easton called the planning dept, and informed them that his new neighbour had installed some vents on the side of his new property. Mark didn't like the look of these vents and asked the planning dept to investigate. When they went to Mark's home to see what the vents looked like, this is what they found...

The Local Authority said the vents can stay since there is no planning law referring to shutter design.

A dream come true

Remember M? He's the most reliable friend I have, at least here in Zürich, so tonight we met up for him to get my keys since he will be looking after my flat (and my precious plants) when I'm away. It's good with friends like that.

And it gave us a chance to catch up, since he's "too busy" to read my blog and I hadn't heard the latest in his life. It's a good thing to catch up now and then.

Also, he has access to cheapo chocolate, so a coordinated visit to his neck of the woods on Friday was agreed. I need to bring lots and lots of chocolate to friends in Cape Town.

But the funniest thing happened on the way home from the bus. I saw this (see pic). I can only conclude that somebody had gotten very angry and thrown a plant on the street from a window. I always wanted to do that. But I guess more so with clothes from a soon-to-be-ex. Throw all the clothes on the street in an act of passion. I still have 1. to be passionate enough and 2. find somebody to piss me off enough. There is still time...

Credit Suisse sucks again

Got another letter from Credit Suisse today, saying that "The investigations (are there more than one?) are being delayed and we are unfortunately not yet able to comment on the issue you raised. Therefore we kindly ask you for your patience. We will contact you in due time." The two letters I received in response to my complaint letter both have two peoples signatures. Why? I guess nobody in a bank wants to take responsibility, but want the opportunity to blame the other. What do you think? The first letter was dated 17th of February, the other 2nd of March. It wasn't exactly a rocket science complaint I had. Guess the new buzzword(s) in business "customer centricity" doesn't mean a thing to Credit Suisse.

One down, more to go

So paid an arm and at least one leg today for all my extravagant choices for the new flat. It was a good feeling. Until I got home and had yet another bill waiting. Balcony floor. Who knew it would be so expensive? Well, it is natural stone and the good news was that my balcony is seemingly 16 m2 instead of the 15 m2 I thought. And what is money then? The other bill I'm fearing is for the parquet floor in the bedrooms and the granite floor in the rest of the flat. This ain't gonna be cheap! But it'll be soooo cool. An investment, that's how I look at it (or at least try to).

Wildlife, naaah!

Persistence

Well I know why snake-loving friend is a friend. She's persistent, not a quitter. Just look at this: http://beesknees101.blogspot.com/ She promised to do 101 things in 1,001 days. That's nearly 3 years. And she's still going strong. That is what I call commitment, and something that deserves respect. Even though I'm a better blogger (or at least more frequent!), I couldn't even be arsed to put 101 things on a list. Too lazy. Too whatever. I guess we're all good at different things. I'm glad I found my niche :)

Crushed snake

As you may have picked up I'm not extremely fond of wildlife (I mean we have Zürich zoo, and there is always Discovery channel, why bother with scary animals in the wild?), and I got my opinion confirmed when reading a friends blog. She had been out in the outback in Australia. In a tent! I know, I really don't understand what we have in common, I wouldn't even under gunpoint sleep in a tent in Australia. Nevertheless, in the morning they folded the tent and found a crushed snake under it. Like they had been sleeping on it, crushing it to death. Her take on it was "well, it was only a small snake". Me thinking, well what if it friggin wasn't? What if it had been a great big anaconda (and don't tell me they don't exist in Australia or something) or boa constrictor? You wouldn't have been laughing then, now would you?

Holiday is approaching

I cannot tell you how much I look forward to my holiday, starting Friday afternoon. The preparations so far including ordering cash for the appropriate countries, since it turns out the bank doesn't hold a reserve (!), charging up the camera, collecting all the stuff I need to bring to Bro (amazing pile already! Like his mail that for some obscure reason is still sent here although he now has an address, movies he lent me, movies he wants to borrow etc etc). Well I guess that's about it. The chocolate I plan to buy and bring to my friends cannot be bought this early in the week, then I will need to buy twice. Chocolate never lasts in this apartment! Packing will happen at the earliest the night before, more possibly the same morning. I know myself. And the only thing I ever forgot to pack was a beach towel when going to the Caribbean many moons ago, and guess what? They sold beach towels there. So Friday early evening I'll be cruising down with the train to Italy. Saturday the flight takes off for Dubai. I am not completely comfortable going there, because of their view of women but we're only staying 2 nights. Then on to the final destination, Cape Town. Check out the weather suckers!

Plastic bags

I don't know how it is with you, but I am against waste. Waste of food, waste of energy, waste of money, waste of just about everything. Therefore I always re-use paper and plastic bags. Paper bags until they fall apart, and plastic bags in a drawer. You know the bottom drawer, that is usually bigger than the other ones. This has resulted in a overflow of plastic bags. Cannot even close the drawer anymore. Bags that I will never need. Been the same in every place I have ever moved from. I have been forced to throw all bags away. Now I have started to do it all by myself. Throw them away. It is useless with all these bags. What am I ever gonna use them for? Can't use them for trash, since Zürisäcke is all they take here. I know it's not good for the environment, so all I can do is to say no thank you when somebody wants to give me one. Most of the time I carry around an empty bag so not a problem. But still, where do all plastic bags come from?

Tolerance, deafness and alcohol

Saw a tv interview with Sarah Symonds yesterday. Never heard of her before, probably because I don't read glossy gossip magazine. Apparently she's been sleeping around with several famous men, and is trying to make a buck or two out of it. She appeared relatively sensible, but it doesn't mean I have respect for her. On the other hand, I do respect her parents. They were in the audience listening to the interview, and on the question how you can stay married for (I think it was) 47 years!! the wife answered: "tolerance and a certain deafness" and the husband "alcohol helps". Cool people!

Sir Lancelot

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death. The question?....What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end. He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged. The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first. The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table. Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus: What a woman really wants, she answered....is to be in charge of her own life. Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding. The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half. Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night? Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments? What would YOU do? What Lancelot chose is below. BUT....make YOUR choice before you continue reading. OKAY? Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life. Now....what is the moral to this story? The moral is..... If you don't let a woman have her own way.... Things are going to get ugly!

86 is China

Got a call today from country code 86 which intrigued me a bit, until I realized it was Bro calling from China. Sounded like he was in the next room, even though when I checked the world clock I realized the place he's in is too small to even be listed there. This is also when I found out that Zürich is the last city on the list, and quite possibly the only list where Zürich is at the bottom!

In vino veritas project

I have a quite pleasant project to finalize before I move. I don't exactly have a wine cellar, but I have collected (read: bought) some wine over the last few years. The cheapo stuff goes quickly, but the better bottles I save for dinners and other social gatherings here at home. Realized the other day that my rather small fridge is harbouring quite a few bottles of things that need to be chilled (why I don't put them on the freezing balcony is a mystery!), a wine holder that takes 15 bottles or so as well as a couple of boxes of wine on the floor. This'll be a pleasure!

Cultivated salmon

Not sure about the terminology in English here, but I refer to fish that is cultivated rather than wild. The salmon babies are held in huge dams, they are fed fish-food, they grow and when large enough killed, packed in containers, transported by huge trawlers, sold to customers in foreign countries to finally end up on a plate. 11 millions meals per DAY is produced only in Norway. I saw one of these conscience programs again, as you may have guessed. The surprising thing is that "everybody" so far have been very much in favour of cultivating fish in order to preserve our oceans. Through a team of investigative reporters the research showed that wild fish is used to produce the fish-food fed to the cultivated fish, and so far so good. The fish-food salesman in Iceland thought so too. He took one fistful of fish-food, smelled it and claimed "the smell of money". Only then the reporters showed that up to 2,5 kg's of wild fish that is becoming fish-food, ends up being a mere 1 kg of the cultivated salmon ending up on our plates! Sounds like a good idea to you? The program also showed 7 fish sorts that are now on the way to being extinct due to "over-fishing", and that the whole eco balance is out of whack because of it. Bigger fish lose their smaller fish to eat, the smaller fish gets fished out so to speak, the even smaller grow in population and the whole thing gets out of balance. It is very hard these days to know which fish one can eat with good conscience!

Stadtpolizei

Whenever I get a letter from ze "Stadtpolizei" I get the shivers, thinking about big strong men in uniform coming to arrest me or something. But it's the good shivers if you know what I mean :) This time it was only a bill for the boat-place. Hmmm.

Two housewives talking

A friend was here the other week, and I told her about my pants where I have safety pins holding the rim of the legs up (with a quiet hope that she would offer to mend them). "Really", she said, "safety pins". "I myself used to staple mine". No help there.

Swiss coolness

A friend of mine was flying home yesterday from Zürich to England. 15 minutes into the flight the instruments stopped working, and the pilot had to turn around and land back in Zürich. Without the instruments. This is Hudson river type of bold move. Very cool indeed. The pilot told everybody what had happened after the landing, and announced “We've fixed the problem with parts from another plane but if anyone does not trust us they can get off now”. Five or six people did. I think only a Swiss pilot would phrase it quite like that. Calm, short and to the point. And I especially like the fact that is was a female pilot. Respect! My friend finally got back to England, late but safely.

Tell me your blood type

...and I shall tell you who you are. This is a Japanese thing I read in the paper. As common as reading horoscopes are in the west. According to this site I am: Type B – The Hunter individualist dislike custom strong optimistic creative flexible wild unpredictable They cannot be terribly wrong, can they?

I'm a bloke with boobs

Which is possibly the best compliment one can get from two English guys. Oh excuse me, one English and one Welsh.

F*** My Life

Mildly funny and very American, although a couple of them are amusing.

Google Earth live

This is where Bro is travelling to tomorrow. Fortunately it's a paid trip. I'm not big on going to places where they try to control you. But hey, I'm going to Dubai in two weeks, and my excuse is that they will give women the right to vote next year. That is something to celebrate. I think. They are only about 100 years late!

PS from Wikipedia: The Swiss referendum on women's suffrage was held on 1 February 1959. The majority of Switzerland's men voted no, however in some cantons the vote was given to women.[17] Switzerland was one of the last Western democracies (the other being Liechtenstein) to allow women to vote. Women did not gain the right to vote in federal elections until 1973.

Fuck Vista and Credit Suisse

Or whatever it is that makes my "printer" not picking up that I connect it to my computer. I say "printer" because it hasn't printed since I last bought colour boxes for it. Again. For another 100 bucks. Anyway, I wanted to show you the letter I got from the bank (Credit Suisse). I finally got around to send the hate letter. And I got an answer. Not from the CEO himself but from a minion. "Dear mrs and then my name. We acknowledge receipt of your above mentioned letter to Mr Bady Dougan (I just love that they misspell their own CEO's name!), Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse, which he forwarded to us for clarification". Of course he did. He doesn't want to deal with minor customers like myself, especially since I have already moved my business away from them. No, CEO's like to cash in the money for themselves, not having to deal with the people who give them the business. That's a big no no. Then "In order to be able to comment on the issues you raised, we have to investigate. We will let you know the result of our enquiries as soon as possible". And "Thank you for your understanding". Going on with yours sincerely and all. If they were sincere they wouldn't have fucked me and my money, would they? And how do they know I'm understanding? I'm not. Wouldn't have sent the letter if I did, now would I? To be continued...

Züriwine

Thinking about renaming the blog. But haven't tasted it yet, so it's still a maybe.

Present from my guest tonight.

Google Earth

Have my doubts about this product, especially since new flat is not on it. There is nothing older than old information! Nah, I pass.

Travel in style

Well, not exactly travel in style since we're flying monkey class, but Bro suggests we stay here. Works for me.

If I ever were to change political party

...it would be because of this guy. Fortunately I don't live in Norway.

Tonights dinner

A friend is coming over. Tonight I opted for lamb chops, being marinated as we speak with only salt, pepper and rosemary. A big vegetable mix ready to be woked with leek, mushroom, pepper, courchette, carrots and chili. To that a bottle of Di Camillo, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. As a starter the Caesar salad I have now perfected and as dessert the "punschkugel" (which btw was a bit of a disappointment. Not the same I bought last time. Had no taste of "punsch"). Have a feeling it'll be a nice evening...

Dangerous

It's a jungle out there.

Food time

You know the rule to never go shopping when you're hungry? Today I think rules are there to be broken, and accordingly came home with a bag of potato chips (a small one but still) and with the excuse of having dinner for a friend tomorrow "punschkugeln" (chocolaty round things with punch inside - delish!). The reason for buying 3 of those is that I have to pre-taste in order to make sure they are nice... It's definitely going to be more labrador and less greyhound on the holiday.

Diversity

When coming home on a Friday evening being really really tired, thinking that nothing fun would come out of it, I couldn't have been more wrong. Sleeping an hour helped. Then meeting with a youngster in town who insisted that we needed some strawberry margueritas, like a liter of it. After being properly invigorated I thought it was a good idea to visit the place where I had my birthday party a couple of years ago. They didn't even ask what we wanted to order, but just brought the Chianti I favour there. Good shit. Then when the youngster got thoroughly drunk and left for home, I had a brilliant idea. Visit my second living room. Where I met this guy, who I hadn't seen for a year or so and who wanted to bring me up to speed. Well it took me some time to extract myself and now finally home. Sleep seems like a good idea...

When somebody cooks at my place

Well, looks pretty good huh? And it tasted good too...

Wanted again

Ok, I feel much better now after the blow-offs earlier this week. Yesterday a friend called who I hadn't talked to in a long time, and today I managed to be invited for lunch incl some alcoholic beverage (!) as well as having a friend on his way to cook for me at home this evening. It's shaping up.

Love my ass

Valentine's day this year didn't render a great take. A skype message from my brother and an sms from an old (and very married) friend was all. Very very poor return.

On top of that I had a friend in Norway who thought that putting a bed together for her parents was more important than skyping with me this evening. To be topped off by friends in Holland who on skype showed me their offspring for the first time, and he took one look at me on the webcam and started screaming his lungs off.

I'm starting to think I'm not wanted anymore. Booo-hooo.

Don't know why but it made me think of this pic that a friend in Singapore just sent me.

Bursting bottle

Yes, that blonding of the hair went very well thanks for asking. I was a little worried that I would end up looking too blonde, or just fake, but it looks exactly like it does when I've been to the hairdresser. Because I have relatively little hair, very thin, I didn't need the whole bottle. Well there were two bottles, one with something liquid and a creme to pour into it and mix before using. I only used half of it, and was planning on saving the rest for another time. Next day when I got home I noticed the bottle had tipped over. It had kind of expanded and become rounded. V. weird. Until I read the instructions, saying expel of any leftover liquid immediately. Oh dear. So I shucked it in the bin and then promptly forgot to take it to the trash container outside. It is still there, and I'm kinda waiting for it to pop. Yeah, I live my life in the fast lane! I realize it created some sort of chemical reaction, but have no idea why. Aussie girl?

This is me in hmmm years

Patience is a virtue.

How sweet is that!

In 3 weeks this'll be me (without the fur and the tail), floating in the water while all the suckers in Europe freeze!

He finally got away

Charity

I've always been wary about charity, but I have been a member of various "do-good" associations. Last one was Red Cross. Only this year after all the articles about how much the top-guys (because they're always guys!) put in their own pockets I sent an email to them asking how much the top manager in Switzerland earned. I didn't get an answer.

Needless to say they won't get any more money from me.

Party

Went to a party last Friday, and met some new people. It's always exciting to get to know people, especially from other countries. This time I ran into an Irish woman, who was way cool. She presented her boyfriend as "and this is the guy I sleep with". But he seemed to be man enough, despite the fact that she is 1.85 tall and towered over him. I like couples who do not follow the standard template.

Ashblonde

I've always been blonde, except for when I just was born and had black hair, I have always always been blonde. Therefore it's a bit disconcerting to discover that with age I'm getting darker and darker. I'm one of those who, except for a few brief years in the 80's (hello poodle perm!), always have had the same hairdo. Babyhair, nothing to do about it. If I spray or mousse it, it stays good for an hour, then it looks the same again so why bother? I don't like when I don't recognize myself in the mirror, so the past few years I've been taking help from the hairdresser in getting strands of blonde back onto my head. However, now my hairdresser has moved to suburbia, so I've been a little lost. Until I realized that I can do it myself! With a little help from a box of "Ashblonde" from Migros, I am currently waiting with gooey in my hair to enforce blonde so that I'll recognize myself again. Oh the excitement I create on a Sunday!

A looong evening

Will tell ya later, but in the meantime I show you somebody who didn't want to be exposed...

Socialist Swiss

I guess there is a reason for having red in the Swiss flag. Today after meeting with the auditor I understand why. When you own an apartment you are penalized with taxes, i.e. you are paying taxes like you rent out your flat even if you live in it yourself. This comes back to the old days when owners had tax deductions and renters had not. This was not considered fair, and therefore an additional tax was thrown upon owners to make people more equal. Meaning if you had the brains, worked hard, saved money and invested it, you were punished. Whereas the slackers got a tax break without working for it. Can you tell I'm right-wing? Since ze Swiss are slow changers, the system is still the same. So now I'm gonna have to tax like I rent out my flat, even though I paid premium price for it and live in it myself. Good thing my auditor told me that my area of Zürich has become just as expensive as Zürich city. Now I can frown upon all the losers who have not invested here!

Wisdom

I have all my four wisdom teeth left. And all the other teeth too in case you wondered. Now, one of the wisdom teeth has started to grow. At my age you expect not only the wisdom but your teeth to be fully adult. So is apparently not the case. Which is why I'm in my sleep have been chewing on the flesh next to the growing tooth. So not a pleasant feeling in the morning when I wake up. I guess the philosophical question is: When are you supposed to be a grown-up?

Credit Suisse still sucks

Finally sent the letter to Credit Suisse. I marinated it a bit, contemplating whether I really should send it but Tuesday it was time. Off it went. Attached my name and full address, as well as my email. Not surprisingly I haven't heard anything yet. Banks like to get your money, make themselves rich but not do anything to help you. Remember this people. UBS for example went to the government for support (and got it!), then announced bonuses of 2 billion CHF, and now want to pay out 4 billion. Who raised these people with no conscience? And why I ask, are they always men?

Audit

Went to see my auditor today. She has done my tax returns for the last couple of years, and she's thorough and correct. Lightened up a bit today when she heard I bought an apartment and that I will stay in Switzerland. It's nice with people who like us foreigners. Just like it's nice to hear that Switzerland voted for having an extended EU cooperation, even though "funny" countries like Bulgaria have now joined. Bad news were that the pension fund I cashed in last year, meant to be a part-payment for the flat is now going to be taxed. 10% of it will go to the government. This despite the fact that I took all the risk and paid all the admin fees. When it's time to cash in the government wants a piece of the pie, with no consideration for my need of the money to pay for my investment. At my question whether we should "forget" to tell the government, she said they will find out and that I would then have to pay twice the amount plus a penalty. Not something I want to risk being a Swiss fan and somebody who wants to stay here. Guess I have to be grateful that other countries would have sliced a bigger piece of the cake. She also informed me how much I should borrow and how much I should cash off. Nice to know that it coincided with my thoughts. Think we're the same kind. We don't like having debts, unless it's tax beneficial. The only good news were that the taxes I prepaid is more than going to cover the final ones. And the government gives 2% interest rate on the surplus, which is way more than the corrupt banks are giving. I like my auditor.

No 1 and No 2

I have a friend who has stomach problems. She's been to the doctor and was asked to give a pee sample. This led to a discussion when she had to give a stool sample and was given a minimal cup to do it in. Which in turn led to quite a hilarious discussion about how you are to know how big the turd will be, minor "stone", medium "sausage" or a real biggie. Or in fact if you are departing with a lose version of No 2. And why you are not given the appropriate cup to make your deposit in. I would've loved to have had this discussion during a wine session! Anyway. Her problems now are more of an intermittent nature, and so she's been asked to give a urine sample whenever she has problems. Not only one, but over a 24-hour-period. Hence the cup sized portable-toilet they gave her. Is she now supposed to drag this around with her? Yeah, I'd like to see that happen. NOT.

Greyhound vs labrador

Told Bro when we are going on holiday I will look like a greyhound, having hopes of that diet working out. Now, it's easy to make those statements in December when you're still eating like well hmmm a dog, thinking that 1st of January will make you stop and go on rabbit diet.

Today I had to tell him that he might be going on vacation with a labrador rather than a greyhound, but hey, who wants to look like one of these when you can be a cute lab?

You the man!

Full moon

Had trouble sleeping last night, and couldn't understand why until I read that it was full moon last night. Time to howl like a wolf!

It's raining men

And yes, my dinner guests allowed me to post their pics.

M&M + Luna

Why not repeat a success? So tonight when having dinner for other friends I decided to have the same menu. Why change a winning concept?

Had a really nice evening once again (even though I ended earlier than last weekend, but what can you expect from men?) and this time including my new friend Luna.

Vernissage II

Didn't have high expectations about tonights vernissage. Thought it would be only a few people looking at art, but whaddaya know. First of all I did like the art. Not all of it but the variety. There were 67 pictures, and one in particular caught my eye.

It was a tree in front of a savanna showing black bad weather behind it. This is how I feel sometimes, when the world is against me. Me the tree against the world. It somehow appealed to me. And me being the tree surviving despite everything and everybody else. In short a survivor. Yes, that appealed to me very much.

The other funny thing was that I was stuck with gazillions of Swiss-speaking people. Or so I thought. Until I realized that one of them spoke English. Which in turn attracted other English-speaking people. I had a really nice eve with amongst others an 80-year old who spoke 5 languages. And it was very nice to feel fantastically young when they were talking about the 50's and 60's like it was yesterday.

When you make an attempt to talk to people you are almost always positively surprised!

And look, they were happy to meet me too!

A Seamans Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to become the kind of Chief that my Company would like me to be. Give me the mysterious "something" which will enable me at all times to satisfactorily keep the engines running without spares and help. Help me to teach and train the uninterested and dim-witted without ever losing my patience or temper. Give me that love for my fellow men which passeth all understanding so that I may lead the recalcitrant, obstinate, no good crew into the path of righteousness by my own example, and by soft persuading remonstrance, instead of throwing spanners at them. Instill into my inner-being tranquility and peace of mind that no longer will I wake from my restless sleep in the middle of the night, crying out "what have other Chiefs got that I haven't and how did they get it"? Teach me to smile if it kills me. Make me a better Chief of the ship by helping me develop larger and greater qualities of understanding, tolerance, sympathy, wisdom, perspective, equanimity, mind-reading and second sight. And when, Dear Lord, thou has helped me to achieve the pinnacle of my career as prescribed by me and when I have become the paragon of all that is virtuous in this earthly world, Dear Lord, move over. Amen. Found here.

Zürich HB next

One thing that was better before all the technology invaded earth was the real voice on buses, trams and trains. A person actually speaking to you, all sounding different, some only stating the station, some making jokes or wishing people a good day. Now it's all computerized, and it's always the same voice. Technology is there, so why don't they have different voices? Why not change once in a while? Sometimes in Zürich they bring out the good ol' trams which are like 80 years old and drive them around town with conductors in uniform and all. The conductors step off the tram at every station to allow people in and announce each station in person. This is a nice whiff of the personal service that used to exist. These days it's all about cost, but I still think they could have different computerized voices!

InstaMapper

New service where you can track mobile phones, but only if the phone is GPS compatible. Tip: "borrow" your friends phone for a couple of minutes. Register number with the website. Wait for the sms to confirm. They you will have the id, and can check at any time where your friend is! Clever huh?

Ever felt like this?

Trainer Todd reappears

Ok, so maybe I underestimated trainer Todd...

Drunk

Met a friend tonight who said he hadn't been drunk in 17 years. Until last night. They apparently drank something called Orgasm.

Apart from the fact that I thought he was talking about something else, I actually believe him. Every time we had dinner he sipped on one glass of wine. Only. I had to finish the bottle. Yeah I know, not a big job but somebody had to do it.

Pic from this site which is rather funny.

Vernissage I

I am invited to a vernissage on Friday. I will enjoy a bit of art, as well as the wine I hope they will serve. They don't have their own website but this is it. Me and art, we're like hand in glove :)

A fabulous gift

...from one of the fabulous friends. I adore this strawberry wine!

Only I lost the link to the place where you can buy it. But my friend brought me a box, so at least I'm covered. For hmmm some time...

Kreisbüro

Still a lot of hits from people trying to find the kreisbüros in Zürich. Here's the new link. Don't forget your official papers like passports and permits. Bring some money since every document or stamp they give you will cost. Good luck and welcome to Zürich!

My fabulous friends

No water

So was looking forward to the evening. A lot. Was busy preparing, frying the veggies, having a glass of wine, making myself pretty. All at the same time. Then my first guest arrived, exactly on time like she was a military person. I continued to cook, having my guest sitting on the throne in my kitchen (the 19 CHF folding chair from IKEA), me slaving away. Yeah ok, perhaps I exaggerate a bit but anyway. All of a sudden there was no water. No water?!? So called my landlord. Now, my landlord is about 80 years old and have a company that does the admin for him. That didn't stop him from saying "hello miss, how are you?" when I called him at eight o'clock on Saturday evening. Told him I didn't have any water. He promptly said: "I will come". My thoughts were like doesn't he trust me? Does he not believe me? Well, my Swiss friends told me that this is the thing to do. Nothing to do with trust, but the fact that he voluntered to come visit was just to show support. He did. And in between me calling him and my one of my friends arriving telling me about the burst pipe and a whole block being under water. So he came, shook hands with my friends. And left. And this item makes absolutely no sense but it is 3.32 in the morning. Pls send any complaints to somebody else.

Agony

I've been a bit in agony over what to serve for dinner tonight. Am having two girls over this evening, and they are usually a bit more picky than men. Oh, wait a minute, these two are not, so decided on the following. Caesar salad for starter, something I've never done before but how difficult can it be? Salad, some parmesan and bacon. I was searching forever for bread croutons in the store. Didn't find it by the bread, not by the crackers but next to the salad dressing! Isn't that a funny place to have'm? For main it'll be chicken once again. This time wings in the oven. To that, some jasmin rice and a vegetable mix, fried with chili. At least if "perfumed rice" is what I think it is, there was no jasmin in the shop. For dessert these lovely chocolate biscuits with cognac taste. Unfortunately, or luckily, they only come in packs of two, and I need three. Meaning I get one extra for tomorrow. Bad for the diet. Good for me. I think it'll be a very nice evening.

Black or white

I have two stages when I get drunk. I either get really aggressive, or I love the whole world. Grey is just not my colour. When I emailed my friend in Cape Town the other day I got an answer containing gazillions of links of "must-sees" about game parks, day tours, things to do and see like islands, mountains, penguins, beaches and wine lands. I kinda like the penguins, beaches and wine lands. Possibly combined. Then I had a conversation with Bro today, who unfortunately had talked to a friend who had said "if you're in South Africa you MUST go to the Krugerpark". Conversation: Him: "a friend told me we just have to see the Krugerpark". Me: "well if you need to see the big 5 why don't you visit a zoo?" Him: "yeah that's the same". Me: "yes it is". Before I realized he was being ironic. Well it is the same isn't it? A rhino is a rhino is a rhino. So is a tiger, buffalo, elephant and leopard. Anyway. So this evening was one of those when I felt mellow and in love with the world. Sent an sms to Bro saying if you really, really want it I will come with you to the Krugerpark. I am so going to regret this. First a 6 hour flight to Dubai, staying for 2 nights. Then a 9 hour flight to Cape Town, staying for 15 days. In the middle of all this another domestic flight to see animals which I've already seen in Zürich zoo. And all I wanted was a holiday. I seriously have to consider my drinking habits!

Conscience-programs

For the moment, while it's still cold and dark outside and not so attractive to go out all the time, I have gotten into social conscience programs on tv. I have watched the suicides I wrote about before. I have seen a program about Spanish stray dogs that are adopted by naive Scandinavian people. The dogs are born and bred in a kennel in southern Spain under awful circumstances, being issued false EU dog passports, transported up north with up to 30 dogs in a van and sold to people who think they help. Unfortunately these dogs have not had necessary shots, and many of them have for example "leishmania" (not sure how it's spelled). All that Scandinavia needs is a carrier like the sand fly, which used to exist only in underdeveloped countries, but have now spread as far north as Germany and will probably make its entrance into Scandinavia soon. Then this disease will spread to human beings. It can kill. I saw the interview with bishop Richard Williamson from the "catholic" group SSPX, who is now under investigation after an interview in Swedish television. He belongs to a group who has been banned by the Vatican church, and a group that is highly conservative. However, the group denies the views of good ol' Richard, who claims the holocaust has been made up and that "there were no gas chambers". Interestingly enough the Vatican church lifted their ban a few days after the interview was aired. Yeah, the Vatican is really with the times... Also watched a program about low-income people who live in poor condition in western Europe, in a house with cochroaches, leaking pipes, mould, in complete misery going on 10 years without the society, the building-owner or anybody else doing anything about it. Until it was shown on tv! Another program was about a foundation who's aim was to give the profit to research, but where too much of the money ended up in the heirs pockets. Big surprise. NOT. You see! I'm not just into dr House and West Wing...

UBS and Credit Suisse

I have chosen the wrong career, that's for sure. Here in Switzerland there has been many discussions lately about the bonus programs that corporations have, banks in particular. UBS for example have reduced their 16 billion francs bonuses last year to "only" 2 billion this year. This after having received support in form av cash from the government. Their average salary according to SF1 a couple of days ago is 297,000 swissies. Average!?! Credit Suisse is less modest with an average salary of 337,000 swissies. Fuckin' robbers are what they are. Good thing I moved my business away from these greedy bastards. Third on the list was Baloise, an insurance company, with 142K and fourth Novartis with 115. Why a global crisis? Anyone?

Understanding engineers

Understanding Engineers - One Two engineering students were walking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want." The first engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fitted you anyway." --------------------------------------------------- Understanding Engineers - Two To the optimist, the glass is half-full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. --------------------------------------------------- Understanding Engineers - Three A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers. The engineer fumed, "What's with those guys? We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes!" The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!" The priest said, "Here comes the green-keeper. Let's have a word with him." He said, "Hello George, what's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?" The green-keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind firemen. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime." The group fell silent for a moment. The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them." The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?" ------------------------------------------------- Understanding Engineers - Four What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers? Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets. -------------------------------------------------- Understanding Engineers - Five The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?" The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?" The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?" The graduate with an arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?" ---------------------------------------------------- Understanding Engineers - Six Three engineering students were gathered together discussing who must have designed the human body. One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints." Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections." The last one said, "No, actually it had to have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?" --------------------------------------------------- Understanding Engineers - Seven Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet. ------------------------------------------ Understanding Engineers - Eight An engineer was crossing a road one day, when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess. "He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me I'll turn back into a beautiful princess and stay with you for one week." The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you for one week and do ANYTHING you want." Again, the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess and that I'll stay with you for one week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" The engineer said, "Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool!”

Over the moon

We all know those cute little computer symbols called "emoticons", where> :) or :-) means a smile and> :( or :-( means a frown.> Well, how about some "assicons?" > Here we go: (_!_) a regular ass (__!__) a fat ass (!) a tight ass (_*_) a sore ass {_!_} a swishy ass (_o_) an ass that's been around (_x_) kiss my ass (_X_) leave my ass alone (_zzz_) a tired ass (_o^^o_) a wise ass (_E=mc2_) a smart ass (_?_) Dumb Ass And finally, .oo*"""**oo.oo*""*oo..oo*" "*o.o*" "*o..o" 'o" "o o o *o .o o 'o o o o.o o oo \o/ oo --0-- oo. /o\ oo o oo o oo o oooo o oooo. oo oo'ooo. .oo. oooo ""oo,, ,,oO-'Oo, ,,,,,oo"oo. """""" oo """"" o'o oo o'o oo o 'o o o* o o oo o oo o o o o oo o oo o o You have just been moooooned.

Men!

This evening I skyped my cousin, and although he was online he wasn't picking up. A follow-up sms saying "who needs enemies when you're having relatives like this" rendered the following email: NINE WORDS WOMEN USE (1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up. (2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house. (3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine. (4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It! (5) Loud Sigh: This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.) (6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake. (7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever'). (8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU! (9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3. Haha, I only said he's my cousin. I didn't say he was stupid. And I guess having been married for (what feels like) half a century helps.

Retirement is not an excuse for being ignorant

Just talked my aunt through getting on Skype. Her delight when she managed to log on (to the id her daughter set up for her) screaming "I can see you!" was fun. She hasn't yet gotten to when she can turn on her camera for me to see her, and to get the speakers on, but it's a matter of time. And of course she sms's since years.

My doctor

There are things I am not wild about in Switzerland, but overall it's a country of my taste. That's why I've chosen to stay here. One thing is the healthcare system. I come from a country where the healthcare is so called managed by the government. By experience I know that unless you're on your deathbed you won't get help anytime soon. A whole day waiting to get a minor injury like a broken arm tended to is no exception, or a hip replacement operation can take 2 years waiting time. Here when I call the doctor or a clinic if I need an x-ray or mammography, they ask when I would like to come. Usually I get an appointment the day after. When I needed an operation some years ago they went out of their way to get me a time like 2 weeks after I raised the question. Diagnosed, operated on and recovered within a month. And yes, it's privatized here and it cost a bit of money for the insurance, but hey, the taxes are low. If I were American I would say "god bless privatization" but since I'm not I'm just grateful that Switzerland is a sensible country. At least in some cases... PS. Just discovered that my house doctor has email and can now communicate the status of my blood pressure without having to actually go there. Next step is to skype with the doctor...

Skypeing

Was skypeing last night with a friend in the UK. I have never been visiting him so I made him walk around his house showing me how he lives. Nice btw, with not a carpet in sight. When showing me the bathroom he pointed out that nowadays (after the lecture I gave him here in Zürich) he sits down to pee. Mind you, I wasn't so pleased when I heard he always thinks of me while doing his toilet business... PS. If you haven't registered yet I can recommend Skype where calls computer-to-computer are completely free of charge.

Multi-function

Ab-und-zu-man

Met a woman tonight who said she was from Latvia. I asked Riga? She said not many people knew the capitol of her country. Well, I could agree with her since most people are stupid. Anyway, she was there with her man, escaping the two kids and asking me if I had a man. I said occasionally I do. I call him an ab-und-zu-man. She looked at me longingly, like that was exactly what she wanted. What can I say? I have it all. My freedom. And an ab-und-zu-man. What else could one possibly want?

Liftwaffe

Sometimes I can be so silly, and laugh at a small joke for hours. Like Liftwaffe. It's when there are lots of Germans in the ski slopes, and you have to watch out for Liftwaffe. Hilarious! For those of you not quite familiar with history, here's the link: Luftwaffe

My new best friend

I have a new best friend. Sorry you other guys, but this one is it. The man works for a whiteware producer, and is in charge of returned goods. Goods that doesn't work when delivered, and goods that have a scratch or a minor flaw. These appliances are repaired but cannot be sold again to list price, so are offered to others. I am happy to announce that I'm one of them. The discount varies between 30% and 70%, and I'm happy to inform you that I have received a whopping 68% discount on the whole package including my food-center (American-style fridge and freezer), two ovens with steam-functions and microwave facility, ceramic stove, washing machine that feels how much wash you have and adjusts the program thereafter and a dishwasher with extra tools to accommodate lots and lots of wine glasses. So ok, I have to pay 7,6% Swiss VAT on top + about 30 CHF per item in recycling charge, but still, it's an extremely good deal. And it comes with 2 years guarantee. Mind you, I do have some contacts in this company...

Mad cows

and another one and another two

Men can multitask!

Nothing wrong with Migros underwear

I don't know why, but foot-fetischist guy thinks there is something wrong with Migros underwear. Not that he has ever bought any. I like'm.

Austria is a weird country

Much as I am for cultural diversity, once in a while I come across a person which I take an instant dislike to and I tend to judge the whole country based on them. Right now Austria is that country. I always had a vague view of Austria as being "gemütlich", nice and friendly people before I got to know this person. Lots of wienerschnitzel, sing-along-music, cozy little bars, old-fashioned and poor cousins to Switzerland and Germany. I think that picture is changing to be more in line with Fritzl now. Sad, ain't it? Which makes me think of what people judge Scandinavia on? I hope it would be more Ikea, Lego, ABBA, ball-bearings, Nokia and Ericsson, GPS (tom-tom's) and the likes. Not judged on me. Don't think that would be very good...

Inauguration

Watched the inauguration speech by Obama live on CNN. It was good. It was about hope but also about responsibility. Civil duty. And with a message to leaders around the globe saying something like "you will be remembered for what you built, not for what you destroyed". Wise words. It was interesting to see the performance by some known artists before the speech, particularly Yo-yo Ma since he was also performing in "West Wing". I think West Wing set America's direction before it happened in reality. There are so many similarities. And what a career move Obama's speechwriter has made. 27 years old only! A mere baby, or perhaps more a babe... Mind you, they could've skipped the poet. For the first time in a long time I am hopeful for the future, even though I do not live, nor do I ever intend to, in America. But whether we like it or not America has still an influence on the rest of the world. Let's hope Obama will be able to bring good to the world!

Suicide is painless

...was a song once in the tv series Mash if I remember correctly. Saw a program tonight on people committing suicide, very interesting indeed. The point was that the internet today is available with complete guides as how to kill yourself, and many suicides are apparently done on an impulse. Luckily only 10% of the people trying to kill themselves "succeed", the rest are cries for help. They interviewed a guy who had given advice to a 23-year-old who did kill himself, and it was apparent that this guy didn't completely understand what he had done. In his eyes he didn't have any responsibility. And this was debated. Anyway, one of the guides holds a poem that gives food for thought. Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp; Guns aren't lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live. - Dorothy Parker.

VD

Had a moment today when I thought it would be a good idea to rent out the guest room again. Think my thoughts went in the direction of well, if I'm gonna get some extra money by renting out I might as well do it before I move. Or something. Anyway, found an eye-doctor on the net who was looking for a room, and thought that he can't be too stupid, being a doctor and all. Completely aware of that you on the net can say anything, but I thought it'd be worth a shot. He responded immediately in English, but with a nick on the mail saying VD. Hmmm. A "doctor" who refers to himself as VD, not sure. Just as well I didn't hear from him again.

Profundity

I don't know where to start, but I feel the end is near. Jeez, at this point in time that feels like a really profound saying! Ok so I had a few drinks, starting at the Spanish tapas bar with Sangria, then on to the Mexican place with the Margueritas (same as yesterday actually and there were still no bacon in the Ceasar salad), after that on to the local place for a Baileys, ending up saying hello to the people in my place with a glass of white wine. Then they insisted on buying me an extra round and that's why I ended up like this. On the way to be very, very drunk. Zzzz...

Trainer Todd

I am trying to get into my bikini in March, but I will never get as desperate as getting myself a private "trainer Todd" as one of my friends. After all, I'm not 20 anymore and it would be sad if I was a "good-looking" as one. That's one of the many benefits of getting older, you're not supposed to look so good anymore. You are not expected to. It is relaxing, because when you do make an effort you are richly rewarded. I cannot understand youngsters (or anybody for that matter) who spend loads of time making themselves "pretty". What's the point? You just raise expectations, and people are not looking to your personality, just at your looks. Your boobs, your butt, your face, your body. Why would anybody want that? It's beyond me. So even though I would like to lose a few kg's to feel better, I'm not going to bend over. It's me, take it or leave it babes.