Type Delete Retype

Sunday afternoon

We experienced a crappy Internet-Phone line this afternoon which was a little bit frustrating. At least I was able to send out some messages before everything shut down completely. Now it seems as if the connection has recovered - just when it's bedtime.

---

We had a wonderful morning and afternoon with LE before sending him to his mum's. The car journey back without him felt a little bit strange; both E and I admitted to already missing him and laughed (and sighed) while recounting his antics. We are already looking forward to his next stay. I'm sure his mum feels the same way; I do feel for her when we have LE.

The end of another week at school

The end of Week 3 at school today and the many discussions relating to "Democracy". We (my course mates and I) went to a lovely beer garden a few yards from our class to celebrate, debrief and unwind. Our second foray to the garden so far; augurs well on the companionship front I think. It really does feel like we have known each other for longer than mere weeks - mostly thanks to our jam packed schedule, small class size and constant group work/discussions. Contrary to popular practice, I scooted off after 1 hour and 2 drinks. I would stay longer if I didn't have the two amusing Es waiting for me. 

* * * 

The afternoon's activities with LE mainly involved a game of hide and seek and catching as well as a boat ride to hunt (and escape from) sharks and crocodiles. The protagonist was a Swimming & Flying Orange (Small) Cat; his side kick - a bigger Mama Cat who appeared when the sharks and crocodiles were "grande" and scary. Her alter ego was Azurities. The sofa was our boat; the pillows and books were paddles and shields. The Swimming & Flying Orange (Small) Cat was quite good at battling and slaying sharks and crocodiles - the problem was the sheer quantity which made the task never ending. Thankfully, Mama and Small Orange Cat were eventually saved by bath and dinner time. Phew.    

 

Around here

One novelty for me here is the the ability to buy flowers or produce from unattended nurseries or farms and depositing the payment into a cash box. I hadn't realised it was a common practice until E's friends pointed it out to me during a long Sunday walk a few weeks ago. This "honest" system seems to be rife in every day life here, applicable to the coffee and printer at our institute for instance and E's cafeteria at work.

The field below was full of corn stalks when I arrived. They disappeared soon after. I spotted a solitary tractor ploughing the land on one of my bicycle rides not too long ago leaving an imprinted pattern on the earth. Now the ground is suddenly green. Things seem to get done relatively fast (and quietly) around here.      

 

A civilised welcome

Interesting - any person registering his-her residence in this Canton receives a welcome pack. The envelope contains a lot of explanatory brochures, unfortunately all of them in German (must learn ...). There is also a book of vouchers for free/discounted admissions for various attractions and activities in the city (e.g. museums, classical concerts, zoo, boat rides). Such a generous and warm welcoming gesture.    

 

Short "El Weekend" Approaching

It sure doesn't feel like a Friday today --- I have classes from 9am till 530pm tomorrow boohoohoo.

It struck me today, that a few of my new class mates remind me of my older friends or acquaintances - e.g. I have a version of a "Hello Kitty", an old school friend and even someone from work in HK.

Cue my question (ala Carrie Bradshaw): Do we find similarities in people where ever we go ....or are we (i. e. am I ) just projecting?   

 

It was another beautiful day

Today, the sun was out, the skies were blue and the temperature a moderate 19-20 degrees celcius - just like yesterday. I don't think I've  ever experienced such lovely September days during my years in the UK^. The temperature may have been around 20c but there was always rain, or wind, or both. 

No walk in the woods for me today. We (my course mates and I) instead hopped on a bus for a 2 hour journey to this court to hear the case of Georgia V. Russia. Fascinating. Two immediate things struck me. One: how wonderful that such an institution exist here. "Human Rights" above state - such a foreign concept for countries in Asia. Two: that both states were represented by British QCs.

Our bus departed from Basel at 6am this morning, so I (and a few others) who couldn't arrange an early morning transport crashed at the students house near the academy. Our course mates who are living there kindly hosted us and it turned out to be an immensely pleasant evening with 20 of us from different countries* sitting in the tiny kitchen, sharing music (some one whipped out a guitar), potato curry, mezze, wine and cake.  

----

It was heart wrenching to leave LE yesterday though - he understandably couldn't understand why I was leaving home at 6pm and pleaded me with a long 'plllllleeeeeasssse' and kisses to stay when E and I explained that I had to go. It's a new experience - this guilt. I have full day classes this Saturday and I'm going to have disappear again. Dang.   

 

^my memory being unkind  

* Austria, Syria, Uganda, South Sudan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Nepal, Latvia, Sierra Leone, Korea, Germany, Ghana, Afghanistan, Switzerland  

It's a beautiful day

I'm not exaggerating. The sun is shining, its dry and the temperature is over 20 degrees Celsius. A perfect summer's day.

I went out for a walk after lunch and came across a few other women. A few of them were walking their dogs and at least two had cameras around their necks.   

Oh the two Es are back... earlier than expected. Gotta dash! TBC

Miscellaneous

These sweets were on sale from a stall situated close to the restaurant we were enjoying a coma-inducing family lunch while in Menorca in July (on the menu: delicious Lobster Calderetta). I found the colours so attractive and skulked around taking pictures while MIL bought a handful of these for LE (In case you're wondering the answer is no, I'm not a proponent for sweets for little kids). LE insisted I take some from him (he's keen on sharing·) and I found the orange one to be tastier than the green (melon flavour).    

Back at the ranch:

So, I've worked on the clothes in my wardrobe again, this time grouping them as if I was travelling and would need to wear specific pieces together. I.e. packing and repacking each set, pretending that the wardrobe was my suitcase and I would have to know what I would be wearing each day.

Yes, sighg, I know I sound like a woman obsessed. I'm just getting my head around the change in my lifestyle here: not having to wear smart dresses and high heels on a daily basis. What do I have to wear to look put together? And how do I excite myself in the morning, faced with casual wear? (sigh, shallow? moi?).

I think a pair of boot cut black trousers and a black vest (both which I don't have) should be a basic necessity to fall back on. I also need shoes-boots which are nice yet flat (oxymoron?) - comfortable enough to walk around town with when its cold and allow me to easily hop on and off trams and bicycles.

Egad -- How do I align these wants with the minimalism concept I excitedly embraced a few months ago. And the fact that I am currently not earning any income? And that I should be focusing on improving the world and HUMANITY as per the course I'm studying. Madness. My boxes from HK should arrive in the coming weeks (touch wood). I'm hoping to find more casual winter clothes I've forgotten about in them. Please.      

(·) I now know better and hide whatever piece of sweet, cheese, etc I've taken from him, pretending to munch them instead of actually eating it. 

The computer curse strikes again

Damnation. This time, its E´s (Spanish) keyboard behaving badly. My last entry took a few hours to complete and involved a change of computers and some hair being pulled out (all mine). Argh. Thankfully, and unlike last week, I'm not constrained by time. Firstly, LittleE is at school and will be at him mum's later. Secondly, BigE will not be having dinner at home. Finally, I did not have classes today and won't be having them tomorrow. Nice for a change. 

My plan this morning was to be super productive - sort out my admin stuff and write out my lecture notes and think about the ideas from last week. What I've done instead is to spend my morning lolling on the sofa, catching up on blogs and surfing the net for trends I can incorporate into my winter wardrobe. I might make myself feel better by going out for a bicycle ride and pretending to start over and tackle my school stuff when I come back. 

So, summer is over. The weather was cool and wet yesterday. Temperatures dipped below 10c. I am in need of layers, my winter stash from HK is still making its way.  So I visited some shops on the way home after classes yesterday and bought myself some leggings and long sleeve vests. I don't dare to buy more, knowing that I should wait till we go to shops in neighbouring Germany or France where clothes cost significantly less.

I started re-organising my wardrobe in my head, while walking home (uphill) in the pouring rain and attacked my task with zeal upon my return (and after a much needed long conversation with the G). All of my summer clothes are now in the spare bedroom's wardrobe. I have about 5 or 6 sets of clothing mostly involving jeans and a black skirt and leggings. I haven't worn my jeans so much since 5-6 years ago.  

Paris scrap book

E and I did not do much touristic thing while in Paris. We did however walked along the Seine for a bit on Sunday discussing our future. E is one for making and discussing plans; I like to keep them in my notebook and pretend to be more que sera sera.

We left the river bank to meet our friends, and on the way stopped by the Shakespeare bookshop which I really like. There, I bought a few illustrative books (I finished reading 2 on the train - The Burma Chronicles induced some giggles).

 

Lunch was simple (mine) yet delicious (some salad, goats cheese and aubergine). We walked around St- Germain,  stopping once in a while to look at some art or displays. A number of displays caught my eye.

                                                                                                      

 

 

.......... 

We stayed at a charming BnB in Montmarte.

Breakfast (pain au chocolate,bread-butter-jam, boiled eggs, sandwiches) was served on solid wooden tables, in an airy room at the top floor, with high ceilings and a small sky roof. Louise Armstrong CD played softly in the background. The cutlery was eclectic - congruous to the quirkiness of the BnB. The combination of all these things made me very cheerful.

As mentioned previously - there was a small courtyard near the entrance - it could have easily been boring and ugly but instead it was made pleasant with potted plants.