books books books!

one of the joys of (paid) unemployment has been the opportunity to read a copious amount of books. books that i've been dying to read for months that i just hadn't got around to reading yet. one of them is the delightful and superb, outliers, by malcolm gladwell. i read blink a while ago and i had forgotten what a terrific writer, gladwell was. not to mention a mind boggling philosopher. highly recommend it.

a few others:

• the junior officers reading club, patrick hennesey
• the privileges, jonathan dee
• chowringhee, sankar
• seven days in the art world, sarah thornton
• juliet naked, nick hornby
• power play, gavin esler

What the world needs ...

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go out and do it.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

-- Howard Thurman


.sdr. @ my iPad

finally... a weekend in london!

err... after all this travelling even i am bemused by the fact that it was lovely to have a nice relaxing weekend in london. so there was rain. whatever. it was nice to not pack an overnight bag, take a train to gatwick / stansted / heathrow and then board a budget airline to some destination randomly around europe.
a few weeks ago i was in venice. so so amazing. the last time i was there was for ma's 50th birthday and it was a short visit so i didnt see much. but good golly gee - what a beautiful city! so so amazing. walking around the little lanes hoping to get lost was such a delight. food was pretty terrif too!
a week ago, was in lisbon. hadn't been but went to catch up with two childhood friends. soans and saldanha. the double act! was great fun. food was amazing - goan and all that. nandos and all that. even though it rained, one could just imagine that it is a beautiful city in the summer! on the sunday, benfica won their league so it was quite amusing to see grown men act like five year olds (but to be fair, we dont need a football match to witness that ;)).
this weekend is london bound. as is the next. and then the last weekend in may is at ange's wedding in devon. should b ace!
after that!! home! yay! for a month! DOUBLE yay!

To walk or not to walk ...

It's been 30 years since Britain last has a hung parliament. Times were different then. But in this day and age, there are so many questions that this election has raised rather than answered in this "first world" country:
a) how is it that Nick Clegg (!) holds the balance of power?
b) when is a "coalition" not exactly a "coalition"?
c) how could there be no more ballot paper at some polling stations?
d) what's with the inconsistency of closing times at some polling stations?
e) ever heard of electronic voting?
f) leaving with dignity. When you've lost, you've lost mate ... Walk away!
g) how can non-citizens (ie me!) vote?!?

This is the first time in a long time that I've avidly watched an election of a country not my own (albiet that I voted) but I have to say the mixed reactions are something. And it's not only because dimbleby and paxman had a tiff on air, in true toff style ;)

.sdr. @ my iPhone

Travel travel travel !!

After the chaos of march April was filled with Damascus, Istanbul,
Paris (again) and now Venice. One of the true joys of living here.
Menawhile I was also fortunate to host some pals from oz who are
touring London and Europe!! Finally they got here. Great fun was had
by all.
Next up - lisbon next week. Then hopefully a bit of quiet in London-
town!

.sdr. @ my iPhone

what a month and a half this was ...

travel wise ... after getting back from aust in mid jan, the next few months were manic. and it doesn't seem to stop.
chamonix, geneva, milan, paris, edinburgh, damascus! (not to mention istanbul this easter weekend!).
work wise ... chaos. messy. and oh so not needed. but in the end it worked out to my advantage so am glad to say that while it has been a spectacular opportunity, for so many reasons, leaving is a going to be a huge relief. idiotic boss not included!
hope everyone is well! looking fwd to goss! dont hold back ...

LOVE :: 1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Love the entendre! ;)

.sdr. @ my iPhone

2010 ... i cant believe you are already here!

seriously! where did the past 9 years go! its amazing to think so much has happened. i definitely didnt think i'd start the 'teenies' in london! gosh.
i think 2010 is going to pass fairly quickly. but i wonder where i will be this time next year. i feel next year will be the last year for me in london. but more importantly, where to next? and even more pressing, what next?!
either way ... happy new year all and heres to a happy and prosperous 2010!

"hope is the most fragile part of our lives"

I was at mass today and the homily centred around the feeling of hope. While the priest was making his sermon he said this : "hope is the most fragile part d our lives. It transcends every other emotion".
I had never heard that before. And I certainly didn't think that it was "fragile" but when you hear and really listen, u think that it's so true. It is fragile. It is completely breakable. It needs to be taken care of. I have to admit that I don't pay it the attention it needs. Well that stops today.
I think the underlying message was not to hope and wish for better tomorrows or regret the yesterdays. But to live each day to the fullest and appreciate what we have.
In the words of one of my favourites, Omar Khayyam, "be happy for this moment. This moment is your life".

.sdr. @ my iPhone