a must

i did my chores, one by one, in an orderly fashion, like one should, but every fleeting second i had free, i read it
it has kept me awake until 2am, each time thinking, oh, go on, just a little bit more
i have read it in three days, i couldn't stop thinking what would happen next

the cover of the copy i have, has an Isabel Allende quote that reads "unforgettable....extraordinary. It is so powerful that for a very long time after, everything i read seemed bland"
she is the writer after all, what else could i add....

Khaled Hosseini "The Kite Runner"

excellent

ice had deposited in his veins

he was scared to be alone, to turn to speak to someone only to realise there was nobody there, that they were all long gone. he would start going back, memories flooding, of this time or that other one. he would go one by one, study them, seeing the possibilities....ah, time gives one that, the perspective we don't have in the middle of it. he would ponder over the chances he missed and how it might have turned out differently...all the things he could have done, said....useless attempts at changing the past, for it never does, at least in real life. he tried to remember what had led him to take some decisions, the rationale behind his actions, but he couldn't remember. all he could remember, feel, was the void, the one that had followed him ever since. the regret had left him forever cold, not like in those winter nights when you want to curl up next to someone, it was more like ice had deposited in his veins, the cold coming from within, the sun being able only to warm his skin.

dia duro

dia de tension emocional

despues de un susto enorme, las noticias que llegan con un poco mas de informacion son favorables, mi amigo saldra de esta
esta fuera de peligro y conociendole, probablemente sonriendo y diciendole a todo el mundo que este tranquilo
evacuado de emergencia para ver si la bala en el estomago de un ex empleado furioso no causo danhos internos, inshallah! todo bien

despues de una sorpresa llorosa y una carta con mucho sentimiento, ahora la larga espera a una posible respuesta, que inshallah! llegara

despues de unos cuantos capitulos, capitulo clave de alta tension y gran lio, que inshallah! se arreglara

solo es mediodia, y ya estoy agotada de tanta tension

simplemente fantastico

Enigmas

Todos tenemos un enigma
y como es logico ignoramos
cual es su clave su sigilo
rozamos los alrededores
coleccionamos los despojos
nos extraviamos en los ecos
y lo perdemos en el sueno
justo cuando iba a descifrarse
[..]

Mario Benedetti

watch

a young imaginative girl with a tendency to fantasize, witness to events she cannot grasp; her own desires juxtaposed against a reality she cannot interpret, her naivety leading to wasted lives in already difficult times

a beautifully written novel, made film with interpretations that deserve being admired

for what it's worth, i would have also finished with a happy ending

atonement

up and down

tube stations
museums
hills
stairs

mood

tiredness

stress

happiness

orgasmic bliss in the supermarket

who would have thought that doing house chores could be such an exciting task!
there i was, seeing the trolleys in a parking full of cars (and not a single land cruiser), and already feeling excited like a child in eurodisney for the first time
the little doors opened automatically (gosh, that IS! technology) and corridors full of goodies made my eyes shine
with trepidation i took my first steps into the package world of a european supermarket, shelves full of fresh quality food at exorbitant prices
as i went one by one, each corridor offered me a new wonder, 5 kinds! of lettuce, meat already cut with no skin or tendons attached, cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese and haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam, and of course, the alcoholic beverages section, which took me about 20 min of pure eye delight
paying with no haggling involved, with a card whose pin number i could not remember for the world, for a bill that made my heart skip one beat, was also an act of bravery

yet another count down

party invitations have gone out
dinners and lunches being arranged
shoppings and givings carried out
goodbyes being said

the end of a very particular experience

a wave

when she finally got news, she lit a Marlboro as a wave of selfish indifference passed through her

he, the boss

he understood. he remembered a time when his life was hijacked by a cruel man, and frozen in time and space for seven long years. his life and family had had to wait that long to begin. he came out stronger and with an inner peace that only those who've suffered terribly and decided not to become violent or revengeful have. he was a unique individual, worth of all the respect and admiration.
he was kind, generous and empathetic. he supported the resistance to stay any longer, the fact that time and space had burnt the goodwill, emptied the energy and lost the motivation. he was sincere about the unhappiness for the loss and the suffering.
he knew he could speak freely. opposite the table he also found empathy, understanding and kindness. they both left feeling better, with the promise of remaining in contact. just that, was very good indeed.

same same but different

back in funky hargeisa
some things are unique to this forgotten part of the world, but some are very similar to that crazy country india is:
the women are the most colourful bit of the paysage
religion is part and parcel of everyday life
market and street stalls are made with whatever is at hand, ranging from plastic to cement, via wood or metal
markets are full of people, colourful, smelly and noisy
men wear skirts, the majority made in indonesia
any trip is a long bumpy ride
'how are you' and 'where are you from' are the most common questions the whitest thing in town gets asked on a constant basis

good news for all

BBC News : Wednesday, 2 January 2008, 15:05 GMT
Two MSF workers freed in Somalia
Kidnappers in the north Somali region of Puntland have freed Spanish doctor Mercedes Garcia and Argentine nurse Pilar Bauza are now in a hotel in the port town of Bosasso, the Somali trade minister said.The two women were abducted last Wednesday near Bosasso.Puntland has generally been more stable than the south since Somalia's last effective government fell in 1991.It was unclear if any ransom had been paid to secure the hostages' release.
Somalia Trade Minister Abdisamad Yusuf Abwan merely confirmed that the two women had been released.The Spanish ambassador to Kenya, Nicolas Martin Cinto, said Spain was happy that the two had been freed.EvacuationMSF evacuated its foreign staff from southern and central Somalia on Tuesday, saying it could not keep them there while two of their colleagues were in captivity.
Addi Muse, president of Puntland, which is a semi-autonomous region, was quoted by Reuters news agency on Sunday as saying the kidnappers had asked for a ransom.
A French journalist abducted by gunmen in Puntland on 16 December was freed on 24 December.Gwen Le Gouil had been kidnapped within 24 hours of his arrival in Bosasso to research a story on human trafficking.He was freed in good health and no ransom was paid for his release, police said.