horrorizada

o sea, me paso una semana sin conectarme a internet, ocupada con viajes, empacar, mudanzas, desempacar y toda la gloria de la burocracia africana a la belga, y cuando llego a la seccion noticias leo que ha habido:
bombas en navarra en nombre de un nacionalismo radical en vias de extincion
bombas en hargeisa que matan a 30 personas sin nombre reivindicador y, voces de la bandera de las estrellas y las rayas gritando terrorismo islamico
goma con miles de personas ya por si desesperadas sin saber a donde ir debido a hombres armados: en un ejercito regular y reconocido al que no se paga con sus consecuencias para la poblacion, como siempre, y hombres armados de los llamados rebeldes...
mientras los medios y los que van de entendidos en las paginas web de los periodicos occidentales hablan de etnias, de pobreza y ponderan sobre lo que no entienden ni quieren entender....
que las armas con las que matan se las da occidente; que el coltan, los diamantes, el oro y otro monton de cosas tambien son para occidente, para el anillo de diamantes de madame en su compromiso, o para el que quiere un movil nuevo (que sin coltan no funciona); que la demanda del consumista occidente es lo que alimenta la guerra del congo; que la impunidad se la ensenhamos los blanquitos y que el escandalo es que los comentarios y debates hablen de 'conflictos etnicos'.....
anda y que os den.....hasta los debates 'along ethnic lines' son discursos de occidente
es una verguenza, y es nuestra (tuya y mia, solo por ser europeos, tan frio y tan duro como eso)

zzzzzz hair

i am very happy
i am delighted with my surroundings
the house is excellent (will be even better after some DIY and decoration)
the garden is gorgeous (they trimmed it a bit too much but..it'll grow again)
the terrace is simply awesome (i could live there quite happily)
and i've acquired a vast array of pets: the largest collections of tiny and speedy ants have spread themselves around pretty much the whole house, a geeko has been defecating around the entrance of the house and this morning a pretty humongous spider greeted me in the kitchen
oh and i have been told two snakes were found in the then overgrown garden (they didn't specify if with or without venom)
i prefer not to imagine what will go next....let life surprise me....
this is 25 degrees plus humidity all year round city, good for plants and animals, quite enjoyable weather for humans too but certainly not for my zzzzzz hair!!

verdades difuminadas

seis de la manhana en un bar, tres chicas discuten el proximo paso, desayuno o bar, de paso comentan:
-oye, tengo el rimel muy corrido?
-y yo?
- no, para nada....bueno....quizas un poco...pero mucho mejor...ahora se lleva difuminado

conclusion: la que no se consuela es porque no quiere


dos horas despues, las tres chicas se montan en un coche, despues de haber desayunado
cuando cogen su reflejo en el espejo retrovisor (la luz del dia no perdona) las tres pegan un grito alto y agudo al unisono, mientras se miran de manera acusadora las unas a las otras

conclusion: los espejos no cuentan mentiras piadosas

the most stressful things that happen in adult life

moving in general is (apparently) together with going through a divorce and changing jobs one of the most stressful things that happen in adult life
i'm getting such practice that apart from the logistical issues involved, which, let's be realistic, are always a pain in the butt, moving house and country! again! it's now for me a a time for reflection
i leave this city and this country having made good friends from whom i am rather to sad to be parted, but with some excellent and rather hilarious memories of weekend excursions, soirees, and some serious partying, including some early breakfasts in posh hotels with blurred mascara on
my new destination is talked about by expats as an excellent place to live, so despite the sadness of leaving, there is also the excitement of the discovering of a new place, finding new friendships and learning a similar yet different culture
once the also nightmarish logistical issues are over and done with, it should be a fine place to be and rest for a while....for a change

a last minute thing

i am not sure how does it work for other people, but for me, the more things i need to do the more it takes me to start
my list to do, to arrange, to sort, to write, to prepare, to pack, etc is of considerable size and yet, i am in a state of contemplation, possibly not quite adequate for this moment needs
it somehow reminds me of my university days, when despite having time to prepare, studying for exams was mostly a last minute thing
could it be the continuation from an old habit?

a good pint of Guiness

when i was last in dublin, i hadn't reached the legal drinking age, but like all teenagers worth its salt, we developed intricate strategies to get alcohol in bars
Guiness it's such an ingrained tradition, not for nothing it has been around a staggering 250 years, that whether you liked it or not, you were kinda of forced to drink it, for fear of insulting somebody's pride
but i will be honest, that at 17, i actually didn't like it one bit, and found myself often smiling tensely while drinking it, waiting for the chance of the second round to come and ask for a much lighter, less tasty beer
some years later, here i find myself, back in a completely changed dublin, a modern, multicultural city where irish traditions are still deeply felt and enjoyed
of course one of the nearly compulsory stops, some things do not change that much, was a traditional pub, one of those covered in wood with old men sitting in stools discussing irish music and the hard hitting recession
of course, being 3 foreigners and an irish woman around the table, Guiness and Jamesons were the two options
my evolved and aged taste buds were able to not only appreciate but very much enjoy my first pint of Guiness in donkeys years!!

juggling too many balls at the same time too, Part II

too much information

too many meetings

too much to think and act upon

too many conversations

too much food

too many to do-things

juggling too many balls at the same time Part I

different aspects of your life up in the air, demands continue to arrive despite your unreadiness
feeling lost in an organisational culture, even your work
trying to integrate with a smile into groups, outgoing personal characteristics an easy facade knowing that facades are just that, eventually they will all know
realising that despite the soft inside, one is a difficult nut to crack


making no sense at all at near midnight, knowing for a fact that tiredness is an ill advisor


conclusion: tomorrow we will recap and reconsider