Goodbye my lover

I miss you already. I regret the terrible cursing I've ever said to you. There were signs that things were not going well, but why was I so careless about your well-being? When it did happen, I was frantic and frightened, afraid of what my life would be without you, desperate to salvage whatever I could of our relationship and to tell you how much you meant to me.

The loss is so hard to bear, we've spent so many hours together, shared so many memories. The emails, photos, the music... the music, I want to lock myself in the bathroom and listen to Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" on repeat mode.

In the end, you left me with no choice but to give up. To start afresh. But this time I've learnt my lesson.

From now on, I will promptly back up all important data onto disk.

Random ramblings

There is an interesting story about a family (the the Colin-Beavens) on Lower Fifth Avenue who is doing a yearlong lifestyle experience titled No Impact. The rules are not hard-set but basically includes:
- eating only organic food grown within 250-mile radius of Manhattan (reflecting the longest distance a farmer can drive in and out of the city in one day),
- no shopping for anything except food - though small purchases in thrift shops are allowed on special occasions,
- producing no trash,
- using no paper - this includes toilet paper,
- using no carbon-fueled transportation which translates to no microwave/coffee machine/trains/cars/elevator.

Besides the motivation from his pending book deal with publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Mr Beaven sites "An Inconvenient Truth" as one of the sources of his inspiration for this project.

What is most interesting about their project is the way they have translated environmental consciousness into practical lifestyle choices. A bit extreme perhaps. And possibly attention-seeking and egocentric, but admirable and interesting nonetheless.

Project is diarised on his blog, No Impact Man.

On a completely different note, one which will disgracefully expose my superficial nature, Abercrombie & Fitch opened its London flagship store last night. I have spent many hours in front of the computer lusting for their clothes and perhaps for the models too (you will know what I mean once you've seen their website). Their tag line is "Casual Luxury" and their prices do reflect that, even when it is in pounds. Perhaps I can wait til my NY trip in late June. Meanwhile I will just feast my eyes on those sculpted pecs and melt-me eyes.

Birthday

Just the photos for now, complete write up coming soon.

At the Piano Bar on Friday night.



Birthday and Helen's farewell drinks at the Ebury Wine Bar on Saturday.
I think Joe T made half the night for us with his delightful birthday gift which everyone else had so much fun with too. It was just oh-so-educational. Let it be made known that his gift is more a reflection of his character than mine okay? As the night wore on, more smoochy faces were made along with musical numbers from a drunk but cheerful guest and so many more inappropriate comments. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time, the night was a scream and I was amazingly happy. Thankyou all.

Full set of photos will be uploaded very soon. Promise.

Cambridge

Cambridge was meant for another time, with another person. I like my plans so changes often unsettles me. But last Saturday's unexpected day trip to Cambridge was delightful, esp. when it's with one of my dearest friends. I can not think of a more relaxing and perfect way to have spent the weekend. Cambridge is such a quaint, romantic little town complete with beautiful colleges & chapels, lush green lawns (which by the way no one is allowed to walk on except for senior academics), and a rich sense of history. We spent the morning on a 2 hour walking tour, visiting the colleges & chapels, listening and absorbing the history of the town. The highlight of the day for me was in the afternoon when we went punting. The views by the river banks were breathtaking.

By the end of the day, we had both earnestly wished we could be back at university.

Istanbul

A late post about my trip to Istanbul at the end of Feb.

Being my first time in an Islamic country, I found it fascinating. The sights were so beautiful. We had such a good time exploring the mosques and markets, and sampling the Turkish cuisine. One of the highlights was the cruise down the Bosphorous, the strait that forms the boundary between the European part of Turkey and its Asian part. It was a perfect blue-skied morning and the views were breathtaking.

Other noteworthy mentions - tasting proper turkish delight for the first time (so much better than the ones found in the 'Cadbury chocolate selection'), apple tea, Hookah - I loved the Hookah, Turkish baths which is better described as a sauna with hot marble slabs, and the friendly, or should I say over-friendly, locals.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. Beautiful night view
2. Mustafa smoking apple-flavored hookah
3. Mosaic inside Hagia Sophia, it's very interesting in that both symbols of the Christian and Muslim religions can be found throughout the building
4. Blue Mosque - I think it's absolutely stunning
5. Hagia Sophia from across the beautiful park that lies between Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia
6, 7, 8. Topkapi Palace
9. Mustafa & I at lunch
10. There were lots of shops selling pretty lights, glass-mosaic candle holders and tapestry
11. Outside the famous Grand Bazaar
12. Emily and I inside the Grand Bazaar. Poor Em, she got 'befriended' by one too many shop owners
13. Mustafa found his love for Turkish Delight
14. We went to a Turkish tea house one night after dinner to smoke hookah. One of the locals there was very kind and taught us how to play Backgammon despite difficulties in communicating - it was a very fun night.
15. View of the shore from the Bosphorus cruise
16. Um... lots of birds! I found it quite scary, like something from a Hitchcock movie.

Won over

At first I was unsure, a bit hesitant, but now I'm truly won over.

Gwen Yip's website/blog is wonderful esp the London travelogue.

Thanks Chungkingexpress for the good recommendation!

Starbucks in Ethiopia

After seeing a Starbucks store inside The Forbidden City in Beijing, I didn't think I could ever again be shocked by Starbucks' globalisation efforts. I guess I was wrong.

Customers wait for their coffee outside a local Starbucks Coffee shop in Mekele March 12, 2007. Ethiopia, Africa's biggest coffee producer and the birthplace of coffee, accuses Starbucks of blocking its efforts to trademark its Sidamo and Harar beans

Source: Reuters

I think this is made worse because they are pushing bad American coffee to the very country from which coffee originated.

Sleeping alone

It often amuses me what makes it to the headline news. It was reported on BBC Breakfast this morning, with a panel of 'expert' guests no less. And the article about this very topic is currently claiming the #1 spot on NYT's Most Popular.

What appears to be grabbing everyone's attention is the increase in the demand for dual master bedrooms. The translation is that for many couples, they want their own separate sleeping nooks.

The notion makes good practical sense when one considers the number of men who snore (and thunderously at that) and different lifestyle patterns of modern day relationships - of one blackberrying late into the night and the other waking up at the crack of dawn to go to pilates class. But what of the romance of cuddling deep into the night and waking up to the person you love?

One older woman interviewed by Professor Rosenblatt* said she had her own bedroom because, “I’ve paid my dues. I’m old enough that I don’t want to have sex at 1 a.m.”

I couldn't help but laugh.

*A professor in the department of family and social science at the University of Minnesota

Editor's note: Oh, I forgotten to clarify why stories like this amuse me. If the 'most popular' online articles are any indication, then people are generally only interested in their micro environment and light-hearted matters at that. Perhaps I'm harsh and stories such as this serve as reprieve in a world where there are no shortages of tales about human tragedies and injustices.