Saturday night

This is what happens when mr mo is left at home for the evening. I'm clearly not complaining! :)

We are in business!

Almost 4 weeks after moving in, I am happy to say that the flat is finally coming together.After weeks of trying to find some space 'awkwardly' in the flat, we can now co-exist in the same room. four full weeks of furniture hunting of some sorts, we've finally managed to put the place together within budget. we've still got bits and pieces in the background that we need to put up, but we're almost there!

The muji beanbag which is a lovely gift from my ex-housemate, is thereabouts the most used piece of furniture in the living room.  We absolutely adore it - thank you so much!

Now we will shortly be moving on to phase 2 - the terrace. That in itself is a piece of work, it's difficult to find furniture to survive the tropical humidity / rain / shine. We've concluded that it is unlikely that our next place will have a terrace like this, so we'll go for something with a good price-quality ratio - hopefully it wouldn't fall apart on us within the first 6 months!

What we got up to this weekend
:: picked up my passport at the ICA - this place is a well-oiled smooth operating machine!
:: waited for the handy man (for a leak), for furniture delivery, for repair man (for the terrace), found an oven (finally) + barbeque pit. Balked at the grocery bill. Supermarkets are frightfully expensive in this country.
:: saw my grand ma who seems to have had a bit of trouble registering the fact that i'm back.
:: came home to a lovely pizza which we shared on the terrace, with some cheese and bread , until we were invaded by a colony of ants. Ants aside, it was a quiet, cloudless evening, with a few stars peppered in the sky, the city's midnight skyline in the distance, a gentle breeze after the evening rain, it was a lovely way to end Saturday.
:: i finally brought my print down to Merlin Gallery at the recommendation of friends to get the repair works assessed.
:: we were having my parents over for dinner, so it was another round to the grocery store for yet another frightful round of shopping.
:: we spent an hour or so in the sun at east coast park, and came back for a swim in the pool.
:: frantic rush to rustle up in the kitchen to prep for our guests.

My parents, they had proud little smiles on their faces - I guess they are finally happy and comfortable with the fact that i've 'grown up'. Oddly enough, although the work's situation is still uncertain, dad's condition is somewhat difficult, I have to say, this is the best place i've been in for a long while.

Stormy mornings

Can you hear the thunder and the pitter patter of fat raindrops charging at your window ? I love a great tropical thunderstorm. Time to kick off my shoes, make a cup of tea, relish in the view from my window, then crawl into bed and fall straight back to sleep!!!

Not! I've got to trot across the city for a meeting at 1pm - lets hope the shower eases a little by noon. Till then I have a steaming mug of tea perched precariously atop a stack of documents to be tackled today.

Over and out!

Iceland

A year ago today, I was preparing for one of the biggest trips of my life. Biggest to me because for the last 10 years, I  have been wanting to visit Iceland. And visit we did. Icehiking, swimming in the blue lagoon, feeding the seals, ice-climbing, and having the best company in the world. Despite the rainy weather, it was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Something surreal about it, nature at its best, landscapes untouched, stunning structures, tranquility all around.

Jokulsarlon, blue, like magic

Stunning natural beauty

Mother nature works her best in a waterfall

The wrath of Eyjafjallajokull on the largest glacier in Iceland

The strokkur geyser, a naturally explosive hotspring.

My magical land above the faraway tree, I will be back for the Northern Lights.

Oddity

I have now been back for a grand total of 43 days, and frankly it's felt abit more like 43 weeks! The job search goes on, I've got a fab boss at my contract stint which is really helping me ease back into life at home, family has been über supportive and kind, friends have welcomed me home with more than open arms. Mr Mo could not have been more stellar in settling back in here with me. We found a lovely little flat - with a great view of the city. For that and loads more, I am thankful.


I still feel abit out of place here though, too much has changed in the last 6 years, and I am discovering a somewhat new to me city. It's an interesting adventure that I look forward to each day.

That said, some things don't really change, and sometimes I feel like a little odd shaped egg walking on the street. The odd shaped egg that wonders what it'd be like if I started talking to the stranger next to me on the train, the odd shaped egg who wonders whether my neighbour will look me in the eye and smile back at me on the bus when I wave hi, the odd shaped egg who wishes that people would be kind enough not to stare at us when we walk on the street, the odd shaped egg who wishes that others would understand that it's ok to live life, love work, and not want to chase after that next promotion. The odd shaped egg who is happy without these little (sometimes loud!) voices telling me what I 'should' be doing. Although, in my own little way, I know life will be much much better once I have some certainty and permanence in my job. But anyway, for now, and the next 4 months at least, life is good.

Us in Barcelona on my 30th.

Missing a little bit of les frogs

Les Printemps aux chateaux, les fleurs , le nouveau, l'esprit, pour vivre, un coup du cœur, l'amour.

Feeling just a bit more at home.