The annoying brother...

My peace & quiet has been shattered by the annoying squalls of a singular individual... my brother. If you can believe it, I am actually going to move in with him... well, sisterly love only goes so far (not that he needs telling!).

Having spent the entire afternoon first obsessing about my thesis then about the GMAT (I still can't decide if I want to go out for a Masters or an MBA) my computer has now put a halt to my surfing addiction and has decided to overheat. AND it's not even warm today!

This irritability of mine may have something to do with the fact that I moved my sluggish body to the fitness studio at 7 am this morning. Weird thing though – I actually enjoyed it. Wonder if I can muster enough nerve to do the same tomorrow? The only speck on the horizon was the presence of the studio’s owner this morning – a complete nitwit. I was happily chatting away to this new girl at the reception; she was really nice, quite bright and perky at that early hour. But then, out of the blue her boss appeared. I cannot stand the sight of that self-satisfied smile. His arrogant manner is so off-putting that I have seriously checked out other studios as possible alternatives, but to no avail.
Why don’t I like the guy? Well, besides having gotten rid of almost all of the fitness instructors I liked, we had a misunderstanding the first time we met: he practically accused me of sneaking in on the sly! On that day I had bought a single entry and as I did not sign out with a badge like regular members do, he adopted a very rude and overbearing tone, trying to wheedle the information out of me as to how I had gained access to the studio. The nitwit did not cop on to the fact that there were such things as a single entries. Fool. But it was not what was being said that irked me, but his whole manner. As soon as he realized that I had not done anything wrong and may actually be a potential customer, he changed his tune completely. From steely looks and unfriendly countenance he went to “we are the best of friends & don’t you want to become a regular member?” You could practically see the money signs rotating behind his eyes. Pathetic. Well, there can be too much of a good thing!

Where there's a will there's a way...

Dieting boy ate dog's dinner
The parents of a dieting Italian boy have worked out why he was still putting on weight - he was stealing the dog's dinner.


People do say that having a pet does wonders for your health, but I do believe that they did not have this boy's enterprising antics in mind!
This may be the start of a new trend amongst obese children, who knows, it could even give a whole new meaning to the term "hot dog"...

The first mosquito of the season!

I’m having a thought here… is it wise to disclose the fact that one hosts a blog in a job interview? Is it wise to host a weblog at all? Hanging your thoughts and dreams out on your sleeve to an audience of millions, disclosing your darkest secrets and posting one’s hopes and joys in an online diary gives rise to an inordinate amount of information about the author. Of course the chances are that most likely all information will eventually disappear into oblivion (also known as the nirvana of the net) but what if… identity theft is increasingly common these days. Besides, as I am far more likely to encounter dangers in my own household (most accidents happen at home) than have my identity stolen, I guess these thoughts are unfounded. This does justify continuing to blog, but what about disclosing it to potential employers?

Life, love & luxury

Ah, the idle life...
This past week I did a good deed and spent a whole day listening to the woes of my new flatmate. He seems to be heartbrokenly in love with his ex-girlfriend and desperately wants her back. But they are both quite stubborn and are clinging to the wrongs of the other in an attempt to avoid a compromise. Yet there may be light at the end of the tunnel: the ex-girlfriend turned up yesterday and they both set off beaming. I haven't seen (or heard from) him since. :-)
Apart from playing the part of an agony aunt I have broken all my promises of trying to live more healthily after finishing my last semester: yesterday I subsisted on cheesecake and italian gelati, popcorn, as well as cider and wine. Ah, living in the lap of luxury... Mum decided that the latest must have is the Nespresso coffee machine (she drinks one coffee a day at most and even then it's decaf!), so we are now the proud owners of a sexy little model! Caffeine, the ambrosia & nectar of students and business people alike.

Joe Cocker was at his best last night, performing live to a full house on his birthday. The audience loved the old man jumping up and down on stage at the end of each song. He has aged well, his voice raspier than ever. Hearing him cover “With a little help from my friends” (Beatles) sent goosebumps down my spine.

Some fit of misguided friendliness on my part had made me agree to participate in a photo-shoot for my course's new brochure. Not that I am particularly photogenic or good looking, but when my headmaster asked a bunch of us to turn up on Saturday morning at 11 am I half-heartedly agreed. In the end I was glad that I went, as only a handful of the students turned up.

The newest eccentricities of our time...

Monday 16th May 2005
A German restaurant discovers an unusual USP: maggots
Their menu includes maggot salads, fried maggots with cactus and corn, maggot desserts such as maggots in ice cream or chocolate sauce, and even goes so far as to suggest maggot cocktails.

Teenager Sarah Azubi, 17, said: I had them deep fried, they were crunchy like chips and tasted a bit like nuts, with a soft juicy bit in the middle around a crunchy shell."


Wednesday 4th May 2005
Place your face in the hands of porn star Lyn May, who has launched a moisturiser made out of semen in Mexico.

Daffodils (1804)

One of my favourite poems

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850) .

I'm singin' in the rain!

Once upon a time there were 4 students (2 guys & 2 girls) who decided to live together. Full of hope and optimism they set out into the jungle of flats, real estate agents and hostile landlords. Yet success was not forthcoming and slowly but surely their good spirits dwindled in the face of unsuitable layouts, rude rebukes and ever decreasing possibilities. Fairy godmother where art thou? The wicked witch has gotten a firm hold on Basel’s property market… A miracle is needed by July 1st to help save us from homelessness! But no answer came from their fairy godmother (courtesy of Nevereverland Spa - Rest & relaxation the Hungarian way; run by Dekciw Hchiw Inc.) and the 4 students quested on in vain for a habitable property in Basilea Basiliensis.

Beyond L'Oréal

So we didn’t win the L’Oréal competition, but we came in a very close second (out of 8 teams). L’Oréal was sufficiently impressed with our performance to say that they would be more open to consider applications from non-university students (!). As if that wasn’t praise enough they went on to say that they are going to dream up a little surprise to compensate for the fact that we cannot go to Paris!
Oh sure, I am disappointed that we didn’t win, but all things considered this is the best that could have happened!

Now I’m back at my desk, from one grindstone to the next, and immersing myself in Socially Responsible Investment. A fascinating subject, just writing about it is a bit of a drag.

But only 3 more months and then I am free! Future watch out, here I come!