The contract for our new apartment arrived today! After weeks of frustration and disappointment, fortune has decided to shine on us. Having gotten this far the minor details like the fact that only one for us four has physically set foot in the place and that it’s on the outskirts of town will not deter us from signing the document. Thankfully our representative at the visitation had the presence of mind to take some pictures with his cell phone. So based on his selling skills and five tiny photographs, we decided to leap into the unknown and go for it. I’m really looking forward to this move as my future flatmates are great and the flat is just next to a small stream which has lots of opportunities for grilling and hanging out.
The residents of our current building threw us a good-bye barbecue this week – very sweet of them. The three who own the building turned up as well (two live next door), one of whom I hadn’t met before. Those three have all had very different life paths, it is quite amazing that they found each other and banded together to buy a house.
June 03, 2005
May 30, 2005
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!
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!
May 26, 2005
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 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.
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.
May 21, 2005
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.
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.
May 18, 2005
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.
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.
May 16, 2005
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 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.
May 11, 2005
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!
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!
April 30, 2005
A new life!!!!
I have finished school!!!
These past four years have just flown by, chockablock with so many memories, experiences, laughter, tears, stress, fear, happiness, ... But now, suddenly everything is over. Well, technically I have not really finished school yet, I still have my thesis to write, but I am free, released from Colmar! Released from the mental chains that bound and stifled me for the past 3 months!
I could hardly contain myself yesterday after the final exam - this huge bout of adrenalin just rushed through my veins when I handed in my paper. I was so psyched that I practically skipped out of the room.
So now we have time to plunge head on into L'Oréal. Which is proving to be a real headache: the advertising company is really taking its time. It was quite rich as to how they took the liberty to decided for us which product they were going to display (we had no say whatsoever and we're supposed to be the client!) and we have had no further news from them for the past 3 weeks. I would even go so far as to suspect that the switchboard person has been instructed not to put us through. The final presenation is in two weeks time so time is running out.
March 02, 2005
Save our environment!
Wonder what they'll think of next!
Eco-friendly firm making paper out of kangaroo poop
Associated Press
Feb. 15, 2005 09:05 AM
CANBERRA, Australia - An environmentally friendly paper manufacturer has stumbled upon an unlikely way to put an unwanted natural resource to good use.
The company has created its first batch of paper from marsupial manure.
Land owners around the Tasmania state town of Burnie helped scrape together 55 pounds of kangaroo and wallaby dung for the local business, Creative Paper Tasmania, to make the unique paper pulp, manager Joanne Gair said Tuesday.
"It's a great product for tourists but it's also something that gets our eco-friendly message home to a lot of people," said Gair, whose paper products contain no wood.
The sand-colored sheets will be embossed with the words "Genuine Kangaroo Poo," she said. Roughly 400 sheets can be made from 55 pounds of the fibrous droppings.
"We've got enough to make our first batch but if we're going to get into serious production, we're going to need a bit of assistance," she said.
Eco-friendly firm making paper out of kangaroo poop
Associated Press
Feb. 15, 2005 09:05 AM
CANBERRA, Australia - An environmentally friendly paper manufacturer has stumbled upon an unlikely way to put an unwanted natural resource to good use.
The company has created its first batch of paper from marsupial manure.
Land owners around the Tasmania state town of Burnie helped scrape together 55 pounds of kangaroo and wallaby dung for the local business, Creative Paper Tasmania, to make the unique paper pulp, manager Joanne Gair said Tuesday.
"It's a great product for tourists but it's also something that gets our eco-friendly message home to a lot of people," said Gair, whose paper products contain no wood.
The sand-colored sheets will be embossed with the words "Genuine Kangaroo Poo," she said. Roughly 400 sheets can be made from 55 pounds of the fibrous droppings.
"We've got enough to make our first batch but if we're going to get into serious production, we're going to need a bit of assistance," she said.
Bon appétit!
You might want to think twice before you crack open that new bottle of Tomato Ketchup...
WOMAN FINDS PENIS IN TOMATO SAUCE BOTTLE
(Sweden, AFP) - A Swedish woman reportedly found a penis in a bottle of ketchup. Viktoria Ed said she was lucky enough to discover the organ before putting the sauce on her bread rolls, unlike her husband Stefan and their children. "It looked like a penis, of an adult if it's human, and medium-sized," she said. "It's disgusting. The top of the bottle was intact, as if it had just left the factory. We would like to know how this thing ended up in a ketchup bottle." The Godegaarden brand ketchup was made in Turkey and distributed in Sweden by the company Axfood. The shop where the ketchup was bought has thrown out the rest of its stock. "I will never buy this brand again, it's finished," vowed Ed. Police have taken the object for analysis.
WOMAN FINDS PENIS IN TOMATO SAUCE BOTTLE
(Sweden, AFP) - A Swedish woman reportedly found a penis in a bottle of ketchup. Viktoria Ed said she was lucky enough to discover the organ before putting the sauce on her bread rolls, unlike her husband Stefan and their children. "It looked like a penis, of an adult if it's human, and medium-sized," she said. "It's disgusting. The top of the bottle was intact, as if it had just left the factory. We would like to know how this thing ended up in a ketchup bottle." The Godegaarden brand ketchup was made in Turkey and distributed in Sweden by the company Axfood. The shop where the ketchup was bought has thrown out the rest of its stock. "I will never buy this brand again, it's finished," vowed Ed. Police have taken the object for analysis.
February 10, 2005
Sex scandal rocks Wonka factory
The remake of the film "Willy Wonka" (to be shown as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory")promises to be quite enlightening...
Shocking Details Reveal How Diminutive Orange Laborers Put the "Imp" In "Impropriety"
Authorities have stunned the world with lurid reports of a sweeping investigation into a sex scandal involving employees of renowned candy manufacturer Willy Wonka.
An 18-month investigation has resulted in numerous arrests, including the indictments of dozens of Oompa Loompas, the diminutive workers at the factory made famous in a well-known documentary film entitled, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Shocking Details Reveal How Diminutive Orange Laborers Put the "Imp" In "Impropriety"
Authorities have stunned the world with lurid reports of a sweeping investigation into a sex scandal involving employees of renowned candy manufacturer Willy Wonka.
An 18-month investigation has resulted in numerous arrests, including the indictments of dozens of Oompa Loompas, the diminutive workers at the factory made famous in a well-known documentary film entitled, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
February 03, 2005
Brief update
So much has happened:
Broke up with my lying rat of a boyfriend in December, however rethought that after I noticed that his absence seriously disrupts my peace of mind (a serious drawback as was sitting initial exams). Yet all may turn out for the best, for he saw the err of his ways and eliminated a certain disturbance in his life, so I decided give him another chance. Retaining a certain amount of scepticism and keeping both eyes open, I just take each day as it comes. ; -) But at least I can study! Speaking of which, I believe this escapism of mine has led me to rediscover my blog…
Broke up with my lying rat of a boyfriend in December, however rethought that after I noticed that his absence seriously disrupts my peace of mind (a serious drawback as was sitting initial exams). Yet all may turn out for the best, for he saw the err of his ways and eliminated a certain disturbance in his life, so I decided give him another chance. Retaining a certain amount of scepticism and keeping both eyes open, I just take each day as it comes. ; -) But at least I can study! Speaking of which, I believe this escapism of mine has led me to rediscover my blog…
Fanfare please
ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!
Just another 3 months and then I am free!
My final semester begins next week, only another 3 months of pure hell ahead and then I’ll be thrown out into the cutthroat world of employment, money, debt and bills. Ah, heaven.
As if I didn’t have enough to do, I rallied two dynamic friends of mine and together we applied to L’Oréal for their Brandstorm competition. To be honest, the preparation for the interview was the best bit: L’s friend is a hairdresser whom we enticed to go wild with our tresses. Being quite a mad woman she took us at our word and three hours later saw us heading off for the interview with an updo, spiky hair and a mass of curls! Pair that with flamboyant makeup (loads of gold glitter and pink eye shadow) and you had a recipe for success. Needless to say, they hired us on the spot!
Now we have until May to come up with a fantastic idea for their Studioline brand – they want us to revamp the whole line and introduce a new product. We are competing against 7 other teams for the national final; the winner gets to go to Paris.
Unfortunately this overlaps with our final exams, but hey, such a minor detail won’t stop us. Neither will the fact that we are studying in France and that our access to the internet is extremely restricted. Give us a challenge and we’ll rise to the occasion!
Just another 3 months and then I am free!
My final semester begins next week, only another 3 months of pure hell ahead and then I’ll be thrown out into the cutthroat world of employment, money, debt and bills. Ah, heaven.
As if I didn’t have enough to do, I rallied two dynamic friends of mine and together we applied to L’Oréal for their Brandstorm competition. To be honest, the preparation for the interview was the best bit: L’s friend is a hairdresser whom we enticed to go wild with our tresses. Being quite a mad woman she took us at our word and three hours later saw us heading off for the interview with an updo, spiky hair and a mass of curls! Pair that with flamboyant makeup (loads of gold glitter and pink eye shadow) and you had a recipe for success. Needless to say, they hired us on the spot!
Now we have until May to come up with a fantastic idea for their Studioline brand – they want us to revamp the whole line and introduce a new product. We are competing against 7 other teams for the national final; the winner gets to go to Paris.
Unfortunately this overlaps with our final exams, but hey, such a minor detail won’t stop us. Neither will the fact that we are studying in France and that our access to the internet is extremely restricted. Give us a challenge and we’ll rise to the occasion!
October 31, 2004
Uni, Magebrot, Rahmtääfeli and 1000 Euros
Home. Ah, it is nice to be back in familiar surroundings. It would have been perfect if the sun was actually shining and the temperature 10°C higher, but otherwise it is nice to be home again.
After being thoroughly checked through by doctors – Swiss one’s this time – I am now officially on the road to recovery. Yippee!
Uni has started again and my days are filled with lecturers spouting their wisdom and eager minds clicking away.
The autumn fair is upon us, so town is filled with the sweet smell of “Magebrot” and “Rahmtääfeli” (the latter is a caramel sweet only the Swiss know how to make and the former a kind of bread coated in a black sugar / honey icing – absolutely delicious). All sorts of adventurous rides, designed to make the anxious parent fear for the life of their offspring, have sprouted out of the ground. Shouts and laughter as well as the occasional shoe or vomit being hurtled through the air are all apparent throughout Basel’s favourite autumn pleasure.
Last week I had a rather interesting experience:
On Wednesday morning I was chatting away with colleagues at break time, when suddenly a loud voice nearly inducing a heart attack booms out behind me:
“Congratulations Ms Ross!”
I turn around and find our Swiss headmaster beaming away at me.
“Well, thank you Sir, but for what exactly?” I replied somewhat confused.
“You mean you don’t know?” he asks incredulously, his smile vanishing from his face. “But I sent them your name and address, as well as your telephone number!”
“I assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Is this some kind of joke” I inquire suspiciously.
By then practically my whole class had gathered round to witness this spectacle. They egged him on in turn, trying to get some coherent sense out of him.
“Well, I entered some internship reports written by students who had interned abroad in a trinational prize draw and you have won second prize!” he finally articulates.
“Oh!” is all I manage. But that’s not all: “there’s prize money of 1000 Euros for the second place,” he continues. “And the award ceremony is tomorrow at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (F).”
That was my highlight of the week.
At the award ceremony I was receiving my prize graciously, smiling for the camera etc., when suddenly I hear a stage whisper behind me: my Swiss headmaster was enticing the speaker to let me say a few words of thanks. My blood ran cold. I had not prepared anything! After a brief moment of panic (camouflaged by an idiotic grin) I stammered out some “Thank you’s” to all and sundry, then shot back to my seat as fast as my legs would carry me. Unfortunately my new shoes were rivalling for the position of “shoes made in hell” but I managed to get back to my seat without further mishap.
The apéro was nice, an elaborate mix of cheese, salmon, mini-sausages, wine and orange juice. Very yummy.
After being thoroughly checked through by doctors – Swiss one’s this time – I am now officially on the road to recovery. Yippee!
Uni has started again and my days are filled with lecturers spouting their wisdom and eager minds clicking away.
The autumn fair is upon us, so town is filled with the sweet smell of “Magebrot” and “Rahmtääfeli” (the latter is a caramel sweet only the Swiss know how to make and the former a kind of bread coated in a black sugar / honey icing – absolutely delicious). All sorts of adventurous rides, designed to make the anxious parent fear for the life of their offspring, have sprouted out of the ground. Shouts and laughter as well as the occasional shoe or vomit being hurtled through the air are all apparent throughout Basel’s favourite autumn pleasure.
Last week I had a rather interesting experience:
On Wednesday morning I was chatting away with colleagues at break time, when suddenly a loud voice nearly inducing a heart attack booms out behind me:
“Congratulations Ms Ross!”
I turn around and find our Swiss headmaster beaming away at me.
“Well, thank you Sir, but for what exactly?” I replied somewhat confused.
“You mean you don’t know?” he asks incredulously, his smile vanishing from his face. “But I sent them your name and address, as well as your telephone number!”
“I assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Is this some kind of joke” I inquire suspiciously.
By then practically my whole class had gathered round to witness this spectacle. They egged him on in turn, trying to get some coherent sense out of him.
“Well, I entered some internship reports written by students who had interned abroad in a trinational prize draw and you have won second prize!” he finally articulates.
“Oh!” is all I manage. But that’s not all: “there’s prize money of 1000 Euros for the second place,” he continues. “And the award ceremony is tomorrow at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (F).”
That was my highlight of the week.
At the award ceremony I was receiving my prize graciously, smiling for the camera etc., when suddenly I hear a stage whisper behind me: my Swiss headmaster was enticing the speaker to let me say a few words of thanks. My blood ran cold. I had not prepared anything! After a brief moment of panic (camouflaged by an idiotic grin) I stammered out some “Thank you’s” to all and sundry, then shot back to my seat as fast as my legs would carry me. Unfortunately my new shoes were rivalling for the position of “shoes made in hell” but I managed to get back to my seat without further mishap.
The apéro was nice, an elaborate mix of cheese, salmon, mini-sausages, wine and orange juice. Very yummy.
October 15, 2004
Back again
Have you heard the saying: “you always meet a person twice”? Well, it certainly held true for me: I am currently back in hospital, back in the same ward with the same nurses and doctors. (Ok, no surprise about the doctors there!)
After overdoing it slightly – I went back to work for two days – my body decided to take matters into its own hands and I developed a fever. To rule out infection, I was readmitted and put back on antibiotics. As they weren’t quite sure what was wrong with me, they decided to do a colonoscopy. This procedure includes sticking a 1cm wide (and I do not want to know the length!) flexible rubber tube with an attached camera up one’s behind, enabling them to have a good look at the inside of the intestines. Thank goodness they knocked me out first!
Luckily everything seems to be alright, so I’m getting out of hospital today.
For the rest of my stay here in Malaysia, I am under strict orders to lie down as much as possible, which basically means being cooped up in my room. Well, could have been worse; they might have actually found something!
After overdoing it slightly – I went back to work for two days – my body decided to take matters into its own hands and I developed a fever. To rule out infection, I was readmitted and put back on antibiotics. As they weren’t quite sure what was wrong with me, they decided to do a colonoscopy. This procedure includes sticking a 1cm wide (and I do not want to know the length!) flexible rubber tube with an attached camera up one’s behind, enabling them to have a good look at the inside of the intestines. Thank goodness they knocked me out first!
Luckily everything seems to be alright, so I’m getting out of hospital today.
For the rest of my stay here in Malaysia, I am under strict orders to lie down as much as possible, which basically means being cooped up in my room. Well, could have been worse; they might have actually found something!
October 03, 2004
Recovery
Well, I'm on the road to recovery at last, having been released from hospital last Tuesday. Haven't been able to do much so my life now consists of lounging around in the Executive Suite of the Swiss Garden Hotel (what irony, they even serve authentic swiss potato salad!). At least if I'm completely bored, I'm bored in the lap of luxury!
Seriously though, the rooms here are so cheap, we're paying something like CHF120 per night for the Executive Suite in a four-star hotel!
The parents arrived in full force on Saturday, to make sure their darling daughter has been brought back from the brink of death (har, har) and have subsequently shattered the peace and quiet of my own method of convalescence: retail therapy! On the brink of boredom-induced madness, I'd just managed to convince my brother that shopping is actually beneficial to my healing process. So I spent a few days happily cruising around the malls, when in come the parents and freak to see me popping my daily painkiller (which incidentally happens to be quite similar to Viroxx, a drug just taken off the market as it can cause cardiac arrest).
Apart from shopping I had managed to convince my bro that a drink at a bar would not be too much either, so on the second day of my release (ok, I'm the first to admit I get bored really quickly, but so would you after reading eight books and watching hours of TV, cooped up for seven days in a small boxlike room) we went out. The bar was hopping, the decor was stunning – a Balinese theme, all dark stone & dark wood, water running underfoot with goldfish swimming in pools, cushions everywhere, and huge golden Buddha statues scattered around the place. Really nice.
Seriously though, the rooms here are so cheap, we're paying something like CHF120 per night for the Executive Suite in a four-star hotel!
The parents arrived in full force on Saturday, to make sure their darling daughter has been brought back from the brink of death (har, har) and have subsequently shattered the peace and quiet of my own method of convalescence: retail therapy! On the brink of boredom-induced madness, I'd just managed to convince my brother that shopping is actually beneficial to my healing process. So I spent a few days happily cruising around the malls, when in come the parents and freak to see me popping my daily painkiller (which incidentally happens to be quite similar to Viroxx, a drug just taken off the market as it can cause cardiac arrest).
Apart from shopping I had managed to convince my bro that a drink at a bar would not be too much either, so on the second day of my release (ok, I'm the first to admit I get bored really quickly, but so would you after reading eight books and watching hours of TV, cooped up for seven days in a small boxlike room) we went out. The bar was hopping, the decor was stunning – a Balinese theme, all dark stone & dark wood, water running underfoot with goldfish swimming in pools, cushions everywhere, and huge golden Buddha statues scattered around the place. Really nice.
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