Dec
8
Mt Cootha Botanic Garden!
Filed Under Daily, Nikon D200
I kept on running pass this botanic garden so many times but I’ve never managed to visit it at least once. Now it is done and I came back with some extraordinary pictures. I really like it, very quiet and relaxing. I will come back for sure. The dragonfly macros are fantastic! Only a few bad ones …that means I am in total control of the Nikon d200 now!
More Pictures: Here
Dec
6
An echo from the past!
Filed Under Daily
I wanted to check on internet for people I met at Notre Dame during my PhD in the US and I found familiar faces. I did not sleep after because digging in the past always brought up many memories leading ultimately to reflexions on how my life has taken different paths all these years. These choices I took changed my life for ever. The main conclusion to all this introspection is that I am not very happy right now. I stayed up very late looking for an accelerated way to get my feet into the banking industry. With my computer skills and my mathematical background, it is possible maybe to become a financial analyst.
First thing first, apply to some of these schools and see if there is a way to do the Master or DESS in one year and half, either around Paris or London. Hopefully I will be accepted, I should then check for the financial aspect. Can I live with what I saved and pay for my studies?…maybe borrow from a bank. I am glad I have something to motivate me again. It has been weeks now that my mind is being trapped in some sort of loop: I do not see any exit to my current situation and I am fed up with it.
Hopefully this echo from the past will change the course of my life for something better. It is the right time! I have the will and I have the mean.
Dec
6
Huge Spring Cleaning!
Filed Under Daily
That is about the time I clean the entire apartment deeply. I must have killed many spiders/bugs/microscopic mushrooms and other underground species! I cannot help it. I like a clean place that smells lemon bleach. I am wasted at the end of the day.
Surprise Surprise: I asked Anne to play $20 for me at the casino and it seems that they got lucky with my money. Hence the $50 in my bank account this morning. I do not like much casinos, I tend to play too much cash there and it is a waste of money. I am glad they had fun and won some cash. I thought they would just loose to be honest. Looks like they found people to take over their place as well while they are away on vacation. They managed very well their Australian trip. I doubt I could ever plan this well my trips.
It was a nice Saturday in the end. Good sleep, Good swim, place cleaned, $50 unexpected! What else can I ask for a quiet Saturday!
Hope your Saturday was that nice! Cheers!
Dec
5
My beauty sleep!
Filed Under Daily
10 straight hours of sleep that was all I needed to recover. No more shoulders injury, no more headaches! I swam like a fish and I contained all the other fast swimmers….feeling much better! 5 small glasses of Feeney! That was the perfect balance to take me to Orpheus’ Kingdom without any disturbing nightmares or meaningless dreams. Let’s hope it will continue like this everyday and I will be in heaven! I will put my headphones on, I will do my job and leave at 4:10 pm. I do not want to interact with anyone today and put myself in a bad mood.
Dec
5
and I want to go to bed already! So after the X-ray, it seems that I have the same problem as with the other molar. It is sad! The doctor was an absolute idiot. He proposed three options: wait’nsee, remove the molar, kill the tooth and maybe loose the crown in the process but it will be replaced by a new one ( at my expense). Well I will check with the specialist. What a waste of my time! The idiot still charged me for the consultation and he did nothing that I already knew. Sometimes I wonder if some doctors have a pride. You do not charge someone $52 for 2 min. And I specifically told him I only need an X-ray. He said he could do the operation, I doubt he still knows howto and I do not want to put him on a test with my molar.
I bought a bottle of Feeney instead of Bailey. It is cheaper and it tastes the same. So Viva Feeney! I bought all the items I wanted. Now I just wait for them. I won’t go to the farewell dinner for Aldo tonight. I am not in a mood besides I have wasted enough cash for the day. I can feel my depressive mood coming. Avoid me if you can! I really cannot help it. Anne told me to buy something expensive and new to feel better! I guess you can always say that as long as it is not your money. The new nikon d300 looks sexy,… indeed! AM I CRAZY enough?
THE NOISE, THE SMELL from people, gosh! I wish not so many ugly smelly people are in the buses! Lucky as I was I got few smelly specimen today. Their voice, their smell, their look ….all that annoyed me! I am really not in a good mood!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh! Where are my mountain, my river and my internet connection? I do not need people to be happy.
Dec
4
Deep deep down there!
Filed Under Daily
There is a real desire for changes in me. I would really like to find something to fight for, something to live for and not just live my everyday in such a meaningless way. My life is okay but it is not how I see it in the future.
I went to Daniela’s BD party yesterday. It was very nice. We had plenty of good food at this Korean restaurant and we could cook ourself our food which was fun. I was wasted at the end. I had too much food and drinks. All I wanted to do was to go home and sleep. I went to bed quite late (11pm) but I had a good sleep. No interruptions at all. There is another dinner tonight but two in a row is a bit too much for me so I’ll pass the next one. The swim was not very enjoyable, my right shoulder really hurts and I miscounted. I don’t know by how many laps but I went out of the pool 10 min later than expected. That is like 6 laps.
Dec
3
Out of my head!
Filed Under Daily
Things I hate
My neighbor’s grumpy voice, the smell of his pots, the stuffs he throws in the backyard!
The chinese lady who is slow as hell and who keeps on jumping in the fast and medium lanes. Didn’t she see all people who passed her?
Food smell especially when it is from people’s clothes or hair in the bus
The noise from my lab computer. It gives me headaches!
Dec
3
First night alone!
Filed Under Daily
It’s been a while now that I am all alone again in this huge apartment. Before Nils came I had a month and half by myself. I thought at that time that I would really live alone until the end of my contract and stop sharing for good. It took me a while to find Nils, I had a lot of interviews with many people, most of them are weird. It was very unpleasant to sit there and tell them who I am and what I expect as flatmate. I should admit I did not care much so I was extremely sincere in my speech. It all ended in a very good way. After few days I will loose this habit of expecting to see the light from Nils’ room at 1-2 am when I go to the bathroom. We really have different schedules.
Very nice swim this morning! I will follow my bid on ebay. Hopefully I will get a good deal for the items I want to buy. I will defrost the noisy fridge today. I wanted to do it for a while now. Relax is the keyword for today.
Dec
2
Thinking about Christmas Vacation!
Filed Under Daily
That is all I am thinking about the last few days. Usually I do not do anything special and I do not care much about Christmas and New Year Holidays but this year is a bit special. I do not seem to have any serious matter to deal with until then and I really look forward to going on real Christmas holidays for the very first time of my life (a cruise link).
My body is broken this morning. The run yesterday was a bit tough but very enjoyable. I got a huge blister on my left foot. Right in the middle! It is funny how I need a lot of mental work-out to convince myself to run Mt Cootha. I even tried to trick my body sometimes to forget about the pain. It is all weird how my body overeacts and anticipates the pain.
I am getting a bigger paycheck this Wednesday. I will buy a 8Gb compact flash memory card ($66 – link), a Tiffen polarizer ($60), a USB enclosure ($59) and a tripod ($30- link) on ebay. I am not too sure about the tripod (too heavy to carry around).
Dec
1
This weekend has been a good rest for my body. I had plenty of sleep and I didn’t do anything physically intense on Saturday besides the morning swim. I won’t attend the biweekly hiking event today, I already did the walk two times and it looks like no one really wants to attend it either because of the very early hour: 7 am for a Sunday morning!
Yesterday, I had the unpleasant surprise of having my debit card expired at the shopping center. I am lucky I had my american visa card with me. Paul will pay my $16 dinner 
. I gave a call and had the new one activated. It would be funny to find myself without cash or debit card for the rest of the weekend. I don’t have anything left in the fridge and Nils is out and about. Nils will be gone for a month and half on vacation and I will find myself all alone for at least 3 weeks. I will be on vacation from Dec. 19 until Jan. 2 with Anne, Fabien and Fabien’s brother. I cannot wait for Christmas Holidays to kick in. It will be a new year and time for some good and serious resolutions: Time to make major changes n the directions taken by my life.