Paris photo post

Listening to: Radio 1

I need to go to sleep now but I thought I'd get the trip photos out of the way first. For those of you that I don't know personally, here you go...

If the slideshow's playing up, the Fluidr set is here

Highlights of the trip?

• Day 1 - seeing Marie and Pierre Curie's tombstones at the Panthéon; feeling my knees go weak as I entered Notre Dame; almost being squashed to death on the Metro; seeing the Sacré Coeur; walking around Monmartre
• Day 2 - being pleasantly overwhelmed by the Louvre (I say pleasantly 'cos I was overwhelmed by the Met in NYC as well, but not in a good way); being predictably underwhelmed by the Mona Lisa; feeling chuffed that I managed to climb up the Notre Dame towers without my heart going into overdrive
• Day 3 - The Eiffel Tower...everything about her is pure heaven for an engineer; feeling almost sickened by the grotesque opulence of the Palace of Versailles; getting rained on at Versailles; eating escargot
• Day 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - lots and lots of mother-daughter and father-daughter bonding time :-)

And there we have it. Sorry I don't have time to write a full account - hopefully the pictures will speak for me.

Bonjour, mes amis!

Listening to: 'Tomorrow Never Dies' by Sheryl Crow [OST - Tomorrow Never Dies]

No, I haven't suddenly become a francophile...but yes, I have returned to the UK. I had a wonderful trip. Paris was ace, and catching up with the parents in Geneva was bliss. I wish it could've been at least a week longer, but no such luck.

As expected, I went a bit apeshit with the camera...the photo count currently stands at 817. It's gonna take a while to sift through them all, especially considering I've got 3 months left until my actual final no-more-faffing-about thesis deadline. So far I've just done all the Project 365 pics from the week, so I'm up to date on that stuff. The rest will have to wait.

Anyway, I'm off to bed now. Will blog about the trip soon, maybe this weekend. Till then, au revoir!

My life is a comedy of errors

Listening to: 'Katy on a Mission' by Katy B [-]

Yeah I've been MIA. Not really in the mood for blogging...each post that comes to mind just feels like too much of an effort to construct. So apologies in advance if this post makes no sense.

Anyway...I've started the procedure to defer my thesis submission. I felt my stomach do somersaults when I clicked on the request page...I felt like a big fat fail whale. I mean four years on this bloody thing and I'm still not done?! WTF. Anyway, the sup doesn't seem too bothered about it, so I guess it's not all bad news. The fact that I have to finish before my visa runs out at the end of Jan, however, is another matter. Nose to the grindstone, pedal to the metal, and so on so forth.

Which is all well and good, except for the fact that I'm taking a week off next month to go travelling. No it's not entirely my decision, and no the timing couldn't have been worse, but let me explain. The parental unit is visiting Switzerland next month, on work. It's far too expensive for them to add a stopover here, and to be fair it's not worth the hassle. So I'm going there. So far so good. Except that Switzerland only bloody went and joined the Schengen zone two years back! So I need a visa. Now if you've been following this blog since before the dawn of time, you'll remember that I've been to Geneva before, when there was no visa requirement. £75 for a visa to a place that I've been before? Not cool. But wait...with a Schengen visa, I have free passage through all Schengen states...which means I can go to Geneva via...(wait for it)...PARIS!!! So oui, mes amis, I will be off to Paris in a few weeks' time - 3 nights there, and then on to Geneva for 4 nights with my mummy and daddy. My mother has major plans that involve us working on my CV. Oh dear.

I'm quite excited about exploring Paris on my own. No I don't speak a word of (useful) French, apart from "Parlez-vous Anglais?"...but I've been assured that the locals are a lot more accommodating of us ignoramuses than they used to be. Three whole days isn't a lot, but hopefully it should be enough to cover the basics - Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame etc. I should probably get a guide book or something. And I should probably also tell the sup. Hmm.

So...what else? Oh my mobile contract's up so I'm thinking of going in for a new phone...all the normal nokias seem inferior to my wonderful 6300, so I think I might go for the 5230. The ovi maps will come in handy in Paris! My computer's being a dramaqueen. Keeps messing up some updates. I need to sort it out soon...but not before I backup everything thesis-related. Stupid technology.

Oh and I've developed a love for dubstep. I used to hate dubstep...it was too slow, too hypnotic. I much preferred the fast-paced intensity of dnb. But now dubstep is my friend. Well a few songs at least - notably 'I Need Air' by Magnetic Man, 'Rescue Me' by Skepta and the song I'm listening to now (on repeat) - 'Katy on a Mission' by Katy B. Check 'em out.

And I think that's it. All that's left is for me to go get another slice of cheesecake (as featured here in my Project 365) and get back to my 'Materials and Methods' chapter. Yawn.

The Aberdeen Chronicles pt.3

Listening to: 'Crossfire' by Brandon Flowers [Flamingo]

You might wanna check out Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 first.

So I'm back in Cambridge, and have been for about a week and a half now. I was so knackered on the Monday after the trip. I was in the office and just staring into space...I was afraid to go into the lab in case I broke something. Hardly surprising, I guess, considering the round trip was about 900 miles.

There were a few amusing incidents that didn't make it into the last two posts. The first one was on Friday itself, during my jaunt around the city. I had just finished dinner at a quaint restaurant on the promenade, and I decided to take an alternative route back into the town centre, rather than just retracing my steps. With my by-now-somewhat-faded Google Maps print out in hand, I head off in my chosen direction...only to find that I had wandered into an area that wasn't on my map - the dockyard. It was about 9 o'clock and getting a bit dark, and there I was on a lonely street consisting of warehouses, warehouses, and more warehouses. Joy. I was contemplating whether to forge ahead (potentially stupid) or head back to the restaurant and retrace my steps back into town (definitely boring), when I saw a forklift truck moving in a nearby yard. I wandered over to the entrance to the yard (I didn't want to trespass) and put my most innocent smile on and waited to catch the driver's eye. I think I must've found the nicest forklift truck driver in the whole world - not only did he acknowledge that I was standing there, but he stopped his truck, got out and came round to where I was, to ask how he could help. Oh and did I mention that he was adorable?! He had the most amazing smile on the planet, and the softest eyes...I melted then and there! Anyway, turns out I wasn't lost...and had I forged ahead as planned, I would've ended up exactly where I wanted to. But hey...at least this way, I got to see some eye candy. Such a beautiful man *sigh*.

Unfortunately that was my only encounter with dashingly handsome men. The amusing incidents, however, just kept coming. The next one was on Saturday, at the wedding. It was about 11pm and the reception was in full swing, and I was chatting with the bride's 17yr old brother about his potential university choices. He was asking me about my work, and then the following conversation ensued:

Him: It must be difficult being a similar age to your supervisees
Me: Hehe it used to be, but there's quite a few years between us now
Him: Wait, how old are you?
Me: I'm your sister's age, why?
Him: WHAT?! I thought you were just a few years older than I!

*Sigh*. A 17yr old thought I was just a few years older than him. I dunno if that's a compliment or an insult. At first, Shorty said it was a good thing, 'cos it meant I had a better chance of getting a toyboy...but then we realised that the whole point of a toyboy is that the age difference is obvious...so this 'looking young' business doesn't work. I think I've decided that it's a tragedy of epic proportions.

Sadly, the final anecdote from the trip is also a tragedy of epic proportions. Partly my fault this time, but still. It was Sunday night and we had just got into Stevenage. I was standing on the platform waiting for the train to Cambridge, when I noticed that there were some people next to me looking very confused about the trains. There were three of them - an American couple and an Indian man. So, being the helpful soul (read: glutton for punishment) that I am, I asked them if they needed any help. Turns out they did, so I explained how the departure boards on the platform worked, and then just as I was about to get back to my music, the Indian man started to make smalltalk. I was tired and bored so I thought 'ok whatever' and I chatted with the group until the train arrived. It was packed. I was looking into the carriages for any free seats and I saw some wonderful eye candy, so I thought I'd try and get a seat in his carriage. Turns out my new travel buddies had picked the same one...and as luck would have it, I got a seat across from the Indian man (I could still see my eye candy, so I was happy). I stuck my earphones in and took my thesis chapter out of my bag and proceeded to read. Suddenly I realised that the Indian man was talking to me. So, to be polite, I took one earphone out and answered his question, and then quickly went back to my music and thesis. But noooo, he was in a mood to tell me his father's life story. I mean WTF? I'm wearing my earphones. I'm reading. That's supposed to be a signal that I'm not in the mood for conversation. Why do you keep talking to me, old man? Stop iiiiit. AAAAAARGH! I practically jumped off the train when it pulled into Cambridge station and ran for a taxi. Creepy Asian men...ugh. And my eye candy didn't make eye contact even once. What a waste of energy.

So yeah, those were my random highlights from the trip. Oh apart from the time I overheard some guy introducing himself to the girl next to him, and then proceeding to introduce her to the dot product. I was laughing so hard I had to call Shorty for distraction. I couldn't even contain my laughter long enough to figure out if his explanation was right...d'oh! But seriously...who in their right mind thinks that explaining vector calculus is the way to a girl's heart/pants? El stupido.

OK I think that really is a full account of my trip. Turns out I had underestimated my photographic skills (either that or I'd overestimated my standards), and there were not 10, but 28 photos from the weekend that made it onto flickr. I've put them all in a slideshow in case you're interested.

It was a good weekend and in the end I'm glad I went, despite the insane cost. I really need to get some work done though. But maybe after I go to London this weekend to see Inception at the IMAX. D'oh!

The Aberdeen Chronicles pt.2

I wrote this in my notebook on Sunday...(continued from here)

Listening to: 'Mardy Bum' by Arctic Monkeys [Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not]

1.50pm. I'm sitting on the train - the 13:50 East Coast rail service from Aberdeen to London King's Cross. I'll be reaching Stevenage at 20:53 (assuming there are no delays) and then on to Cambridge - I should be home by about 10pm.

I wanted to write another update from Aberdeen, but frankly I was having too much fun. I've had a wonderful weekend, full of exploration and matrimonial joy (not mine)...oh and babies (also not mine). Between the time I left Cambridge on Friday morning and the time I went to sleep last night, I'd taken 275 photos. They'll probably be whittled down to about 10 that are worth flickring, but still, it's been an excellent trip.

My verdict on Aberdeen can be summed up in three words:

1. grey
2. fishy
3. seagully (yes, I know it's not a real word)

Oh and one more word:

 4.  omgtherearesomanygoodlookingmenhere!!! (what?! that's not a word either? bollocks)

I did a lot of walking around on Friday - about 5 hrs in total. My 'room' at the SYHA hostel was in fact a dorm with two bunk beds, and when I got to my room, the top two bunks were already occupied. I attempted to make small talk but my roomies were a tad unresponsive - they were pleasant enough I suppose, but the subtle-but-not-so-subtle-really rolling of the eyes when I told them I was from Cambridge was a bit of a giveaway. I txtd Shorty and we had a little laugh about it, and then I went to sleep.

Saturday was also fun but tiring, albeit in a completely different way. I hurriedly straightened my hair and painted my nails (which looked disastrous, but *meh*) and found my way to my friend's place. I got dressed while he went off to buy a new shirt (easier than ironing the ones he had, apparently) and once I was dolled up and ready, we made the 45 min taxi journey up to Crathes Castle for the wedding ceremony.

I love Sri Lankan weddings (except when I get pimped to all and sundry) but I must say, British weddings are growing on me. There were less than 50 people at the ceremony, which was in a quaint garden at the castle. The ceremony itself was simple and intimate, and the couple looked relaxed and happy. We spent a few hours at the castle - most of the guests sipping champagne, and me broodily gazing at one of the bride's colleague's one year-old baby.

After the couple had been sufficiently papped, we moved on to a nearby hotel for the 'wedding breakfast' and reception. The food was exquisite. The atmosphere, once again, was relaxed and happy. There was a quiz about the couple and their favourite songs, places etc...our table annihilated the competition and won some yummy chocolates for our troubles - I really think 'pub quiz person' is my new calling.

The reception was a good laugh. About 50 more people turned up, and there was a lot of merry making at the bar (or chatting/gurgling with the bridesmaid's 8 week-old baby, if you were me). The band was excellent - I've never seen a band that can perform Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Clash, Bryan Adams and a host of Scottish ceilidh dances with such ease and perfection...and I've never seen a man (the lead singer/keyboardist/accordian player) looking so incredibly sexy in a kilt! I watched the ceilidhs from afar, partly because I didn't want to lose my footing on the slippery floor, and partly 'cos I was worried about any possible wardrobe malfunctions. You'll be pleased to know there were no accidents.

So yeah, that was my weekend. Photos will follow. I'm not sure where I am at the moment, but I know we're somewhere between Dundee and Edinburgh - 1 1/2 hrs gone, 6 1/2 to go!

To be continued...

The Aberdeen Chronicles

I wrote this in my notebook on Friday...

Listening to: 'Like the Sea' by Alicia Keys [The Element of Freedom]

10.05am. 3 1/2 hrs done, 4 1/2 to go. I'm on the train, somewhere between York and Darlington. A few things are running through my mind:

1. I love train travel in the UK. Especially when I have a window seat that's facing the back of the train. I dunno, there's something about relative motion that excites me.
2. Man did I choose some awesome music for this weekend! So far I've had Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, John Mayer, Alicia Keys and Florence. And Tinie Tempah. And I know there's some Plan B and Girls Aloud on the way at some point.
3. Wow this train is packed. It's the East Coast service from London to Edinburgh, and I can't see a single non-reserved seat in this coach.
4. I really need the loo, but the middle-aged gentleman next to me is busy checking facebook on his laptop and I don't wanna disturb him.

Hmm.

I've spent the past 3 hrs or so talking to Shorty, reading some journal articles (yes, I brought work) and playing with my camera. Oh and people watching (the lady in front of me is wearing gorgeous nail polish - I WANT!).

The 'almost-exact' route
(colour change = train change)

It's a beautiful day outside the train - blue skies with plenty of white fluffy clouds, and plenty of sunshine. I hope it's the same in Aberdeen, though I doubt it. Yes, that's where I'm headed. A batchmate from my undergrad days is getting married tomorrow, so I'm using the weekend to explore Aberdeen. It's the first solo touristy jaunt I'm doing since NYC, so I'm quite excited. There's something liberating about travelling and exploring alone.







OK I'm gonna stop now...another update from Aberdeen, perhaps. But what's this? miniha nidi ne! (the man's asleep!) How am I supposed to go to the loo now? Haiyo!

To be continued...

Update

Listening to: 'Tell You Something' by Alicia Keys [As I Am]

I've been so utterly busy that I haven't had time to blog for 2 whole weeks! I should be getting ready for bed now but I was having blogger withdrawal so here I am with a quick update.

Those of you who watched the X Factor results show on Sunday would've seen Alicia Keys' performance. How amazing was she?!?! I'm in love. So in love am I that I haven't been able to listen to anything else for the past 3 days...and I JUST BOOKED A TICKET TO SEE HER LIVE AT THE O₂ NEXT MAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's the day before my birthday, how cool is that?! The only catch is that I don't know if I'll actually be in the UK in May...but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I missed the youtube concert yesterday 'cos I was being sociable, but I'll try and watch the highlights at some point. Her new single Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart is absolutely gorgeous...I can't wait for the album!

In other news, I'm going home next week!!! I'm swimming in a sea of unfinished experiments, horrible weather, a messy flat and a really bad cold, and at times it's difficult to get excited about going home 'cos there's so much to do. I'm also paranoid that SriLankan is gonna mess up my booking, which doesn't help. I am, however, getting excited about my friend's wedding. I'm supposed to be organising the hen party and giving a speech, neither of which I've done before...so it should be interesting. Hopefully I'll get time to actually write the speech! Sigh at this rate I'm gonna have a hell of a lot of things to do on the flight.

The Teaching Associate Programme I mentioned earlier is going really well...I've been observing lecturers and it's a real eye-opener! Wow I was such a horrible undergrad. The only thing I'm dreading is writing essays based on my findings. I don't 'do' essays. Blogging and thesis-writing are the closest I get to writing prose. Anyway we shall see.

Hmm there's nothing else to report, really. Work is going OK *touchwood*, I'm just trundling along until I go home. There's the usual mix of newish music I'm enjoying, like the Alicia Keys track I mentioned above, and the new Plan B track Stay Too Long. He might look like a chav, but the boy's got talent.

OK I'm properly yawning now so I guess it's time to hit the sack. This rather haphazard post marks 100 posts for this year!!! This is a lot more than I usually manage, so it's quite a big deal for me. I've also noticed that my comment count has gone up considerably, so thank you to everyone who reads this blog and takes the time to comment :-). As usual, I probably won't have much time to blog from SL, so this might be the last you hear from me for this year. I'll try and get a few updates in, but if I can't...here's wishing you a peaceful end to 2009 and a prosperous start to 2010!

Journal entry

Listening to: 'Rain On Me' by Cheryl Cole [3 Words]

In exactly 4 weeks' time (pretty much down to the hour) I will be touching down at Bandaranaike International Airport. Can I get a wooooooooo hooooooooo?! Thank you. One or two of you will know that I was rather apprehensive about telling my supervisor. This was partly due to my own guilt of taking a break so close to the end of my PhD, and partly due to the fact that the last time I was faced with this situation, the response I got was...

Well I'm not going to tell you not to go, but you know how much work needs to be done...

See why I was scared? Well today's conversation went rather differently...

Me: Could you have a look at my experimental plan for the next few weeks? I'm going home for Christmas and I'd like to make sure I'm on track to finish soon...
Sup: Hmm yup that looks ok...when are you leaving?
Me: Erm...*gulp*...the 8th
Sup: OK let's meet on the 7th morning then

Huh? That's it? Just like that? No disappointed face? No guilt trip? Are you sure you're feeling ok?! Hmm maybe I should just smile and leave before he changes his mind. That was a lot easier than I'd planned.

So anyway, now I'm letting myself get slightly excited about the trip. Two weddings (one family, one friend), one school reunion, a few days out of Colombo (I'm pushing for Galle, need to work on Daddy Dearest), some sari shopping, SS and her sis visiting, fish curry! And of course time to spend with friends and family. I'm sure as hell not gonna let this tiny issue of a wisdom tooth extraction get in the way of my enjoyment. Although I am wondering when I'm actually gonna get a chance to sleep, get cuddles from my parents and watch TV! Hmm...

Now the flipside of all this is, I have a ton of work to get done before I go home. But I'm lazy. It's grey, wet and cold, and I'm sneezing. Not a good combination, I tell you. But I have to motivate myself somehow. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can finish my PhD. I'll get through this! I can do thi...*achchooooo*!!! Sigh.

In the meantime, I've got Cheryl Cole's album on repeat. Now all you self-appointed music connoisseurs can pipe down: this is manufactured pop at its best. Cheryl is the Nation's Sweetheart, and no matter what the cynics say about it all being a PR stunt, I'm well and truly under the spell of those dimples, and I'm happier for it. In fact, with the absolute disaster that is JEdward, Cheryl's becoming the only reason to watch X Factor on the weekend (although Joe is incredibly sweet and Olly is quite charming...surprisingly sexy even, in an unassuming way...it's those moves, man *swoon*). Danyl and Jamie just get on my nerves. Lloyd is fit (he's 16 so it's not illegal to say that) but he can't sing well enough. And Stacey can sing, and she's decent-looking...but OMG is she ditzy or what?! Last year we had Alexandra, JLS (I swear Marvin is hawwwt), Diana, Laura...this year is such a disappointment in comparison.

But back to Cheryl's album. I didn't really like 'Fight For This Love' when it first came out, but now I adore it. As for the rest of the album...well the stand-out track for me is '3 Words'. I can just picture it being played (remixed by someone like Calvin Harris, probably) in some sweaty club in Ibiza. The bass line is so heavy...just perfect. Will.i.am's thumbprint is all over the album, but that's not such a bad thing. The lyrics are cringeworthy, and yeah there's a fair bit of autotune, but who cares? The songs make me feel good. That's what matters to me.

Right I better get ready for bed if I wanna wake up on time tomorrow.

Ta-Dah!

Listening to: 'Fruit Machine' by The Ting Tings [We Started Nothing]

Oh yeah baby, I'm back. Missed me much? Wait...don't answer that. Anyway...

Here's me multitasking: eating dinner, unpacking and blogging simultaneously. And here's a summary of what went down in Colombo -

• Got a haircut that didn't cost me 35 quid!
• Sang at my friend's wedding
• Went to Kandy, only to find that my camera had gone on strike just as we got to Dalada Maligawa! Oh the shame. Got it working by the time we got to Pinnawela though, thankfully.
• Had three wonderful days with the parents in Nuwara Eliya
• Felt my heart skip a beat when I saw Adam's Peak on the drive back to Colombo via Hatton
• Spent 31st night trying to have a normal conversation with some family friends but kept getting disturbed by wasted retards lighting crackers outside their house
• Went sari shopping
• Went to show the Alma Mater some support...and felt really old (not to mention old-fashioned)
• Went out with friends and inhaled so much second-hand smoke that I was ill the next day
• Had indigestion for four days
• Went to another friend's wedding that turned into a mini class reunion, which was great, despite me being completely blanked by someone who really should've grown up by now...too much to ask, apparently.
• Went to temple and got scared of a cockroach (it was massive, I swear!)
• Was told by the ophthalmologist that I may not need specs any more, yay!

Oh and both weddings qualified for eye candy levels, yay! :D I mean they weren't overflowing with testosterone-filled hotness, but there were one or two potentials at each, which is more than a girl can ask for these days!

I also developed a habit of smiling at the soldiers at every checkpoint we were stopped at. And they were always very pleasant in return. I know a lot of people are perturbed by the military presence in Colombo, but I accept it as a necessary precaution. The recent military advances at the front deserve a separate post, so I won't dwell on the topic here. Other politicised events in Sri Lanka will also probably be covered then, so stay tuned!

Right I think it's time for me to hit the sack.

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Listening to: 'I Wish You Love' by Lisa Ono [Pretty World]

Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside
I do like to be beside the sea!
I do like to stroll upon the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play: "Tiddely-om-pom-pom!"
So just let me be beside the seaside
I'll be beside myself with glee
For there's lots of girls besides,
I should like to be beside
Beside the seaside!
Beside the sea!

Written and composed by John A. Glover-Kind (1907)
Performed by many, including Basil Rathbone (1939)

No I'm not talking about the golden beaches of Mother Lanka (not this time, anyway). Instead, I'm talking about the shingle shores of Brighton. Eh? I hear you say. Well Brighton is famous in these parts - it is one of England's most popular beaches, home to annual conferences for many political parties, and home to Brighton Pride. It is also where Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with Waterloo. How's that, fact fans?!

But yeah, I went there for an entirely difference reason - *drum roll please* PseudoRandom attended a conference! OK so it wasn't as glamorous as Darwin's excursion, but considering this was a UK-based conference, I don't think I could've asked for a nicer place (apart from Cornwall, perhaps). The conference was pretty cool. It was an industrial conference, so while all the talks seemed like sales pitches, they did give me an excellent insight into who is doing what in the UK bioprocessing industry. I'm not sure if I made as much use of the networking opportunity as I would have had I been actively seeking a job, but I did make some contacts, which was good.

To be honest though, the best part of the conference was the travel-and-accommodation-paid two day stay in Brighton! I stayed in a proper hotel, which was a huge change from the hostels I've become accustomed to in Europe, and my room overlooked the sea (well, sort of)! I really liked Brighton. If I had to pick one word to describe the vibe, it would be 'quirky'. I can't wait to go again. I only had time to look at the Palace Pier and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. Oh and the conference dinner was at the Brighton Dome, which is where the '74 Eurovision was held. But there's some more I want to see. I think that'll have to wait until the weather improves, though.

Nonetheless, I managed to take some pretty neat pics, which will no doubt be on flickr soon.

I've got problems with my sleep

Listening to: 'Moving to New York' by The Wombats [The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation]

I'm just back from New York. Spent Christmas and New Year with my cousin in New Jersey, with frequent (read: almost daily) trips to NYC, and weekends in DC and Woodstock. And before you ask - yes I went by myself, yes I did all the sightseeing by myself and NO, it's not a big deal. I'm amazed that so many people find it hard to believe that it's possible to visit a foreign country by oneself. Can I speak the language? Yes. Can I read signs? Yes. Do I have a map? Yes. So what's the problem? Who knows. But anyway, I *heart* NYC. The vibe I felt there was exhilarating. I can't explain it! There's an energy running through that place...it's amazing. I'd go back in the blink of an eye. I don't know if I could/would live there, but I'm definitely visiting again. Here's possibly my favourite out of the 500-odd photos I took (coincidentally of what is now my favourite building in the whole world) -

The Chrysler Building

Anyway that dream is over. Today was my first day back at work. Besides the fight against jetlag, the day wasn't too bad. I do wish I was back in NYC though, strolling along 42nd St, staring at all the amazing neon signs at Times Square. Or wandering through Central Park (which admittedly I didn't do enough of). Or chilling at the MoMA, trying to understand some of the more quirky exhibits. I have to confess, I'm a bit of a modern art fan now! I hope NYC is at the top of your 'places to visit' list - it should be.

But just as quickly as the dream ended, the nightmare has begun. The insecurities, the helplessness, the desperation...all have returned to make my life a living hell. Why am I so inadequate? I'm either too slow, or too thin, or too un-ladylike, or too ugly, or too boring...or too insecure (gee I wonder how that happened!). I'm fed up. Since when did everyone else become an expert on life? I wish they would try and sort out their own imperfect lives without poking their grubby noses into mine.

To take me away from the misery that has now taken hold, here's a picture of what I saw when I looked out of the window on the plane, en route to Newark Airport -

Oh to be back there.

Fancy some cheese?

Listening to: 'L-O-V-E' by The Harvard Krokodiloes [Downstairs at the Upstairs Bar]

Much of the past week has been spent trying to find my way home. The cheapest option I was given was SriLankan Airlines...for a bit more than £800 - I'm sorry, not happening. But then, my parents came through (as always). For just under £500, I can fly to and from Colombo...from Geneva. And thanks to the very sweet Swiss Embassy (it's all that toblerone, I tell you) I don't need a visa to visit Switzerland...so Geneva, here I come! In all my geekiness I did contact the folks at CERN to check out the possibility of me visiting, and while they assured me that I wouldn't be exposed to any remotely dangerous magnetic fields, they informed me that there are no vacancies on the tour for the day I'm in Geneva. Boo hoo. Oh well, enough of other things to occupy myself with, I'm sure! I know zilch about Geneva apart from CERN and the Palais des Nations, so any suggestions for stuff to do in a day are greatly appreciated! I'm quite excited about exploring Geneva by myself.

In other news, my first supervision is on Thursday. No, I'm not being supervised...I'm supervising. Eek! It's so weird being on the other side of the fence, hoping that someone will actually understand what I'm trying to explain. Funny thing is, now I need to do past exam questions as preparation - and I thought I'd never have to do them ever again!!! Funny that.

Oh and I was in London over the weekend. I was tired by Thursday, but I decided to move my ass over to London on Friday evening. Met up with friends from school on Friday night (and slept at 5am), met my aunt Saturday lunchtime and met up with college friends for Pinky's birthday on Saturday night (again, must've slept at about 5am). Dragged myself back to Cambridge on Sunday evening, feeling quite awful. Who said you need to be drunk to feel rough? I think I've slept it off now though, which is good, 'cos it's still only Tuesday!

Well, swimming tomorrow night so if I want to prepare for supervisions on Thursday, I'm gonna have to do it tonight. You'll hear from me after that, if I haven't already been mauled by my supervisees!

Oh before I forget...check out www.phdcomics.com - move over Sudoku, this is my new procrastination aide!

Home is where the heart is

Listening to: the sound of the table fan mixed with the football commentary

And so I'm back (from outer space...). Yes, back in sunny Sri Lanka, currently 34°C (it's 12.07 a.m., mind you). It doesn't seem that hot though, compared to the weather I left behind in England. Still, there are more interesting things to talk about than the weather!

Visited my grandparents last evening...I don't need to tell you how glad I am that I managed to see them one more time. The phone has been ringing off the hook today 'cos people have realised that I've arrived. I feel like some sort of pseudo-celebrity! :D

Oooh I saw three movies on the flight. I swear the Etihad Boeing 777 inflight entertainment is the best! I saw Ice Age: The Meltdown, Failure to Launch and Tristan & Isolde - all very good inflight movies. Oh and at my friend's place in London, I saw Good Night, and Good Luck. and De-Lovely. I've got so many movies lined up for this summer (those of you familiar with Precious Video Store will know where I'll be spending most of my time!).

Anyway, I'm kinda tired now, so I'm gonna head to bed. Will update sometime soon.

I'm back!

Listening to: 'Art of War' by Vanessa-Mae (Sergei Prokofiev) [Best of Vanessa-Mae]

Flew in last evening. Wow, what a trip. I have to say, Prague isn't the most amazing city I've ever been to (Rome, Florence and Barcelona are way cooler), but it is up there with the best. It is also one of the cheapest - the whole trip (6 days), including travel from college to the coach station and back, cost less than £250...beat that! Luckily my visa was free...the Czech Embassy in London seems to like Sri Lankans for some reason. And of course how could a trip with two of my bestest friends on the planet not be amazing?!?!?!

So yeah, here are the highlights. If you're planning on visiting Prague, make a note of these. It helps if you're a student and have a student card - there are opportunities to get major discounts on touristy entrance tickets. That said, if you go converting stuff into Sterling, you're gonna be laughing your ass off the entire time...stuff is dirt cheap (e.g.-7 day travelcard for £7).

Prague Castle:
The main castle in Prague, seat of the Czech kings during the Middle Ages...I won't bore you with the Lonely Planet description, just Google :D! It's also a popular concert venue, so you might wanna time your trip accordingly.

Old Town:
It has a funky Astronomical Clock, which you can read about here. These days, the highlight is a big screen for World Cup matches.

Jewish Quarter:
There are lots of Synagogues in Prague...I had never been to one and I'm not too clueful about Jewish culture, so I found this quite enlightening. I found the Pinkas Synagogue quite a sobering experience.

Karlštejn:
Karlštejn is about a half hour by train from Prague, and home to a castle (bearing the same name) that houses the crown jewels (which we didn't get to see, unfortunately). It's not as fairytale-like as those commissioned by Bavaria's mad King Ludwig, but it's still quite picturesque.

Kutná Hora:
A quaint town about an hour by train from Prague, and once home to the deepest silver mine in Europe. Apparently the silver trade made town very rich (in the 15th century), but they had dug out all the silver by the 16th century, reducing the town to...nothingness: a perfect example of unsustainable industry! Now it has a funky Silver Museum and a beautiful Gothic cathedral dedicated to St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners. The town was hit by the deadly Plague, and one of the results was the Sedlec Ossuary - eerie, but amazing. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There's a lot of other stuff to see, like Loreta, Petrin Hill and Vyšehrad, but the ones I mentioned were the ones that I liked the most. I also saw Antonín Dvořák's tomb at Vyšehrad, and learnt that Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka were thick buddies. I also found out that Johannes Kepler discovered two of his Laws of Planetary Motion while in Prague. Oh and I saw a century-old telescope used to observe solar activity...and it still works! The Philosophical Library and Theological Library of the Strahov Monastery (on Petrin Hill) were also quite cool.

We took lots of photos (about 500 between the three of us), although admittedly quite a few of them are a bit random - I swear Bang Bang is in love with her feet! I still haven't seen all the pics myself, but will hopefully venture onto Flickr once I've sorted all mine out...it'll be easier than posting everything here.

The 'girly trip' aspect was covered too - I've giggled more in the past week than I've done all year! We came to the conclusion that Czechs are very pleasing on the eye, especially those of the male variety. However, it's a tad difficult to see a guy's face when his tongue is down his girlfriend's throat. Oh well, they still qualify for eye candy (i.e. not when they're busy snogging)! We didn't shop, mainly 'cos we're perpetually broke students and also 'cos we were too busy sight-seeing (or sleeping).

There are loads of lovely memories from Prague, including lazing on the grass at the Royal Palace Gardens, singing on the train from Karlštejn to Prague, and scaring the poor Americans who had to share a room with us - I don't think they'd met such giggly students in a while! All in all, a wonderful week with wonderful people in a wonderful city.

BTW commiserations to the Czech team for losing to Ghana (!!) - poor Petr Cech must be distraught! Oh and way to go South Korea for forcing a draw with France! I'm not really into footie, but seeing as one of my closest friends is South Korean, I can't really cheer for anyone else :D. Too bad Cha Du-Ri's not playing...he's cute ;-). As for the cricket...well if England keeps bowling badly, we can't help but win now, can we?

I guess I have to put at least one pic here, so I'll leave you with this night shot of Prague Castle, taken from across the river Vltava.

Heigh-Ho Heigh Ho, it's off to Prague we go!

Listening to: 'Follow You Down' by Gin Blossoms [Follow You Down]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Shorty and Bang Bang are in my room (both asleep in fact) waiting for the taxi to come and take us to the coach station. I'm really looking forward to this holiday - I've heard that Prague is beautiful, but I don't know much about the place, and I haven't been on a touristy holiday since September. I know that doesn't sound like long, but considering how busy this year has been, it feels like ages.

So yeah, you won't hear from me for awhile. I'll be back on Saturday, with lots of hopefully decent pictures.

Hope you have a peaceful week.