Exhausted but cannot sleep

I woke up with a start at 3am, after only a couple of hours of fitful sleep.

With my mind going over the endless to do list

in preparation for the conference,

I cannot fully relax.

What I need right now is a hug.

But the arms I want around me are miles away - in that blue building in the picture.

Still standing

Things seem a little shaky at times,

as if I may lose my balance

and topple over.

But then I remember to breathe

stay calm and smile.

I never thought I would say this...

... but,

isn't this little frog

just so cute?

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

~ Kahlil Gibran~

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.

~Vincent Van Gogh ~

4 - 1 = 3

He left today.

Counting the days again...

***

Are you focused? I am not.

Dhiggaa

Hibiscus tiliaceus.

Reminds me:

of endless days spent playing underneath its leafy shade

of swings hanging from its branches

of the many ants that constantly marched along its trunk

of the blooms that changed colour as the day progressed

of happy happy childhood days.

On hold

Everything abandoned

while the festivities are on.

Waiting for the moon

It's the end of Ramadhan.

Waiting to see if tomorrow is Eid.
A day of celebration after a month of fasting.

Eid Mubarak!

This way... no, that way

Have you ever worked with a boss who is indecisive? Mine is. EXTREMELY. It drives me insane. And he seems to be proud of his indecisive nature. Today he told me: "You should know by now that I never say the same thing twice and that I change my mind about everything all the time." Not the kind of attitude I want during such a busy time. So - very uncharacteristically for me - I told him exactly what I thought of his indecisiveness and that I would not put up with it anymore or be responsible for the consequences of him not being able to make up his mind about anything.

And I feel so good for having said so to his face.

Counting the hours

In the midst of all the hectic madness
guess who is coming home for the weekend?
Can you see the big grin on my face?

The next two weeks

Please excuse my absence from your blogs,

my lovelies,

over the next fortnight

as I try not to go mad

while I run around like a headless chicken

trying to get a national conference organised.

At the moment,

work seems to have consumed every moment of my life

and even during the little time I spend at home

my mind is elsewhere.

I cannot wait for these two weeks to be over.

***

Hop over here, to see who I see.

Mosaic Monday: Buildings

Everywhere I look, there is a new building coming up.

So much concrete all around.

I long for vast green expanses.

***

More mosaics at Mary's.

Monstrosity on the beachfront

This steel structure is supposed to be in remembrance

of those whose lives were lost in the tsunami of 2004.

I do not like it at all.

I think it is hideous.

Especially since the constant contact with the ocean

has created a layer of rust on the steel.

Sometime ago I read (I forget where) that

people tend to dislike monuments and public buildings

in their own hometown.

Made me think of a friend in Paris

who cannot stand the Eiffel Tower

and think that it is the most ugly man made structure ever.

And another from Auckland

who feels the same way about

the Sky Tower,

the most striking element in the city's skyline.

Is there a landmark in your hometown that you don't like?

I want to...

Watch the playful dance of the waves

Enjoy the wind's playful teasing

Feel my worries melt away

Sail away into the sunset

Can you change the world?

9/11

The only date that I think of and write in the American way.

A day etched in the mind forever.

As one where time stood still.

When everything else was forgotten while we watched our TV screens in horror.

Today we talk about a changed world.

But is it one that has changed for the better?

While nothing can be unchanged or undone,

I ask myself today,

what can I do to change for the better?

***

Inscribed on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in Westminster Abby (1100 A.D.):

When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.

But it, too, seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize:

If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and who knows, I may have even changed the world.

I do

My sister-in-law is getting married in November.

Speaking to her about her plans

- the dress, the flowers, the invitations, the food, the venue -

made me realise how much we tend to plan our "dream" wedding

in our heads

long before we actually find the man of our dreams.

I wonder if it is the same for the men?

Somehow I think not.

These are some pictures of a wedding I happened to see

(from a very long distance)

a long time ago.

I like the idea of a beach wedding

with flowers and candles

to add to the romance.

Where would your dream wedding take place?

This one can tell the time

The four o'clock flower.

It blooms everyday at four o'clock.

Comes in a variety of colours

- deep pink, white, yellow being the most common -

and can have a mix of different colours on the same flower, sometimes.

Incredibly easy to grow;

probably the first flowering plants that I grew as a child.

I remember we grew a lot of these then

but they were almost always the pink variety.

I remember too how I would wait and watch them unfold,

checking the time to see if it really happened at four o'clock on the dot

or if the flowers had their watches set to different time zone.

When I learned about pollination in school,

I remember coming back home

and trying to cross fertilise the pink and yellow varieties,

- in the hope that the resulting flowers would display a mix of pink and yellow -

then waiting for the seeds to mature.

Even today,

whenever I see these plants,

I always look for the dried black seed left behind when the flower dies.

How can I pick just one?

People who know me well know how much I like my food.

Not only just eating it.

But the whole process of it:

dreaming up menus and recipes, shopping for good produce, the preparation and cooking.

And of course the eating.

(But never the washing up!)

I read cookbooks for pleasure.

I often have one on my bedside table at all times.

Yes, I am a "little" obsessed with food, but

there is just so much pleasure

to be derived from it.

And yes,

a little less of the obsession would probably be good for my (now nonexistent) waistline.

I cannot do diets.

They just backfire.

And exercise?

Well, that's a whole another story.

So,

while thinking about how I need to lose at least a few inches in the next 18 days

if I am to fit into the clothes I hope to wear at my upcoming conference,

I wondered what I could give up.

Carbs?

Sugar and desserts?

Umm...

Salad?

It's a tough decision.

But I was sure that there was one thing that I didn't want to give up:

fruits.

If I had to choose just one thing to eat for the rest of the fortnight,

it would be a selection of fruits

in a multitude of colours.

***

If you could eat only one food, what would it be?

Alone with my thoughts

"Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character."
James Russell Lowell


"There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall."
Sidonie Gabrielle

Today is one of the first kind - where I need time alone with myself to make sense of all the chaos that is surrounding me (work wise);
to clear my mind
and
to plan the steps ahead.

***

We are playing a new theme over here. Come, see.

The Princess and Spiderman

Em: Do you wish you were a girl so that you can wear pretty dresses?

Hero: No. I don't won't to wear dresses. I am Spiderman.

Em: But Spiderman can't wear nice jewellery. You have to be a girl to wear jewellery. Do you wish you were a girl?

Hero: No. [and after some thought] Do you wish you were a boy? Boys are strong and have muscles.

Em: Girls can be strong too.

Hero: I know, but not as strong as boys. Not muscles like these [showing off padded muscles in Spiderman suit].

Em: I don't want muscles like that.

Hero: But you are sad, aren't you because you can't grow a beard? You have to be a boy to do that.

Little Mouthfuls of Heaven

Crispy golden pastry

Filled with whipped cream

Topped with chocolate.

I feel a bit like this today

Encircled by turbulence

that is spiralling closer and closer.

Struggling to keep my feet steady on the ground.

Exploring the best possible options

in soaring away to safety.

It has got character

This door was just calling out to me.

There was something about the dirt, the peeling paint, the gap underneath

that compelled me to stop and shoot.

The handle is particularly charming, I think.

Old.

Scratched.

Faded.

With the slice of light shining through the keyhole.

Made me wonder

how many hands would have held onto that rattly handle over the years;

opening up dreams, hopes and aspirations,

closing secrets and sorrows

safely behind.

In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Craving something...

... tantalisingly sour

[like tamarind]

... addictively spicy

[like athujehi]

... satisfyingly sweet [like these cookies]

What flavours do you crave today?

Lens.Us.Together

A new blogging initiative, that I am very excited to be a part of, has begun.

This week's theme is Where I Live, and you will find my entry here.

Check us out!