Yes, Venice IS that Beautiful

What excites me about travelling is to get to know how other people live. I am so curious to see what people do, how they stay, what they eat, what they drink, how they love, where they stay and where do they go. I love peeping into houses and open windows and see people like busy little ants, go about their business. I often just look at people, and dream up stories about who they are, what they do and since I read too many thrillers and mysteries in my formative years, every one is a secret agent. Venice in my brain is all about love affairs, people looking for an escape, people in love with decaying decadent beauty (moi?), writers looking for their muses, composers who haven't written a note for years, artists who had to get away because they wanted to feel colour again, rock stars with their sixteen year old girlfriends, doddering old contessas who will not leave their crumbling mansions and pasta with seafood so fresh it makes you cry. Yet, I went to Venice for work and sans lover/s. Sigh!
And Life Goes On......
Won't You Come Into My Parlor?

Watching The World Go By... One Gondola At a Time...

Flowers That Would Have Cheered Up Even The Devil.

Shelter From The Storm?

The Picture That EVERY Tourist Just HAS to Take...

Window of Opportunity - Now Closed...

The No Point Post

This year is for me. ME. MOI. MYSELF. I love making lists but I hate making resolutions, because whoever follows resolutions anyway? My year so far -

• 2008 started very well for me. I met a dear, dear friend after 5 years.
• I lost 10 kgs (as of today) - despite travelling.
• I am going to see my parents settle in their new home. The pater is finally retiring and it will be really nice not to have to decide who to see during holidays. Both my sister and her family and my parents are going to be in the same city. So, it means, I will be seeing more of the neph AND the momma together. My most favourite people in the world.
• I have not smoked for the last 5 years. Yesterday, I smoked a pack of cigs. Just like that. It was bliss, but afterwards I hated, hated, hated the smoke in my hair, the rough taste in my mouth and the papery dry texture of my lips. So, the cigs will NEVER ever be smoked again.
• My medicals all indicated, I'm as healthy as a horse. So, I decided to be hedonistic. See above.
• I have embraced my inner bitch and nastiness. I have never enjoyed myself so much before. See title of post.
• I don't ever want to be saintly. Being saintly is not the same as being good. Being saintly never helped anyone. The last one year, I saw a lot of relationships that I thought were forever, crumble and I realised that being a saint or a doormat does not ensure a forever relationships. (Read - All men are dogs and keeping them on a leash and in their place ensures undying loyalty. However, leaving them wild just makes them bite you. Hard. All ladies who read this, remember this well. )
• Being nicer actually does make people work harder for you. But it still doesnt make them less stupid.
• To my friends who seem to be career students, I have but one piece of advice - despite your gadzillion degrees, you may not start earning gadzillion dollars (unless you chose to be an investment banker, who in my opinion actually just slide their way through and are shitbags, jerks and soulless dementors) in any industry you chose to join. I know it is not fair, but thats the way it actually is.