I love wrapping presents. In the past I was even thinking of opening a shop for packaging presents. But somehow I was not thrilled of the prospect of turning this into my profession. Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing anything too fancy or complicated. But somehow this is my zen moment - focusing on the process and thinking of nothing else :) It is a bit like with baking. I almost feel embarrassed to say I like baking - and by that I mean really just normal everyday baking, and not the fancy sugar-paste cakes you see everywhere on social media.
And lately I like experimenting with washi tape. It is simple, fast and I can do it even with Daniel. He loved helping me wrapping the present for his father's birthday.
And this one is for a dear friend who is leaving her job. It is a book that was recommended by someone (don't even remember by whom). But should obviously be a read to remember. David Whyte's Crossing the Unknown Sea.
If I say I'd been missing this place all the time, I'd be lying. Life's been too busy. But I did miss it often. And lately I do miss it a lot. So, here I am back online. More than two years later.
Two busy years... I got married, we moved, had a baby - in the meantime two-year old toddler... I'm changing jobs...
I can't help but see the way my life has changed. I have no idea which movies are now on but I know that Peppa Pig is on Netflix... I sometimes read books on topics other than parenting... I buy mostly cooking books and children books... We go out with friends with kids, especially those with kids who can play with our kid. We plan the day around afternoon naps... I am working less in the office and more at home... I try to speak correctly and with no accent as my toddler is ruthlessly repeating every word I say the wrong way. I've had sleepless nights, happy tears, moments of guilt, pride... f*ck it moments...
And then at one point life started going back to normal. I can have a shower and comb my hair every day again... It's getting possible to carve out time for what I like doing... I enjoy talking to people about topics other than babies...
And I'll try to be more often around. Hi, I'm back :)
I logged in with the intention to write about a completely different topic and then I read my last post. And I recognized I haven't shared any of the further city explorations we've made.
So, let's start with biking!
There is a biking route around the airport, which is incredibly entertaining. I loved it so much that I was always tempted to do that one again instead of trying out new routes. Well, actually I always went for the new ones but I haven't given up on the idea to make another round around the airport.
So, what is so special about it?
First the obvious - you get to admire the view of airplanes taking off and landing.
Part of the route includes a military tank road - nicely broad and welcoming.
And then big part of the road runs amidst a natural park where you get to hear and see all kinds of amazing birds!
I am starting to explore the city through its famous people and its biking routes.
28 March 2013
"You should never curse anything that is falling from the skies."
I've recently read that in a book. I couldn't agree more, and yet Peter is telling me that I constantly complain about the weather...
In my last Hungarian lesson I learned how to say on the table and at the table. It is so much easier in Bulgarian - the same expression for both situations. And while speaking Bulgarian you cannot make the silly (and to other people funny) mistake to put someone on the table while they are sitting at the table. So practical!
Those guys, however, were clearly having a party on the table.
At a Christmas market in Zurich.
09 June 2012
They say your life today is an expression of your thinking yesterday. So true... A few months ago I was feeling exhausted with the constant travelling and trying to live two lives in two completely different places. While it can be certainly very enriching, it takes a lot of energy- energy to adjust, energy to take care of two homes, energy to transition between "here" and "there", not knowing anymore which is "here" and which is "there". I longed for some routine, waking up in the same bed, cooking in the same kitchen, having flowers in the balcony that would not die because there was no one to water them...
Thus, six weeks after I landed with my two suitcases, five weeks after I started my new job I feel like being at home in Zurich.
We have flowers in the balcony, bikes for the sunny days, and even a TV for the Euro 2012 :)
These days I notice that people naturally tend to look back to their experiences in the past year. Well, I also had a look at the endless folders with pictures in an attempt to remember some special moments. And one of the first pictures I came upon was this.
So, this is not going to be a post about what happened to me but rather about the discoveries I made last year.
To go back to the picture - this was one of the best books I've read - 'Kornel Esti' by Deszö Kosztolány. A friend gave it to me on the first day of summer holidays. There couldn't have been a better time to read this humorous and elegant collection of stories (or maybe a novel?)....
Then of course come all discoveries I make all the time in Switzerland - a world so different in its structure and orderliness. As I've found out many people write about their experiences in this special country. My preferences, however, go to Swiss Watching, which I find informative and pretty amusing. But OK, I couldn't miss sharing this.
Obviously in Switzerland it is possible to buy your ticket after you get off the train...
I managed to break my own record for not writing here. I've just realized it's been more than four months since I've last posted here. OK, I have to admit that I am tempted to say something as dull as "Time flies". And while these four months have certainly been quite busy for me, there has always been time to stop by here, which for one reason or another I haven't done. So, here it is - my first New Year resolution:
Take care of this space. And share more of the little and big wonders I experience every day.
Now it is official and strangely enough, I feel more committed. I wonder if it is the same with marriage...
Christmas decoration arrived early in the shops in Zurich
This song is on the radio and it brings back memories.
For the first time I heard it on the bus travelling to the airport in Vienna. We were leaving and it was a sad good-bye, with tears falling down...
Another memory - a completely different environment. I was in a cafe in Lugano with friends laughing, having fun... and then this song again! I had to find out who was singing.
I tried to ask the waiter in English. No success.
I asked the girl if she spoke French or Spanish (I had French and Spanish speaking friends there).
No.
I tried body language. She thought I said the music was too loud.
No, no, no...
Then she remembered Roberto working in the kitchen spoke some English, and went in looking for him. After a while she came back alone. No Roberto...
German?, I asked hopeless...
Oh, yes, another waiter knew some German.
The German speaking lady did not look very happy she had to deal with me but she was helpful. She took me to the player, took out the CD and showed it to me. Mystery solved!
As broken as this sounds, it would have been so easy if I had just remembered two simple Italian words that I know: "Che cantare?"
...bliss I finally found
In ordinary home-made treasures
On familiar ground
When I'm with you--the time's so precious
Hours flying past
We've got to take some long-term measures
So simple joy is here to last...
After the abundant lamb lunch (as tradition says on St. George Day) I took my notebook and went out in the garden meaning to do some work. But once I found myself sitting in the sun, I quickly changed my mind, and ended up having a short nap, listening to nice old music. Doggy obviously also found peace as I could hear his deep sighs somewhere close to my head...
As I try to clean the clutter in my computer I find pictures I don't even remember...
Yes, it's me! I thought it would be just a management meeting. But no, we had to climb trees, all for the TEAM! I didn't know then that later doing this would pay my bills...
It is getting colder these days. OK, colder means less than 30 degrees C, but still, in a very nice and subtle way autumn is sneaking in. The nights are cooler... The sun shines with a kind of yellow light, or maybe it's the brown-red leaves of the chestnut trees filtering it...
The pictures are from a family trip to Batak - a beautiful lake in the Rhodopi mountains.
This is a card I got from a friend spending her summer vacation at Corfu. "Wish I could relax like the woman in the picture", writes my friend. I guess it is difficult with two little kids. My weekends are just like that - spending time in the garden, enjoying doing nothing after a hard week...
