The weather is great today. Yay! And it will continue to be nice over the weekend. And probably for the following week. Every day until the 29th. Because that is when we return from England. This is just my luck: I'm leaving for London tomorrow. Thought that I would check out the forecast just to make sure that it won't be raining. And of course it will. It will be pouring down. Maximum temperature of 17 degrees. Geneva will have a maximum temperature of 29 degrees on Sunday. According to our London-friends, the weather's been great until now. Or rather: until tomorrow. And now I am accused of "bringing rain". Will also bring Swiss chocolate biscuits to make up for it though. See if it works. At least, the chocolate won't melt.
Going to Sweden in July. Expect the same thing to happen then.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
la langue francaise est tres difficile
I'm reading a French play script at the moment. I have to ,because I'm going to design the set for it. Surprisingly, I'm not using my dictionary very much. Mainly because it slows down the process. I am amazed by how well it's going, and can't stop wondering where all those words that I apparently know are hiding when I try to use them in speech? And a more important question is: how do I make them move from that place to my mouth?
I want to be able to speak French, I really do. I hate the humiliation of being told to phone back another time when there's someone who can speak a few words of English around. It happens all too often. Or having to reply 'je ne comprends pas' when someone I don't know tries to start a conversation with me in the street or in the lift (that actually happens here). Not speaking very good French in Geneva really is a handicap. Hardly anyone speaks English. And yet I am too lazy to learn this language properly.
My recent discovery - that I actually have a much larger vocabulary than I was aware of - is because of this rather surprising to me. The fact that I have it also means that I should somehow try to use it I suppose. Or at least that I could.
I want to be able to speak French, I really do. I hate the humiliation of being told to phone back another time when there's someone who can speak a few words of English around. It happens all too often. Or having to reply 'je ne comprends pas' when someone I don't know tries to start a conversation with me in the street or in the lift (that actually happens here). Not speaking very good French in Geneva really is a handicap. Hardly anyone speaks English. And yet I am too lazy to learn this language properly.
My recent discovery - that I actually have a much larger vocabulary than I was aware of - is because of this rather surprising to me. The fact that I have it also means that I should somehow try to use it I suppose. Or at least that I could.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sex and the city: the movie. Yes, I watched it.
I watched Sex and the city: the movie last night. And I loved it. I don't see myself as a very girly person; I can't walk in high heeled shoes, I seriously don't give a shit about designer clothes and even find most designer handbags provokingly ugly and an unbelievable waste of money. I do not drink cocktails in fancy bars with my girlfriends while discussing details about my love life; I'd much rather go watch bands in filthy rock clubs.
Yet there is something about Sex and the city that I just love. I usually detest romantic comedies and other traditionally girly films. And if it wasn't for the fact that I'd been watching the TV-show, going to see the movie would probably never have crossed my mind.
But since I did, the thought of getting two more hours with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda was too tempting to resist. Partly because it offers two hours of a lifestyle that I perhaps secretly envy, but also because I get to experience what it's like to be part of their little group of friends. Because more than anything, it is a film about the love between women, of friendships that survive relationship after relationship and that only grow stronger through time. And honestly, I envy that friendship more than I envy their fancy apartments or their designer clothes.
Carrie Bradshaw - glamorous even in pyjamas
I can't stop wondering though: how the hell can Carrie afford that fancy of lifestyle, being a writer in New York? How can she possibly make enough money to buy Louis Vuitton handbags, Manolo Blanik shoes etc, wear exclusively designer clothes, redecorate her Manhattan apartment and still have money left to hire a PA and hang around in posh bars, sipping cocktails?
Yet there is something about Sex and the city that I just love. I usually detest romantic comedies and other traditionally girly films. And if it wasn't for the fact that I'd been watching the TV-show, going to see the movie would probably never have crossed my mind.
But since I did, the thought of getting two more hours with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda was too tempting to resist. Partly because it offers two hours of a lifestyle that I perhaps secretly envy, but also because I get to experience what it's like to be part of their little group of friends. Because more than anything, it is a film about the love between women, of friendships that survive relationship after relationship and that only grow stronger through time. And honestly, I envy that friendship more than I envy their fancy apartments or their designer clothes.
Carrie Bradshaw - glamorous even in pyjamasI can't stop wondering though: how the hell can Carrie afford that fancy of lifestyle, being a writer in New York? How can she possibly make enough money to buy Louis Vuitton handbags, Manolo Blanik shoes etc, wear exclusively designer clothes, redecorate her Manhattan apartment and still have money left to hire a PA and hang around in posh bars, sipping cocktails?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
topless dudes on the bus - ban them!
The sun has suddenly appeared! Or should I say reappeared, because I do have vague memories of a time before the grey clouds made their entry on the Swiss sky, a time not too long ago when sunglasses were my main acessory and not umbrellas. I remember the consumption of rosé at the outside tables of cafés and the seaking shelter in the shade in order not to expose my skin to the dangerous uv rays.
Well, that time is here again! And I can't wait to do all those things I wanted to do but couldn't when the rain poured down. Like hang around in parks, go jogging in the morning, discover Geneva's outdoors cafés, have picnics, go for nice evening walks... and maybe, maybe go swimming in the lake. Although I know that the biggest change will be the bad conscience as I waste the day inside instead of going out to do all those things I listed above. As much as I hate bad weather, at least it provides me with a good reason to stay inside and read. I will make a proper effort to spend as much time as I can outside this year, though. I'm in a foreign country after all, and there are things to see and places to discover that I don't want to miss!
And as I do go outside, I will most likely try to avoid using public transport, because that is one of the real drawbacks about warm weather: body odour on the bus/tram/tube! Worst of all are of course the topless guys who use great weather as an excuse to wander around half naked and sweaty. Yes, we know that you don't have breasts, we know that there is nothing sexually arousing about a man's chest and belly (well, in most cases anyway), which apparently makes it socially acceptable to show off your torso anywhere, anytime. Well, if I set the rules for socially acceptable behaviour, there would be no more topless dudes on the bus! Why? Because men sweat, generally more than women, and some seem to bother less with things like personal hygiene. Still these guys think it's ok to let their b.o free instead of trying to hide it with clothes. And no, it doesn't get any less hot because you stop wearing clothes; a loose shirt has a much more cooling effect than the absence of one. I personally find having to be exposed to the sometimes unbearable odour of a sweaty male torso on a bus much more provoking than seeing a pair of naked breasts in a public place. Yet, a woman can't even visit a public swimming pool without wearing a bikini top or she'll be thrown out of the premises (yes, it happened to two girls in Stockholm last summer).
Strangely, it's usually ok for a woman to be topless as long as she's sun bathing. This doesn't always have to involve lying on a beach even; no, you can't even pass a patch of grass in Stockholm in the summer without stumbling over a pair of breasts. As long as they're horizontal, no one seems to mind. If one of these topless women should leave their patch of grass in the same topless state, the toplessnes is no longer socially acceptable and her breasts suddenly become provoking. No logic there if you ask me, but everyone seems to be aware of these rules, because you very rarely see a topless woman on a bus.
Of course, I haven't seen so much of the Swiss summer yet; maybe things are different here...
provoking or just smelly?
Well, that time is here again! And I can't wait to do all those things I wanted to do but couldn't when the rain poured down. Like hang around in parks, go jogging in the morning, discover Geneva's outdoors cafés, have picnics, go for nice evening walks... and maybe, maybe go swimming in the lake. Although I know that the biggest change will be the bad conscience as I waste the day inside instead of going out to do all those things I listed above. As much as I hate bad weather, at least it provides me with a good reason to stay inside and read. I will make a proper effort to spend as much time as I can outside this year, though. I'm in a foreign country after all, and there are things to see and places to discover that I don't want to miss!
And as I do go outside, I will most likely try to avoid using public transport, because that is one of the real drawbacks about warm weather: body odour on the bus/tram/tube! Worst of all are of course the topless guys who use great weather as an excuse to wander around half naked and sweaty. Yes, we know that you don't have breasts, we know that there is nothing sexually arousing about a man's chest and belly (well, in most cases anyway), which apparently makes it socially acceptable to show off your torso anywhere, anytime. Well, if I set the rules for socially acceptable behaviour, there would be no more topless dudes on the bus! Why? Because men sweat, generally more than women, and some seem to bother less with things like personal hygiene. Still these guys think it's ok to let their b.o free instead of trying to hide it with clothes. And no, it doesn't get any less hot because you stop wearing clothes; a loose shirt has a much more cooling effect than the absence of one. I personally find having to be exposed to the sometimes unbearable odour of a sweaty male torso on a bus much more provoking than seeing a pair of naked breasts in a public place. Yet, a woman can't even visit a public swimming pool without wearing a bikini top or she'll be thrown out of the premises (yes, it happened to two girls in Stockholm last summer).
Strangely, it's usually ok for a woman to be topless as long as she's sun bathing. This doesn't always have to involve lying on a beach even; no, you can't even pass a patch of grass in Stockholm in the summer without stumbling over a pair of breasts. As long as they're horizontal, no one seems to mind. If one of these topless women should leave their patch of grass in the same topless state, the toplessnes is no longer socially acceptable and her breasts suddenly become provoking. No logic there if you ask me, but everyone seems to be aware of these rules, because you very rarely see a topless woman on a bus.
Of course, I haven't seen so much of the Swiss summer yet; maybe things are different here...
provoking or just smelly?
Monday, June 9, 2008
Are there really any people left in Portugal?
How can there be 20000000 portugueses in Geneva? Portugal is a small country. Do they all move to Switzerland? It's not until just recently, one week before the European cup started to be more precise, that I realised just how how big the Portuguese community really is. And they all seem to possess at least one Portuguese flag each, which they proudly display from their balconies/windows/backs.
It was with aw that I, a couple of days ago, spotted the by now all too familiar green and red flag hanging from not only the balcony next door, but also the one above ours. It is the European cup and I am surrounded by portuguese football supporters! To make matters worse: the Portuguese team is playing two of their matches here in Geneva! Ironically, these are the ONLY matches to take place here, as far as I know. I'm hoping that, should there be any Portuguese people left in Portugal, they won't all come to our house during the following week.
It was with aw that I, a couple of days ago, spotted the by now all too familiar green and red flag hanging from not only the balcony next door, but also the one above ours. It is the European cup and I am surrounded by portuguese football supporters! To make matters worse: the Portuguese team is playing two of their matches here in Geneva! Ironically, these are the ONLY matches to take place here, as far as I know. I'm hoping that, should there be any Portuguese people left in Portugal, they won't all come to our house during the following week.
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