Archive for December, 2006
Dedicated or what?
I’m off on holiday tonight and here I am blogging. Dedication or what?
Actually, it’s boredom. We’re off to Dubai to stay with my brother who lives out there and we’re now sitting in T3 at Heathrow waiting. In fact, we’ve been waiting for the best part of 3 hours already (and there’s still about 2 [...]
I’m off on holiday tonight and here I am blogging. Dedication or what?
Actually, it’s boredom. We’re off to Dubai to stay with my brother who lives out there and we’re now sitting in T3 at Heathrow waiting. In fact, we’ve been waiting for the best part of 3 hours already (and there’s still about 2 hours till we take off).
We ended up getting to the airport 5 (yes, 5) whole hours in advance. Conscious of the whole extra security thing and some of the horror stories people have told me, we decided that the bus that got us here in plenty of time would be far less stressful than one that got us there with just about the correct amount of time pre-departure. And we were right.
We’ve had a lovely dinner (fillet steak for me and gourmet burger for J), browsed the shops and bought some antibacterial handwipes (I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to how dirty planes are). And it’s all been quite pleasant.
A much better airport experience than I’m used to.
I usually HATE airports & flying. Possibly stems back to my childhood days when we used to fly as UMs (unaccompanied minors) with a flying Aunty who sat next to us the whole way and made us eat ALL the food on the plane (and this was over 10 years ago) when it was even more disgusting than it is now.
So all in all, I’m quite enjoying it and even looking forward to the flight a teensy weensy bit. Yes me, who usually sits there covered in what J calls my “shroud” (it’s a very thin cotton wrap) pulled over my head with my eye pads on, my ear plugs in and generally not moving unless I’m desperate for the loo.
If only I’d learned that NLP technique of time-line thingy or whatever it is that makes 8 hours seem like 8 minutes.
Anyway, before I talk myself out of looking forward to the flight, it will actually be quite nice not to have any kind of communications access and to have a reason to just sit.
Oh excellent, I even get to try out my own personal air purifier that my Dad refused to buy for my birthday because he said it wouldn’t work.
Obviously, I don’t care how I look when I fly as long as I’m comfortable – which is why I also always change into my scruffiest trackie bottoms when I board so my “normal” trousers don’t get dirty. Never mind the fact I’ve already been wearing them all day, sat on a bus for 3 hours and in a dirty terminal for 5 hours.
I better go before I really start to sound like an obsessive compulsive :-)
Is it time for a new blog?
Bright & breezy today!
Recovered from yesterday’s little setback and focusing now on packing for tomorrow so we avoid the last minute “shove everything in the suitcase cos we’ve left it too late and get there with all the wrong stuff” scenario, which seems to happen quite frequently to us.
Quite excited now about Dubai. Then when [...]
Bright & breezy today!
Recovered from yesterday’s little setback and focusing now on packing for tomorrow so we avoid the last minute “shove everything in the suitcase cos we’ve left it too late and get there with all the wrong stuff” scenario, which seems to happen quite frequently to us.
Quite excited now about Dubai. Then when we get back it looks like we’ll be moving out of our flat within days and then about 3 weeks later, we’ll be off to Panama. Aaaaaaaggggghhh, how did it all happen so quickly?
Anyway, lying awake the past couple of nights for about 5 minutes before I zonk out, I’m wondering whether it might be time to start a new blog.
One that’s specifically about re-locating to a new country – or perhaps even bigger than that – about our ‘quest’ to travel the world and find some place we want to live. I think people might find it interesting & useful (at least our families would!!!).
I know that I’ve searched and searched for people who’ve moved to Panama from the UK (I’ve even found a few) – and I know I’ve found it useful to read about all the things they had to sort out before they left, the things they had problems with when they got there and the little things that the guide books don’t usually tell you.
So I wonder if there’s an interest out there for people who want to know how to set things up so you can work from anywhere, how to plan a move overseas, how to research the more exotic places to go to and what NOT to do!!!
We haven’t moved successfully yet, I know, so maybe I’m getting ahead of myself and should wait to see that we don’t end up living in some shanty town (J’s fear!!), with no broadband, in the middle of a hurricane and totally the wrong clothes ;-)
Could it even become a book????
What happened to my day?
I had a really weird experience today.
The day started off fine – a little groggy from some yummy mulled wine last night – but I woke up, sprung out of bed (ha, who am I kidding? I never spring out of bed…not a morning person at all).
Anyway, I got up out of bed and got [...]
I had a really weird experience today.
The day started off fine – a little groggy from some yummy mulled wine last night – but I woke up, sprung out of bed (ha, who am I kidding? I never spring out of bed…not a morning person at all).
Anyway, I got up out of bed and got ready to go out. Was meeting up with somebody I’ve been doing a bit of ‘work’ with on the phone. We’d never met in person so he was here visiting the rellies for Christmas and asked if we could meet up.
Well, what was supposed to be an hour or so ‘coffee’ break ended up being a 3 hour marathon chat. All interesting and fine but I came away feeling weird.
And I’ve felt weird all day. Kind of deflated, ‘lost’ and a little listless. It’s not post-Xmas blues (I’m not a Xmas person either) and it’s not anything specific. Perhaps he did some ‘voodoo’ on me.
I felt challenged (but not in a good way) and uncomfortable throughout a lot of the conversation – and that doesn’t often happen to me, whoever I’m speaking to.
You know those people who bring things up, more so they can show how fabulously intellectual & clever they are rather than adding something to the conversation? Or the kind of people you speak to when you feel like you are constantly being analysed & judged?
So I’ve spent the rest of the day (apart from a 2 hour stint with a client) feeling weird. And I’m REALLY annoyed with myself because of it. I’m not blaming him – my feelings are my responsibility but it has made me re-assess a few things and one lesson I’ve re-learned…
Don’t spend your precious time with people who don’t make you feel good (or even better, feel great).
And seek out those who do.
