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on 48
I'm sitting in my slip on my balcony in the late summer heat with popcorn and rosé reflecting on my life as a "femme du une certain age" with some consternation and perplexity. When I consider what/where I thought I'd be at this point--ironically, at a high level I have basically achieved the aspirations of my early adolescence (based on nothing ( Read more... ) -
Rivet remembers that the rich ladies can't see the dirty-faced tree climber she is on the inside
TL;DR: Dr Rivet remembers that the rich ladies can't see the dirty-faced tree climber she is on the inside.
I had a bit of a personal revelation this morning. My mother and I lived with an iron-willed and well-heeled great aunt (my father’s aunt) for a bit when I was a 12 year old tomboy struggling with the abrupt onset of puberty. This was the ( Read more... ) -
Anurhadapura again
This time we stayed the older area of the city in a hostel that is basically everything I'm looking for. It was 3 stories overlooking the leafy ravine, surrounded by trees full of mischevious monkeys. We had outdoor space, light, fresh air and relative privacy. We drank beer and watched monkey TV for a good chunk of the afternoon. We went out for ( Read more... ) -
Jaffna
The next morning we got the first class express train to Jaffna (former stronghold of the Tamil Tigers) to experience the other half of the country. As we headed north on the train the terrain became dryer and scrubbier with patches of bare sandy soil exposed. We passed the occasional bombed-out building. The horizon was lined with palms. We passed ( Read more... ) -
Anuradhapura
After breakfast our Negombo host drove us 30 km by tukuk to intercept the Northern line at Veyangoda rather than going into Colombo and back out. He Organised our tickets, we bought some water and snacks and we were off! In a sense, this was where the holiday really starts. Negombo was a liminal zone in which we were delayed and I was a bit ( Read more... ) -
4 days in Negombo
We arrived late Thursday evening still a bit stressed from our adventures in the Kuala Lumpur airport. The Colombo airport was sleepy and duty free was strangely full of whiteware rather than booze. We bought an inexpensive whiskey to decant into plastic for the trip and kept moving. Given that this was the only international airport in a country ( Read more... ) -
One day in Kuala Lumpur
Our plane arrived early morning, and we were treated to a stunning sunrise painting the sky with flames. After bathroom, customs, tropical clothes and bag storage, we started with white coffee, soft boiled eggs, and Kaya toast in the airport to tide us over until the next meal. We caught a train from the terminal to the city-- step by local ( Read more... ) -
independence day?
I celebrated independence day by putting a deposit on an apartment http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-brunswick+east-125635426
Nothing is forever, but this is for now. -
personal/professional first
I turned down a role today because they couldn't pay me what I'm worth, and expected that to be okay. They expected me to do it for 53% under the rate for the role, with the offer of renegotiation later when more project funds come through. This was AFTER I'd talked to them about money expectations, in hopes of avoiding this. I'm disappointed at ( Read more... ) -
open enquiry
I'm back to daydreaming about buying an apartment (which I do when I feel stuck, because I no longer have a bolthole). I've talked myself out of this every time because 1. I don't know how long I'm going to be here and 2. everything is ridiculously overpriced and due a correction ( Read more... )