Things that go swish in the night

START: The other night…

PAUSE: was it yesterday, the day before or last week? Can't remember for the life of me, but who cares? (Thank goodness don’t force my hand with the drink; I’m not even much of a teetotal – or I’d be killing way more brain cells than I can afford from the looks of it!) Bah! Time – does it matter at all, I ask? (In reality, I suspect that it matters quite a lot, however let’s pretend it doesn’t!) As I always say whenever I'm late which turns out to be often enough (!) I refuse to be bound by the conventions of time. Well, unless I'm fighting tooth and nail to make a deadline or something. It is worth noting that my anti-time-convention-philosophy is at its most fluent in the morning, when my hand menacingly smashes into my alarm clock to push (I say push, but really it’s demolish) the snooze button for the umpteenth time.

RESUME: Anyway… What was I going on about? Aha! Yes. Right, I got home after having coffee with a friend, made myself a nice glass of ice cold water (I seem to be drinking like a fish lately), watched some TV (a Will and Grace re-run; don’t you just lurve Karen?!? Aha ha ha ha ha… with her high pitched voice!) and had a nice revitalising shower. I did some bedtime reading after which my eyes started to glaze over and I started yawing uncontrollably. It was only when I was seriously struggling to put the words on the page into focus and keep my eyes open that I decided that I was exhausted enough to deserve some serious shut eyes.

Not a second after I had turned off my bedside lamp, I got that ominous feeling that something was amiss. Being ever so slightly neurotic, I walked to the bathroom to check whether I had turned the lights off. Yes - I had.

Then I thought maybe I left the water running, so I had to put the lights on to check that none of the taps were gushing out gallons of water in manner of Niagara Falls or similar. Verified that no water was sprouting from the taps. Turned off the lights again. Resignedly, I made my way, downstairs where everything seemed alright. The fridge was closed, lights off, even the front door was locked well. And there were no monsters lurking behind the curtains, or crouched under the sofa.

So what was it, I wondered as I decided to go back upstairs to sleep trying to ignore the nagging feeling that something (hopefully something other than my mind!) was decidedly off.

Less than a split second later I hit the lights on again. I knew it! Hunting in my bag, I confirmed my suspicion. My beloved mobile was missing. Now where did I leave it? I knew that I had it with me in the car when I got home, because I heard my sms alert. After scouring the room (twice!) I knew that I had left my phone in the car, which meant that I had to get dressed (no, I’m not going out in my PJs!), go downstairs, unlock the door, walk all the way round the corner to where my car was parked and reverse the whole process until I was back in bed and hopefully sound asleep.

As soon as I stepped outside, keys in my hand (to make sure I don’t get locked out… again!) a cool gust of wind brushed my hair and gave me goose bumps – very unlikely for a July evening in Malta. My next-door neighbour’s trees were rustling ominously, shadows were flickering in and out of the night, while the wind was whispering strange things in a language I do not speak. Suddenly my suburban neighbourhood seemed totally alien to me. It was as though I was in some fantasy/fiction novel come to life!

I looked around me and proceeded to the car, got my phone and was walking back home when I saw a shooting star streak across the clear velvety sky. I stopped in my tracks and admired the stars shimmering in the moonlight – a sight which was well worth the impromptu midnight stroll. I got home, charged my mobile phone (after warning it never to go wondering off under the car seat all alone at night again!) and had a good night’s sleep.

Oh… and just in case you were wondering, I did make a wish upon seeing the shooting star. I won’t tell what that wish was, but I will tell you if and when it comes true!

Images on Flickr

I have just added some images which I like or I took with my faithful phone on my new Flickr page, which you can view here and also comment on. :)

Also, I have been meaning to tell you, that just in case you hadn't noticed the general revamp of the blog, I have also been working on some tecchie bloggy things, such as the Bloglet i.e. the little box in the sidebar, through which you can subscribe to regular email updates from my blog.

Something good, sometimes!

I have to, HAVE TO tell someone or I will just die grinning stupidly like this, with this impish expression on my face! I feel like a little child who's been up to no good! Not very becoming of a lady, I know!

And all because this morning, on the way into work, the object of self's affection wasn't sleepy-eyed at all but very chatty and alert and suave - holding a conversation of intellectual nature with self and using various tri-syllabic words! Self is obviously largely relieved to find that said gentleman has such a vast vocabulary - even it was really early in the morning.

Fortunately I was wearing my full-office-makeup (which differs largely from the full-party-evening-makeup, unless one is of course practising the oldest trade in the world, which self is not!) And I had colour coordinated accessories – blue today. (Don't worry, I am not at all over the pink phase and will NOT be switching the template of the blog to blue! Not yet, anyway!)

It is as though the powers that be have decided to make up for Monday! Yesss! Or perhaps it is the new very chic necklace I have, which is made of glass and beads and semi precious stones (all different shades of blue) which may have some very potent magical properties. Or maybe, just maybe he was just in a chatty mood!

And just to think that some ten minutes before meeting said gentleman, I was really grumpy, because:
A) It was too early in the morning to be going to work!
B) One of my exes has taken to parking his car in the same car park as me – which means that I meet him almost every morning. Has he no decency?
C) Some idiot had almost run me and my car onto a pavement on the Birkirkara bypass this morning!

Funny how some things can just flip your perspective round 180 degress!

Hurray it's Monday!

I have spent the greater part of my weekend with a migraine… which is no way to celebrate my meeting yet another deadline (damn!) I guess that life isn’t really fair.

Humph!

When my migraine seemed to be letting off a little, I managed to read some more wonderful twist-in-the-tale-stories by the great O’Henry, which did much to improve the quality of my weekend and my mood… which goes to show you exactly how bad migraines are, particularly when they interrupt perfect weekend plans. Humph!

And we’re back to Monday, which is generally NOT my favourite day of the week! It’s funny how meeting the right person on the way to work can brighten up even the blandest of Mondays. Talk about a good start to your day! Then again, when this said object of one’s affection is too sleepy-eyed to notice oneself (and one’s perfectly colour-coordinated pink accessories, makeup, etc.) the grey cloud that looms upon every fun-loving twentysomething on a Monday morning, darkens ominously to charcoal grey before ultimately surrenders to coal with a stifled whimper. Then it starts thundering and lightening, flashes of electrical atmospheric charge making the coal black cloud look even backer. And CLAP, BANG, BOOM (yes, in the manner of Adam West’s Batman TV series) the little cloud starts pouring rain like there’s no tomorrow. In fact there probably won’t be a tomorrow, and even if tomorrow were to survive it would need acqua lungs to get through the floods. Humph!

This evening I am meeting the Zen Master, henceforth known as ZM (my my, all those legal dramas I’ve been watching and reading are really paying off in terms of pompous vocabulary.. which might probably be ever so slightly distracting, annoying and counterproductive. Make mental note to strike off such abhorrent language from the record! Gaaah! GAAAH! Am now thinking like a lawyer, there must definitely be something very wrong with me HELP! HELP!)

…

Ok have calmed down. Well, at any rate, I am as calm as my natural constitution will ever permit me to be! Will visit my doctor this week to see whether migraines are in any way related to legal dramas, and similar jargon as need serious help! (Obviously.)

Back to the Zen Man who is is smart – way smarter than average (a prerequisite for striking up a conversation, let alone friendship with me!) He’s so smart in fact that he’s even smarter than me (double damn!) And sly as a fox. I am not sure that I am exactly looking forward to hearing his verdicts about my questions. Because whereas other (normal, average Joe) people try to provide answers to your burning questions, ZM simply rates them. It’s one of his many idiosyncrasies -he uses questions as mirrors on which to reflect your personality – very frustrating and severely thought-inducing, which I suspect is his exact intention, honed in like a missile. Let’s hope all this doesn’t give me another migraine!

To my knowledge there is only one reader who knows who I refer to by ZM. She also knows him in person and says that I do give a pretty spot on description (so there, you have it, I’m not exaggerating, or making a fuss, or anything!)

Will let you know how it goes later this week, if I somehow manage to get through today, that is!

Hurray it's Monday!

But really, there's no need to cheer!

London replies!

Thanks to those of you who emailed to ask about my friends in London. The two who i hadn't managed to get in touch with are both safe and well, thank goodness! The relief I felt in knowing that my friends were well was immense. As it turned out, one was on holiday in the Med, while Gret simply left her mobile at home... and what a day to choose to forget one's mobile!

An important deadline (for one of my 'projects') fell this Saturday, which meant that I was very stressed, frantic and generally insane. (What else is new?) However, I managed to watch a great deal of coverage about the attacks in London. It's been really terrible. And it will be very difficult for those friends and families who are mouring their loved ones, as well as those who have been injured, and others looking for the missing. My thoughts go out to these people.

While the world has been in shock over the attacks Londoners have been picking up the pieces and getting back to normality in admirable Brit fashion. They have been called stoic and resilient. They bravely got right back to using the public transport system (where this was available) the day after the attacks. They went back to their life, which is not to say that they weren't upset or concerned. Their great asset is the courage they showed in getting over their perfectly understandable fears and back into their lives. What a reply to give the world and the persons who perpetrated the cruel and inhuman acts!

I was once told that it's not succeeding or failing which counts in life. It's not about how you fall, but how you rise from a defeat and take the challenge to try better and harder next time round. This reminds me of my all time favourtie poem, If by Rudyard Kipling, where he says:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
...
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

Calling London

I cannot believe what the world has come to!

I have just heard about the terrible blasts in London - my dad called me to let me know. Like every Maltese person, I have several family members and friends living in London and was worried sick about them!

I tried calling to make sure that they are ok, but since they live in London, where, I imagine the phone network is down and I couldn't get through to anyone! Terribly anxious, I got onto my trusty computer and started emailing like mad with one hand while sending text messages from my phone with the other! Meanwhile I went on the chat, where lots of friends of mine, like myself were trying to get hold of their loved ones in UK capital. It is surreal how internet and modern telecommunications bring everyone together. Everyone was trying to get in touch with loved ones, hoping that everything would be ok! The worst of it is not knowing, and the helplessness that this brings on! Fortunately all my family members are out of harm's way - THANK GOD!

Only Greta and another friend remain unaccounted for so I am still trying to contact them! (Gret, if you're reading please message me!!!!)

I was watching Tony Blair's press conference on TVM, and he looked very emotional. Accoriding to PBS, although it is still early to tell, no Maltese people seem to have been injured in the blasts, which are now beeing treated as terrorist attacks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was very efficient and effective with dealing with Maltese people caught in the Boxing Day Asian Tsunami, has set up a 24-hour helpline to provide information and assistance in relation to the blasts in London. The helpline number is 25968549 for Malta

I would also like to send out my sincere condolences for those who have lost family members and friends in the attacks. I also wish those injured a speedy recovery.

FYI I have changed email address to: girlaboutlife@gmail.com

Take care and be safe!