Up high

This is going to be a long one. I might not get a chance to blog once I start work.

Trip: London - Venice - Florence - Pisa - London - Gold Leaf city - Inis Mor - London - home to Gold Leaf

Venice

~ was OK. The first time I saw the gondolas and the striped gondoliers, my camera suddenly went on autopilot mode, snapping every few seconds.

~ I succumbed to the Venetian masks again and bought not one, but two of them. That night, myself and Alang wore our masks and had an Ultraman fight in front of the large hotel mirror. They remind me of Starvaganza.

~ At one time, I was face to face with Brendan Fraser himself! Just as I was alighting from the waterbus/boat, I saw him unravelling the rope, his eyes looking right at me (OK, I was imagining that). He’s working as an assisstant on the waterbus…? Naaaah… just a look alike. But a remarkably Brendan Fraser-ish looking guy. I only got a picture of the back of his head though.

~ Murano glass watches!

Florence

~ Leather, leather everywhere. Not really my type of place… was what I thought at first. But somehow, ibu’s bug bit me (heheh.. blame the bug) and I bought a travel luggage (deep red, absolutely gorgeous), 2 handbags and one computer/travel bag thingy for Ayah’s birthday/father’s day. I think I used up my rent for the month.

~ Senorina? Is that Italian or spanish? Or both?

~ Was duped by a shifty eyed person and at first, I wished his hair would fall off and that he’d fall into a bubbling volcano, but then, after talking a bit, I changed my wish to that of a better one.

Pisa

~ I love walking under the trees, down the little streets and in between houses where there are flowers on the wondowsill and those colourful fans (this means that we were lost and had to navigate in and out of the streets till we reached the tower).

~ Because the street was quiet, I was able to hear the sound of my bag being opened and when I turned around, there was this girl walking behind me, so close that her map was touching my backpack. When I took off my backpack, all the zips were undone and the girl pretended to ask Ayah directions to the tower (and she’s Italian…) I was a bit surprised at first and thought that I was the one who forgot to close the bag and she ran away before I realized what happened. Nothing was lost anyway. She’d just be a proud owner of a mosituriser and a piece of crumpled paper. I don’t carry around jewels/wads of cash/gold in my bag.

~ I found out that I left my camera in Florence and called the hotel. Before I could even explain what happened, the guy told me he was trying to find a way to return the camera, and was glad that I called :) One-hour train ride back to Florence and was reunited with my beloved.

~ We pushed the tower like everyone else,

London

~ Jack Sparrow! in London! Jack Sparrow look-alike. He even lurched around like old Jack.

~ Harrods: to have a look at the toilet (I know, very jakun). So luxurious that I can sleep there if I have no place to stay. Toys area: there’s a humming, smiling guy with the dark green apron offering baskets to customers. He looks just like someone from my childhood imagination. Something of magical shops, from Enid Blyton. Or Hogwarts.

~ Golden humbugs

~ Skateboarding kids

~ Fish and chips

~ Ayah went to Japan. We went to the Kew Gardens and… shhhhh… picked lavenders, climbed the Canopy Walk (?), ran, jumped, smelled the roses, sat under a tree and had a lunch of strawberries, blueberries and sandwiches before flying off to Dublin

Here, a poppy in a sea of lavender

Strawberries!

Galway City

~ for the first time in ages, I tasted ibu’s cooking again :)

~ 16th June 09: I graduated :) The best feeling ever - when walking towards our seats and the Celtic music was playing, families smiling and congratulating us. My family was on the other side of the hall, but I could still see their smiling faces :)

Class picture

~ Pictures galore. We went to the quadrangle and I had a duel with Lemon (the black robe, hood and the scroll makes a good wizarding outfit, while the wind billowing our robes made it appear more dramatic) and finally, everyone threw the hats high in the air.

Inis Mor

~ My second time here and I still love Dun Aengus, that fort high above the sea. Every few seconds of climbing up to the fortress, I’d look down and marvel at the island down below and the sea. I think I might add ‘lying in the grass’ as my new hobby now. At least up till I get bitten by a tick.

Up in Dun Aengus

~ I also fell in like with the locals and their gaelic talk

~ There’s an old graveyard with crumbling tombstones and two roofless churches. Walking through the soft grass and wild flowers, Nobody leapt in mind.

Back in Galway

~ I said goodbye to Lemon and Nat and yes! Lemon cried. Well, I nearly cried too. Lemon gave me a painting of the sea and storm (that’s right, isn’t it?) and we exchanged bracelets with silly names engraved on them.

London Again

Museums and parks, doughnuts and kebabs. Family time :)

Bekonscot and the miniature village. Bouncing balls.

There’s just so much that I can’t possibly write down everything. They’re there, in my diary of thoughts and will remain there until my short and long term memory run out (which, according to both sisters, will be tomorrow)

Arriving home (just now), I found another painting on my bed. From Nat. She went off while I was in London and left me a red flower and my graduation pictures on my bed. I’m going to miss all of them.

Pray that my family reach home safely :)

Tomorrow, intern induction starts and I’ll be too busy with that and with moving away from Gold Leaf. On Monday, I’ll start off as an intern in OopsyDaisy. Looking forward to a new life.