every so often.......

It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon as the sun smiled upon the myriad of people-young,old,black,brown,white,yellow (I kid you not-there actually was a woman who was an eerie shade of yellow bordering on jaundice... and that 's why FAKE TANS ARE A BAD IDEA).
In the midst of this ocean of bodies, a beautiful voice resonated through the air.... a beautiful voice that belonged to a man standing in the middle of Buchanan Street.... a beautiful voice that was belting out a glorious version of Puccini's Nessun Dorma... a beautiful voice that inspired the flight of pigeons up high into the skies.
Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, this tenor was hypnotizing a growing crowd, and as I got cozy on the steps nearby with a Starbucks' Straberries and Cream in hand, I was reminded of this scene in 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' where Babra Streisand is giving a lecture on the reality of romantic love and she says ".....the onscreen lovers kiss and the music soars and our emotions are heightened and magnified ... but in reality we don't hear Pucinni when we kiss!!!!
She was elaborating about the manipulation of media and the effect it has on us, and that very often there is dissapointment on some level when we don't hear the Philharmonic when our date kisses us goodnight....metaphorically speaking.
But that afternoon, as goosebumps mushroomed all over me, I thought the atmosphere that we were all enveloped in that afternoon very much resembled a scene from a good old fashoined New York movie. There were in fact couples wrapped up in each other and I'm sure they were thinking the same thing I was ....... that every so often, life does imitate art.

It was a lazy, cloudy Sunday morning,( yeah Glagsgow's 'great' that way-you can experience all four seasons over the course of just one weekend)
Anyways,I digress-I was sitting in the lounge, on the phone with mum. I finally organized my flat and was ecstatically regaling her with my adventures of interior decorating, a vacumm cleaner that started to smoke (err.. I still don't know what happened there), and the big beautiful bay windows that adorned the walls of the lounge, though I was expressing a slight unease at the fact that when the curtains are drawn open, it's a free-for-all viewing opportunity and as much as I'm sure that the people on the opposite side of the street have much better things to do than to play peeping toms, the excessive exposure was extremely exasperating.
And then minutes into my rant......IT appeared!!!This pasty white, assymmetrical excuse for a derriere was staring me in the face... from across the road. Awwww man.... talk about timing... mum laughed, I shrugged!!! Some guy was walking around his lounge, naked and hunched over.... in an effort to maintain some decency,maybe?? I don't know??!! Seriously......Seriously!!!
Later that night I was thinking about it...the incident on the whole that is, and not the faceless ass, I smiled and realised that now I too have that 'naked man across the road'.
Megan,I thought of you....hahah.... you'd so get a kick out of this ;)
I'm sure Ross, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler and Joey would be thrilled to know that every so often... life does imitate art ...
(their 'art')!

of chicken soup

To the Void,

Its been 7 very raw hours since I've landed back in Glasgow.
I'm missing my mom and dad and my dogs, I can hardly breathe.

My mom made me chicken soup before I left... really kickass chicken soup!!
My mom sat and fed me chicken soup whilst I sat next to her on the sofa.....

.....5 hours later I boarded a plane bound for Scotland!!!!!

Will leaving home ever get any easier????

From K.

the traveller

Its friggin' 3am and I find myself in the abyss that is Dubai International Airport.
Normally, 3 am wouldn't evoke such animosity.
Normally, 3am represents bliss, with hot cup of coffee, in front of the computer or under the duvet with a good book.
But, when 3 am represents the first of a 9 hour lay over, after a 10 hour flight..its really, really...
*fill in with the most gratifying, explosive expletive*!!!!!

Yes..this is a post that, is in essence a rant and one that is not for the faint of heart!!!
So, you have been warned!
I'm standing in what appears to be a corridor like yoke in the middle of somewhere in the airport . It is extremely narrow and the computers are set up back to back,thus obliterating all personal space....and right now some joker behind me is standing with his arse poised in such a way, that it is not only obstructing the walkway, but making sporadic contact with me and the person next to him!!!! WTF*(^&(*^%*^#%@(!?!!!!

Oh and also... th screens for some reason are perched up slightly beyond my reach... so this angst ridden post is being typed entirely on tip-toe.!!! (Yes, yes .... I'm probably just short)

Oh and also....the friggin connection here is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo slowwwwwwwwwwwwww.... think of snail moving in slow motion.... HAHAHAH...is that even remotely funny???? At this point I don't know ... I'm just HAHAH-ing in surrender to the brain and body freeze that is currently underway.

Hmm... those are the main highlights ..so far..... *deep breath in...and out*
Sigh... despite these hysterics, I am delighted and excited to be heading home... in about 15 hours. As they say- No pain, No gain.
So, though I know I shouldn't be complaining, I thought I'd be cheeky and indulge myself.

I hope you were as amused reading this as I was writing it... heheh....

I'm now going to go and pacify myself with a Venti White Chocolate Cappucino in Starbucks!!!!

the graduate

5PM
I'm sitting here at the computer listening to the legendary Pat Metheny, whilst attempting to commit to my blog the events that unfolded this morning, the 4th of July 2007.

twelve and a half hours earlier....

5.30AM
I woke up this morning,a student of the University of Glasgow, scurrying about the flat, trying to iron my white blouse, drink coffee and brush my teeth almost simultaneously. I learnt that at the most 2 are possible at any one time ( but I wouldn't recommend brushing teeth with Nescafe.... NOT PLESANT!)
You must understand- I have just moved into my flat,and expectedly so, most of what I possess are in boxes ...many many boxes!!!
Toothbrush in Box A .... toothpaste in Box E.... one shoe in my wardrobe...one shoe in the lounge ( yeah you guessed .. in another box!!!. I have a new found repsect for the phrase "To look for a needle in a haystack :).So you've had a glimpse of the chaos that defined the beginnings of what everyone says is
A MILESTONE in my life... MY BIG DAY... and all that jazz.
At the rate I was going, I was convinced that my big day would come and go, and I'd still be looking for that elusive left black shoe!!!

9.30AM
Miraculously enough,I made it to the courtyard (in one piece,both shoes on and my head on my shoulders) with half an hour to spare... half an hour to collect myself... half an hour before my status as a puny yet safe and protected under-space occupying lesion-graduate would expire.

It was a glorious morning as the sun reflected off the dew kissed grass and smiled upon us all.
The university quadrangle was abuzz with students and their families and friends. Needless to say, the incessant clicking of cameras and requests (some orders) of "Smile", "Stand here... No there... , ok turn this way a little.. 1 2 3 ... " *click* resounded through the grounds as everyone went trigger happy with their Canons and Nikons and Sonys. Even I, who HATES having my photo taken succumbed to the call of the lens, and yes... pictures were taken!

11AM
Clad in elegant black and red robes that kept sliding off our shoulders(not so elegant), we filed into the antique Bute Hall and took our seats.

11.15AM
The ceremony kicked off with the academic procession of vice-chancellor and all those who embody the powers that be of the University of Glasgow. A prayer of thanksgiving was then recited by us all in Latin. Very cool.

11.30AM
The roll call began!As I sat there watching my fellow batchmates rise from their seats to heed the call of the vice-chancellor, the butterflies successfully found their way into the depths of my tummy and I was like ... "Holy crap... I'm up next.... Don't trip on the robe Karen... Don't trip!" Mantra of the moment.

Then it happened- I found myself standing in front of the vice-chancellor as he said:
"KAREN L, Te baccalaureum" !!
And at that moment, I was bestowed the highest honour in my little life to date:
Medicinae Baccalaureum et Chirurgiae Baccalaureum

Grand!

12 PM
The vice-chancellor delivered a short speech, brimming with idealism and enthusiasm for what's in store for us beyond the great doors of university. The one line that he said that stuck with me was
"Don't play it small. This is your time!"

12.15PM
The finale was a grand exit preceeded by the academic head honchos, followed by us...THE GRADUATES!!
As we began to spill out of our rows,there was a familiar tune coming to life within the walls of the hall. It was the Star Wars theme!!!! I kid you not.... hahah it was friggin BRILLIANT!! As the monstrous pipe organ started bellowing the opening bars of John Williams masterpiece, we gave each other the "Are you joking... this is awesome!" look, and made our exit in style,with beaming smiles,infused with pride and thrill.

AWW MAN ...WHAT A HIGH!

6PM
I woke up this morning, a student at the University of Glasgow.
I sit here and conclude this post, a graduate from the University of Glasgow.