Parts of my conversation with the border security lady at Gatwick airport went something like this:
Lady: and where are you staying while in London?
Me: with some people I found on the Internet
Lady: and what's their address?
Me: I don't know..
Lady pauses for a while
Lady: and when do you fly out?
Me: next Sunday
Lady: can I see your return ticket?
Me: *genuinely confused* um.. No.. It's all on the internet.. Um..
Lady pauses for a while again. A sigh.
Lady: do you know the name of the people with whom you are staying?
Me: umm.. I think her name is Eve???

Long story short I got a (very kindly done) schooling on what I have to BRING WITH ME next time I fly.. I must have looked innocently bewildered enough that the nice lady took pity on me and let me into her country.. Nice lady..

Then there was some fun trying to locate my lift! An exercise which was complicated by my phone running out of credit.

But alls well that ends well and I ate a kebab and got to chill out in a really cool Victorian style house. The hosts are really friendly and very helpful.

That's all for now. Cheerio!

thank

I'm sitting with my back to the fireplace, a warm cup of coffee steaming by my side and fluffy white snow falling silently outside. I am still not used to snow not making a sound as it falls.. It just kind of creeps up while you're asleep and gathers in little clumps on the ground, on the roof tops, on the branches of the trees..

It's funny how some days you can wake up feeling so positive and thankful and other days wake up so grumpy and irritated by everything. I suppose there is a chemical reason for that? I wonder what it is.. I feel positive and thankful today though :) 

This Sunday I head over to London for a week to hangout with my friend Rach! I'm really excited about that. Except for being a bit broke.. But I will have enough for food and I will have a place to stay.. I will have my camera and the company of a friend so it will be great!

Question: Why do animals sometimes act altruistically?

I'm halfway through listening to this Radiolab episode which asks the question: If natural selection is about ensuring your own survival, why do we see some animals sacrificing themselves for others? 

I haven't finished it yet.. It's interesting so far though. Taya and I were listening to it before and she was asking a lot of questions :) It was cool! We were also talking last night about the Big Bang and I was trying to explain why I believed the theory and why I think it doesn't have to mean that the Bible is wrong about where stuff came from. The funny thing about kids though is that they kind of get bored halfway through your explanation and just decide not to worry about it any more. Which was a relief for me because I don't know if I was making any sense.. 

Saas-Fee Wideo

Here is a wideo of the train trip to Saas-Fee.. I went on a fancy train called the Glacier Express with big windows! It was cool..

Youtube said that my video looked shaky and would I like them to fix it.. and I said yes... which is why it zooms all crazy! Kinda like the effect though..

post postcard

This was a work in progress postcard I was making for a friend of mine. We didn't end up using it, but I wanted to share it with the world anyway! I just love the guys face.. Makes me laugh every time.

Saas-fee

Here in ski village saas-fee!

Today was good Friday.. I find it absurd that I had a fun day in a ridiculously beautiful and awesome place on a such a day. Actually, I have found ordinary life strange and surprising almost everyday since coming to Switzerland.. The whole exercise of obtaining bread for the day, for instance, is exciting. "IM WALKING DOWN A MOUNTAIN IN THE ALPS TO THE SHOP! OH MY GOD THERE'S SOME SNOW! HOLY SHIT MAYBE I'LL BUY MILK! SOMEONE JUST SAID HELLO!!!!!!!!!" and etc.. Of course I am exaggerating but how it be if I lived everyday for the rest of my existence in constant delight over "ordinary" things? Some part of me thinks that would be to live more in touch with reality... Another part just thinks it would be tiring.

on my mind

Here are the things tumbling around in my mind.. Like a big load of sudsy washing in my brain-machine. 

Where is the cat? Is he ok? How do I pack snowboard boots? They're huge! I ate too much asparagus. How will I know when to switch from a train to a bus tomorrow? I need to borrow that phone from Nick. How much is it to send an sms here? I hope my Citybank letter arrives soon. What about visa? Will I get a fine? How much money will this weekend cost? What is it to live in the spirit? Are wrist tattoo's really a lesbian thing? I hope my washing dries before tomorrow morning. Will there be food on the train? Will the snow be any good at saas-fee? Will I get on with Kylies friends? I'm I going to get my period while snowboarding? Do I have pain killers? What will I do if I lose my painkillers? I mustn't forget to clean up my room before I go. Don't forget the garbage. I should have used less water when I stewed those apples. Am I keeping the place clean enough? Where is the cat? Is he ok? How do I pack........

And so on and so forth.. I realised I was doing it before and made me laugh.

snowboarding

Re: My day of snowboarding in Davos

1. Approaching strangers at the train station, looking for someone to share a 2-for-one deal with me.
2. Apologising in advance to the Italian skier on the lift with me if I took him out.
3. Falling off the t-bar. Walk / snowboard of shame back down to the bottom.
4. Falling off the t-bar again. Walk / snowboard of shame again.
5. Friendly German man rides the t-bar with me and gets me up safely. We have a disjointed conversation half english, half german. 
6. The run of DOOM which goes FOREVER but is still fun. 
7. Slushy snow in the afternoon.. 
8. A blissful kitkat moment.
9. Cold beer before the train home. 
10. Really, really sore ass. Egg on the knee.

Have you ever seen a confident yet inexperienced person pick up a lit fire-twirling stick and have a go? For a second any natural ability they might have might make it seem like they know what they're doing.. But their reckless handling of it quickly makes it obvious that they don't. 

I suspect that describes me when I'm snowboarding.. I can't tell. Maybe I'm actually just really awesome at it. 

I HAD A GREAT DAY!