Twilight
I've been all kinds of tired, grumpy, irritable, and exhausted recently. Nodding in cabs etcetera. Which is, for me, as clear a warning of extreme exhaustion as any. Only problem is, I don't quite understand why.
This weekend though, was a real killer. I have outdone myself. And yet, this was a unique weekend, a rare weekend with a twilight, surreal mixture of events activities and emotions that I suspect might never be replicated.
Dinner with my housemates at a crowded Italian near my place.
A walk along the river Thames in the darkest part of the night - after midnight, long before the hope of dawn - which brought me light and peace. But also tears. The end of an era in my mind.
Rising at 5 after closing my shining eyes at 3.30. A trip to Billingsgate market (a fish market). I have never been to a market dedicated solely to fish and all things seafood. Pictures galore. Took a picture of the fish-stall-owner and he gave me his name card and asked me to send him the picture.
Slumber.
Had a go at making food. Firstly, tried to replicate my mom's delicious coleslaw that I used to love eating while growing up. Except that I put in purple cabbage instead of the regular one, and skipped the Thousand Island dressing, and added extra white wine vinegar to soften the cabbage and...
Also tried making a lovely tomato and mozarella salad from the 2-pound recipe book I'd bought from Greenwich some time ago. My first time trying to make food from a bought recipe book.
Barbeque. Loads of great food. But I stuck to my salads because I'm being vegetarian for a month or two. Had fun being all silly and taking photos at every instance. Like the cosy, relaxing atmosphere. Turns out it was a combined surprise birthday celebration for me and another housemate whose birthday is also in July. I've never had a surprise birthday party before. It's great, because it managed to overleap my birthday depression. Every year, I get almost incurably depressed on my birthday. And this year, it's been building up for a few weeks.
Slept with my housemate who is leaving London for good come Tuesday. It's been a while.
Then a day trip to Isle of Wight on Sunday. Mostly spent asleep on the bus. But some idllyic, paradisical countryside. Pebbled beaches, glittering seas, misty horizons.
Home was a downer. Work that should have been done before, a disappointed boss -- but she doesn't know how exhausted I have been, and how I have no choice, I couldn't, wouldn't have done this weekend differently -- and no last farewell (perhaps it is just as well).
Another week tomorrow. (Does it ever end?)
A breather. July, I feel, might be a really strange month.
This weekend though, was a real killer. I have outdone myself. And yet, this was a unique weekend, a rare weekend with a twilight, surreal mixture of events activities and emotions that I suspect might never be replicated.
Dinner with my housemates at a crowded Italian near my place.
A walk along the river Thames in the darkest part of the night - after midnight, long before the hope of dawn - which brought me light and peace. But also tears. The end of an era in my mind.
Rising at 5 after closing my shining eyes at 3.30. A trip to Billingsgate market (a fish market). I have never been to a market dedicated solely to fish and all things seafood. Pictures galore. Took a picture of the fish-stall-owner and he gave me his name card and asked me to send him the picture.
Slumber.
Had a go at making food. Firstly, tried to replicate my mom's delicious coleslaw that I used to love eating while growing up. Except that I put in purple cabbage instead of the regular one, and skipped the Thousand Island dressing, and added extra white wine vinegar to soften the cabbage and...
Also tried making a lovely tomato and mozarella salad from the 2-pound recipe book I'd bought from Greenwich some time ago. My first time trying to make food from a bought recipe book.
Barbeque. Loads of great food. But I stuck to my salads because I'm being vegetarian for a month or two. Had fun being all silly and taking photos at every instance. Like the cosy, relaxing atmosphere. Turns out it was a combined surprise birthday celebration for me and another housemate whose birthday is also in July. I've never had a surprise birthday party before. It's great, because it managed to overleap my birthday depression. Every year, I get almost incurably depressed on my birthday. And this year, it's been building up for a few weeks.
Slept with my housemate who is leaving London for good come Tuesday. It's been a while.
Then a day trip to Isle of Wight on Sunday. Mostly spent asleep on the bus. But some idllyic, paradisical countryside. Pebbled beaches, glittering seas, misty horizons.
Home was a downer. Work that should have been done before, a disappointed boss -- but she doesn't know how exhausted I have been, and how I have no choice, I couldn't, wouldn't have done this weekend differently -- and no last farewell (perhaps it is just as well).
Another week tomorrow. (Does it ever end?)
A breather. July, I feel, might be a really strange month.
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