Italy - part I

It’s slightly abstract to wake up in the morning and instead of rushing to the office, doing nothing but sitting on the beach and swimming in the sea…
Yeah – looks like it will take me some time to slip into holiday mode! Although so far is more than brilliant – our place is very picturesque, pool is awesome and water in the sea warm! Also weather behaves brilliantly (even though it is Italy, at this time of the year you can be either very lucky or end up very drained by the rain!)

Highlight of the day: they have golden Kiwifruits here!!!!

Holidays!!!

It was the worst week I ever had at work! I have never been so knackered, both mentally and physically exhausted and praying for this week to finish!
But it's not important anymore... My effort had been noticed and acknowledged, the conference was one big success and what is most important I just started my two week long holidays!

No, I’m not going home (Poland) as I don’t count those trips as holidays: I always have to visit trillion relatives and zillion friends and as the result I am coming back to London more tired than I was when leaving UK!!! I love my friends and family dearly but seeing them is hard work!

So instead tomorrow I’m off to Tuscany! I’m going to swim (there is a pool by the house and a beach only 300 meter from the place we’re staying!), sightsee, relax, eat fantastic food and drink Chianti! My parents are already there and I’m looking forward seeing them on a ‘neutral ground’ – where we both are relaxed and have time for each other to talk and discuss all those more and less important things…

Not fully yet in this "holiday mode" - haven't been away since May (sic!). I think that's the longest break I had from travelling in the past few years!

OK, enough with that! I'm off to pack my stuff...

New Zealand named best nation for Business

"...In a study to be released on Tuesday, the World Bank said that New Zealand and Singapore were the easiest countries to do business in. The United States came in third, followed by Canada..." The New York Times

It is somewhat true, but still many New Zealanders choose to pursue their careers in Australia, UK or other countries.

And all my non-Kiwi friends who had a chance to live in this country for a while, always describe the business culture there with one word: "slow". Not the best description for all those ambitious young ones who like when "something is happening".

Brain-drain is still a major problem in this country, but maybe this article indicates that there is a new era starting for New Zealand?

Yet still Aotearoa is the most beautiful place in the world I know! Will go back there one day for sure!

I'm going to India!!!

I learnt about Mathai getting married in February, but only today I finally managed to buy tickets! Looks like I'm really going.

At the beginning I wasn't very interested in this trip, but now after learning few things about Kerala (for example Ayurveda treatments sound very interesting!) I must say that I'm thinking about this trip more and more each day!

It should be a good trip after all (even though short) with some chilling out on a beach, sightseeing, hopefully catching up with friends and going for the real Indian wedding (apparently small one - only ca. 800 guests!).

Yeah, should be good fun. Now I need to do some reading on South India. Any suggestions what to do within my 12 days trip (Chennai, backwaters, Cochin, Hyderabad, maybe Bangalore - not necessarily in this order) more than welcomed...

Reunion? But I wasn't even there!!!!

Looks like whole world went for either IC or Alumni Congress to Agra! My former team mates, old friends from Poland and New Zealand, my flatmate and even boyfriend are there and I'm stuck in London picking up random texts and phone calls which are supposed to make me feel better that despite the distance and good fun they are still thinking of me!
Well, I don't feel better! I sit here and I wonder why I'm not there! And still I have to face all those stories and photos how great it was to catch up and how sorry it was that I wasn't there...

No, I'm not bitter or anything. I'm only saying that life is unfair sometimes!

Wish I could be there with you guys:)