New Year, New Page

I have been wanting to change the blog apperance for some time, as I gave a long break to writing, and wanted a new drive to continue writing, thanks to the encouragements of a dear friend I am back on.

With the coming of the New Year, I will open a new page in life, as with my blog, and continue with new inspirations, new hopes, to the new year.

Happy New Year to everyone...

A friend of my friend at work passed away today. 35, single, parents living in the U.S., she was living in Turkey, had no illness, nothing, healthy, and just knocked down dead, just like that. She was alone when she died, no relatives in Turkey, just her friends...

The news came as a shock to her friends, and us even though we did not know her. It was so sad. And once more it reminded us how short life is. It is too short to spend it in a hassle, getting frustrated, or not respecting others and their feelings. I think we should think twice before we let those negative emotions eat into us, it is just not worth it, its too short a life to feel mad...

Back home after a 2hour traffic congestion due to Ramadan, had a good meal, happy to be back home and I was just watching Gilmore Girls in Cnbc-e, as it was on and just started, and the story totally got me... (I love the analogy that one of the characters make).

There is this girl, Lorelai, who has been with a guy called Luke for some time, and he is never ready for committment. Then comes a time when she is tired of waiting and gives him the ultimatom, but he still doesn't do anything different that he has been doing, he doesn't fight for her and she has to leave him. And they split. Everybody around her tells her that couples fight and things happen but they will come back together, etc... But she says no, this is it (because she knows).

As she is talking to another friend, here is the quote:

Lorelai: (trying to convince Sookie that her and Luke are truly over) No, you don't get it. I need it to be over, I need it to be over, because I can't take this anymore. Yes, I love Luke, and yes, I wanted to marry Luke, but I-I-I didn't want a life seperate from Luke and that's all he could give me. I don't want that. If I'm gonna be with Luke, I want to be with Luke and he didn't get it, and I waited, God, I waited. It's like Luke is driving a car, and I just wanna be in the passenger seat, but he's locked the door and, so I have to hold onto the bumper. You know, I'm not even asking him to open the door for me, just leave it unlocked, and say come in, but no he - he didn't do that. So, I'm hanging onto the bumper, and life goes on and the car goes on and I get really badly bruised, and am hitting potholes, and it hurts, I mean it hurts. So yesterday I had to let go of the bumper, because it hurts too much - it hurts too much.
Sookie: (realizing the gravity of the situation) Okay.

End of quote.

As for me, I am still holding on to the bumper, that's why it still hurts, I need someone to open the door for me and let me in...

Watch it if you can get the episode, here is the link, including the quotes:
http://www.tv.com/the-long-morrow/episode/815756/summary.html

Stepford Wives

I wanted to share this photo as I totally felt like a Stepford Wife in that dress :) Heh he...

Effie & Nimrod is here

It was Effie and Nimrod's first day in Istanbul yesterday and I took them to see a bit of popular places, like Beyoglu and Taksim, and also delightful corners like the Tunnel area and the lovely cafe's there, and a must see, Grand Bazaar and Corn Market in Eminönü.

No need to say much as Effie did all the work and uploaded the photos, so see the following link for photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art-girl//

Some photos from my holiday

Some photos from last week, taken by my sister's camera...

Missing my telly

Woke up to a rainy Istanbul... Changed my summer bed clothes to a very light cuddly duvet last night. And this morning my waking up pattern was opening my eyes, looking at the watch, not time yet, cuddle up to the duvet, a bit later look at the watch again, not time yet, cuddle up to the duvet... and the loop goes on. So that's my strategy for waking up at Saturday mornings, what's yours?

This is the first weekend I'm spending home for weeks, and I don't have my prime object of enjoyment! The telly ofcourse!!!... When I get home after a work day, tired, the first thing I do is usually to switch the telly on and eat crisps (they are addictive i tell u). People who know me will know that I allways flip the channels and not stay in one place. It's because that's a great way of unwinding and emptying your mind.

And now I feel something big is missing as I don't have my telly. (Well, they appearantly cut it this week and it takes another week to reconnect if I apply for a new subscription! Oh poo, what am I going to do for one week?) I will try alternative ways, like online tv, but that's not as good... Oh dear, and there is no water as well.. First week at home for a long time, and here I am without my home comfort... Oh well, at least I'm over with the crazy week at work and endless holidays.. hehee

On holiday

Going on another holiday tomorrow, to Tekirova, Antalya this time. To see what my holiday will be like you can visit http://www.rixos.com/.

By the way, I haven't been posting much really recently, as there are lots of things going on, i.e. weddings, holidays, work, dentists, and so not really having much time to even myself.. But this time I am happy to say I'm totally unavailable as I will be on holiday!

F1 Races

I was on the F1 race in Istanbul Park last Sunday, the 26th of August, finally! I've always wanted to go and watch an F1 race live, I used to watch them on television every time and was almost going to see one race in America once, when I was there a couple of years ago.

When I told my friends about it, they said "Formula one? You mean car racing?", "She has weird interests". Well, Formula one is not just about car racing; it is a festival, a culture, it's about the sound of the cars and the whole experience!...

People from all different places came to Istanbul Park to experience the 2 days, and see a bit of Istanbul, it was faboulous, I felt like I was in a festival and just enjoyed it (even went to the race track after the race).. photos to be put later...

Don't think of a Pink Cow!

The Cow Parade is now in Istanbul, and 190 cows designed by various artists will be exhitibited in the streets of Istanbul. The funds raised will be used for charity...

These are the ones in Şişli, where I live...

(http://www.cowparade-istanbul.com/index2.asp)

Resistance is Futile!!!

Like the marching characters (BORGS) in the science fiction, the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy say, resistance is futile and you will be assimilated! In real life, these are the control freaks that want to put you into situations where resistance will just not do... Control freaks can be recognised by their aggressive behaviours, complex of their physical appereance, lack of self confidence and thus constant need to control. If you know any of them, stay away. If it's too late, then resistance is just futile!...

Crazy!

I like having visitors, and I am having a lot recently... Ömür, my cousin from Germany was here, for 3 days, so we spent time together, then my sister was here yesterday and to my surprise she didn't stay! Just went on to Ankara and from there to Samsun! Oh, Halil was here (he has to be mentioned!) And in September, Effie will come to visit me from Israel, Tel Aviv!! Will be great fun!

Visitors are great, but lately I am having crazy days. I just want things to settle and I want to spend the whole weekend at home!!!

I LOVE being single!! You can just take your backpack, decide where to go and GO!

That is what I did last weekend. I was meaning to go to Altınoluk for some time, but could never arrange a date that would fit everyone. The weekend was the perfect timing.

Altınoluk is a small town of Balıkesir. It has the Mountain of Ida (Kaz Dağı) on the North and the Egean Sea (Edremit Bay) to the South. It is famous for its olives and olive oil. The doctors advice people with heart conditions to live there for the level of oxygen is very high.

My ex-flatmate (she hates me when I call her like that) happens to have a summer house there in a beautiful location, just a street away from the sea and the beach. So you can image the weekend I spent in the beach and the deep, clean sea (and it was deep).

One of the best things was the food we had in the beach, especially the mussels, oh I love it, with lots of lemon juice... Aaagh.... I even went to a wedding in the big garden of a resort!

All in all the weekend was worth doing it, although I had to go to work as soon as I arrived on Monday morning, I was really energized and ready to go even to my surprise!

Back!

As you might or might not have noticed my blogs have suffered great lately, as I wasn't there to write them... Well, I guess I am not a person to write but a person to live. (its true)

Since I stopped writing, things happened, I have done some travelling, some deep thinking, decision making, sorting out, parts integration... The result? Is good. Will be good.

So let me start telling about what I have done....

I didn't know my specialty eggs with potatoes was the famous "Tortilla de Patatas" loved by the Spanish until I was told so (http://www.euroresidentes.com/Recetas/tortilla_patatas.htm). So not knowingly I was actually cooking a Spanish dish. I was also told that I would find myself if I go to Spain! Why not?

Speaking of cooking, it wouldn't be fair if I don't mention the French Onion Soup that I so eagerly cooked after tasting it for the first time in Zikhron Ya'aqov in Israel. The people who tried my soup would know as they loved it (asking for the second plate).

Last night, after some time of not cooking I spontaneously decided to cook for the evening meal. But this time I must confess the Tortellini i tried to do was not all that successfull. Well, at least I tried..

Sometimes you really try hard and it just doesn't happen, then perhaps you need to let go...

Mayfly

The common mayfly has a life expectancy of just one day, but is he miserable about it? Not one bit...
For those of you who may have missed it... i love it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvC_KHU4AqE&NR=1

http://www.vodafonemayfly.co.uk/mayfly.swf

Keeping in shape

Me, eating healthy food

For those of you who might be concerned about me keeping my figure, there you go... Me, eating healthy food and keeping perfectly in shape... heh ...

Hot Day

Woke up early this morning to have a fresh start and vote in the general elections, as they had previously warned people about how hot it was going to be today... I was clever to do that, as it is now so hot in the mid day, you can't go out...

I was walking back after the voting experience, and I kept on seeing cats on the street lying in different positions, passed out from the hot.. (poor animals)

My specialty eggs with potatoes

Got back home and prepared a nice breakfast, this is my specialty; eggs with cubic potatoes and spices (yes, I can cook), together with classic turkish breakfast elements (like tomatoes, cheese, olives, cucumber, etc).

Oh, I love having a long breakfast on Sundays...

Leb-i Derya

The thing about summer that I absolutely LOVE is that you can go home after a work day, have a rest, unwind, relax, and at about 9-9.30 pm get ready to go out and meet your friends for a late meal and drink, and the day is yet to begin!

This is what we did Friday night, by going to a lovely restaurant-bar that I like called "Leb-i Derya" (http://www.lebiderya.com/lebiderya/eng/1_2_index.html).

It's a nice place with a beautiful seaview, overlooking Istanbul... The service is good.

Hope we all enjoy the long days of summer...

İyi ki Dogdun Nur

Happy Birthday Nur!

Mutlu Yillar...

All the Best for You...
Lots of Love

(She is in Serbia at the moment, travelling with other students, take good care, we will have another holiday when you come back)

What a Party!

Wednesday night we were on a yacht called Keyif Style (http://www.keyiforganizasyon.com/index2.html), which I would recommend to anybody, together with all IT team, about 200 people, for a goodbye party to John, who has been with us for the last year...

It was such an amazing party, with live music, band, food, drinks, fireworks and belly dancer late night... Full of surprises... It was also the first time I translated drunk, but the audience was no different, so no one recognised he he...

Well, as I need to filter all the crazy pictures, I can give you the bosphorus bridge in different colours which we enjoyed... (see me other pictures)

Holiday in Chesme (Çeşme) - 2

One of the greatest things about our holiday was discovery. Although I had been in a different part of Çeşme before (Ilıca), the girls and I had never been here, so together we discovered the corner cafes, beautiful jewelery shops, streets and food...

The streets of Alaçatı resembled Italian or Greek towns with beautiful houses and small shops...
A dead cat to prove how hot it was... :) and eccentric jewelery (we looked everywhere for this ring with a friend but it came up when we were not looking for it)

Holiday in Chesme (Çeşme) - 1

Just got back from Çeşme this morning. Got really black as seen in the picture on the right.

To go back to the beginning, going to Çeşme was troublesome as I bought the ticket for the wrong date, I was almost going to stay in Istanbul! The ticket was for 00.30 after midnight, which makes it the next day, I bought it online (like I always do) it did not give any warning. When I got to the coach station I did not even have a ticket (as it is online ticket) and no print out either and they told me I had traveled the previous day. To cut the long story short I had to travel on the hostess seat which was very uncomfortable, but there was another guy that did the same thing as I did (booked for the wrong date), so I wasn't the only one, but they didn't take him. He had to stay.

When we got there, with the girls it was too windy the first day. Çeşme, Alacati is a major windsurfing point in the world so no wonder it was windy, but not good for holiday makers, so we thought that it was going to be like that all the time. But gosh did we miss the wind.. All the rest of the time it was very hot (like it should be).

The hotel we stayed in was Grand Ontur Çeşme (http://www.onturcesme.com/), it is a nice hotel, one of the biggest in Chesme, Dalyan, with a beautiful, crystal clear sea, big pool, activities and a great night club that we loved... The only trouble is they don't run it very efficiently, but great nature.

The hotel is located on a cliff and down the cliff there is a club called Life, which resembles a lot to our Reina is Istanbul (http://www.reina.com.tr/2007/) We adored the club, but there again they had a problem. They could not run it properly. If that place had been in Istanbul, it would have been packed... But we still enjoyed, a lovely place down the hotel..

The night view of the dock & the beach...

Holiday

Going on holiday tomorrow for one week. Finally things turned up for me for a time off. Still haven't packed, many things I need to do in the last minute. I will leave some unfinished work as well which I hate.

Time off from the blog too. I will probably not post anything for a week. But when I come back, the blog will be very colourful and lively full of holiday memories...

So see u later then...

Put yourself in my pyjamas

Have you ever bought something thinking it was great and came home and realised it actually sucks! This is what happened to Gamze and I on Saturday.

For a start I am an underwear lover (which should be another section on the blog) and I would go to any shop that sells good underwear, I can spent hours in there... I noticed this shop on Satuday walking with Gamze, and we went in. Then I spotted this pink nighty with shorts and a top and it was so cute. Gamze loved it too. It had green frogs on pink material. Ofcourse we had to buy it, a pair each.

We came home, tried them on, and we tried to find something nice about them but we couldnt. The cut wasn't right, the shape wasn't right, it just wasn't right. We went back to change it the next day, but we actually had fun! Because the people that worked there did not quite know what to do and they all messed up with the accounts because of us! Hah! Great fun.
Well, at least I SOMETIMES have fun...

Just a thought

2 summers ago I was in Sue Knight's trainers training in Istanbul, Gezi Hotel. It was a beautiful experience, great time but most importantly we shared lots of things together, with the people, sorting out our issues, dealing with emotions. There was this participant called Peter from Netherlands. I remember him quite distinctly as he supported me a lot during the course with his input and advice. One day I was confused on one issue and he talked to me in such a way that, he was fully there with me. I remember telling him that I could not decide which way to take, and if I go one way, then it may finish, I will loose what I have and he said to me "may be that's the answer".

They say people already know the solution to their problems most of the times, but they suffer as they don't have the courage to do it. I hope we all have the courage to do what needs to be done...

I have realised my blog is suffering lately as I dont post any articles, being too busy at work, having long evenings out, and coming home too tired to do anything, not to mention that it is too hot recently in Istanbul, reaching 36-40 degrees centigrade! We are literally melting. Today is was the hottest day ever and they made it holiday for people with heart conditions, disabled, pregrants and people with cronical illnessess. Well, I'm none of them so I went to work only to have another boring day. Anybody with the right mind should stay in with the air conditioning I guess.

I need inspiration

It has been a week full of frustrations for me. The weekend finally came and guess what? More hassle.

I've got the boiler broken down, it was very old and wasn't working properly anyway. So I had to get it repaired. I called the service this morning, an engineer came and said that the part that serves as the brain of the boiler is dead and needs to be replaced. Then I called the landlord, he wasn't very happy, as he knew it was going to be extra cost for him. So he is not paying the full amount. It cost me a fortune.

After all the repair was finished I deserved to have a shower. Now I'm much better.

My sister is going to Frankfurt, from there to Strasbourg for a youth project on Sunday and she will stay a week. Then she will come back to Turkey, this time to go for a Europe tour with another project. I quess she is following her elder sister's path.. good girl :) I'm proud.

I still need inspiration for a holiday plan though.. Too many options, too many distractions. Just need one solid way.

Why do I feel soo lucky one day and soo depressed the other! They say waking up in the morning feeling tired is a sign of depression... Need to get more St. John's Wort..

I guess I missed a bit in my horoscope for this month: "Some Sagittarius have been suffering lately and cannot identify with the glowing aspects of June. If that describes you, I am so sorry to hear that. There are two possible explanations. The first is that your "rising sign" is always AS important as your Sun sign, there is one other possible explanation for radical shifts that you may be seeing in your life this month. June will mark the mathematical mid-point between the March eclipses; the middle month becomes the one where pressures build and actions have to be taken. That's why mid-point months are often so dramatic. "

"Eclipses show us how dynamic our lives are, and that we need to be flexible, adaptable, and courageous and ultimately, realistic. In the end, all heartache comes down to having mistakenly held misguided expectations. Align your expectations properly and you will have found the key to happiness."

And this is so true for me, there are so many things going on in my life at the moment, many opportunities along with many uncertainties; I want to give all of them a chance and at the same time find the right way to take.. Can't know without trial and error but can't afford to try all of them.. God Im soo depressed (http://misstranslator.blogspot.com/2007/04/working-closelt-with-it-people-i-should.html)

http://www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/monthly/sagittarius_full.php

A crazy week just finished. As the summer has come, people have become more extravert, outgoing, crazy, or it is either that or I am having an incredibly high effect from the stars! Feeling so lucky without even doing anything.

They say this 2007 is the year of Sagitarius, they will have a high effect in every aspect of their life throughout the year... My horoscope says :"June will be close to your guardian planet, Jupiter, showering you with good luck and bringing on a well-deserved feeling of optimism. "

"With the Sun warming your partnership sector, you're in a couple-up mood. The new moon on June 14 and the days that follow will set off talks about a serious future. "

"Jupiter, the planet of gifts and luck, is now in Sagittarius for the first time in twelve years, indicating that you are currently in the process of starting a whole new way of life. It will be one that will suit you far better than the one you have had in the past."

http://www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/monthly/sagittarius_full.php

Schreklich!

Went to see Shrek-3 today, as I had 2 free tickets from my sister, so I invited Engin to come along with me. Despite the horrid traffic after work we managed to get to the cinema and even had time to eat. The film was Ok, it had funny bits and pieces, not as good as I expected it to be but the second half was better than the first one. Had a nice evening overall.

I remember seeing the first Shrek and I loved it. And the second one. Guess it is like all 3rd films they make, it gets too much after a while. But had a good evening. Need to get up early so bed for me is waiting now...

I've done a good job today, saved the world, avoided a battle at work by coming up with solutions, dealth with the monster called Monday, came home tired as the beautiful wariror princess, went out for some shopping (princesses shop too, shopping is good for your health), got my old watch repaired, came back home listening to my new obsession tracks. How's that for sorting out?

When people have major accidents or a traumatic experience, they may erase that memory or push it back in their minds, and I think that's what I'm doing in a way; avoiding conflicts & things that upset me and concentrating on peace and quite.

Oh, also looked for bikinis for my never to come, big mistery holiday. No plans sadly... But still looking for bikinis, you never know. The prince may come & take me to that holiday..

House Cleaning

As I was ill for some time, I did not have the chance to clean the flat and you can image how messed up the place has become. Well, saturday was the day for cleaning.

They say your house reflects your personality and there is a whole philosophy around this, ie feng shui and so forth. Likewise, they say that your place affects your subcounscious mind, ie. if the place is tidy, then your inner mind is supposed to be peaceful and if it is messed up, then likewise your mind is.

Well, mine have been messed up for some time. I needed to do a good cleaning and tidying up in my house and in my life...

Thankfully I have reserved my weekend for the house cleaning and relaxing, seeing friends and taking care of my flat.. Sinse ahead of me is a difficult week, lots of work to do, I needed a nice, peaceful home and peaceful mind.

There are still certain things that do not fit into place but hopefull they will work out too. Being a freedom loving and independent person (a sagitarius), I still need stability and order in life.. This is a guess what I will work on next...

Finally Back! Yess!

I have been literally sick starting from the mids of last week, all the way through the weekend and this week on Monday, yesterday and today and it seemed like ages! God, I didn't know you could be sick for so long!

I spent Saturday literally in bed, suffering, my sister looking after me, going out to get fruit and stuff, Saturday night I felt like I should go out to build my energy back. We went to Nevizade, in Taxim, Istanbul; a nice alleyway where everybody drinks, I didnt. It was Gamze's bithday. Again spent Sunday the same way, and I thought well, I should be back on Monday, but no. The doctors sent me back home again on Monday. So spent the whole Monday in bed, suffering. And I thought OK, this time I will be ok on Tueday which is today. I woke up, it was still ill, I went to work, I still had the fever, my eyes were stinging.

I had been booked to translate in a training from the 5th to the 7th, but I wasn't sure I could make it. This morning I took extra vitamins and pills and I went in there and started to do the job. I felt not so good untill kind of midday but then something happened I don't know what, and it just finished! Finally the fever went, I felt OK after days. The thing that surprises me was, I was sick one moment and OK the other, just like that, amazing.

I felt so OK, so normal after being sick for ages it seems that I went out with a friend for a meal, and had a great evening. The good part was though, of this time, and the only good part of it, is being offered to be looked after by friends. I had a couple of friends that wanted to come home and look after me for a while, but I kindly refused them as I didn't want them to suffer along with me, besides the flat was in a mess.

Anyway, I'm so glad I'm over this. I am wearing my evil eye bracelet from now on to keep me safe from the negative energies...

Still Sick

Still sick, have been in bed all Saturday, so my sister had to stay in too, got back on my feet just now and will go out to get some fresh air and meet friends... Gosh, at least I've had it now and won't be infected again, for some time, hopefully...

What Sid Told Me

Talked to a friend of mine Sid yesterday and got lots of inspiration to write.

He told me about a friend Jenny who met this person by chance in an event and they found out that they had a common point: they both wanted to practice Spanish. Now, Jenny is a very talented girl and has many interests and she agreed to meet him again (he also looked a bit like a poof which was comforting). But then they never had the chance to meet again as she was busy with her work and her boyfriend, but keeping up with this person through emails, written in spanish to keep up the practice, so it was ok, nothing more nothing less. However, after some time, the emails started questioning her desire to practice and accused her of not really wanting to learn which was not true and also weird as how come a total stanger could question a person like that?

And that reminded me of something else that happened to me in a similar way. Strange isn't it? You get these people that perhaps want to get into your life, you just be friendly with them and they think they are getting special attention and when they can't, they don't respect the other person but become aggressive and start to accuse you. It's like men; why should they always be mad when they are refused. They never take it as an option. But yes, they CAN be refused and when they do, just get on with it!! Don't make a fuss of it. Just smile and get on with your life!

Day of Rest

I was having dreadful dreams this morning and just as I woke with the relief of having been out of the dream I felt the soreness in my throat hurting me and that's how my day started.

Went to company doctor at work, she looked at my throat and sent me home. She said it was bad, and gave me some antibiotics. So I finished off some urgent work that needed to be done, took all the rest of the translations to do at home and came home. Had a sleep and rest. But I was uneasy as in the corner of my mind I knew I had to go to the banks for some issues pending for some time which I never had the time to deal with.

I felt like OK, so I went off to HSBC Bank first. Here's the thing: They are the "World's Local Bank" right? Well, that's what they say. I have a problem with that. You go to a branch and they don't let you do any transaction unless you had opened your account in that specific branch. In other words, within a city, within Istanbul you can only do certain transactions ie. creating a standing order, or time deposit account, in one specific branch and not the others. I think it's stupidly inconvenient. And I also know a friend who can not transfer money from his UK account to the Turkish account. Yes, they're the world's local bank. I'm not a banking expert, but I can tell it's not very convenient on the user side.

Anyway with the help of a bit of luck, a friendly security personnel (yes, not the bank staff) told me that I can use their fax and write a petition to the original branch. That's what I did, and they called me back to confirm my transaction, a nice lady on the phone this time and it was all done.

Came back home in peace and now I can rest more for another day tomorrow...

Music & Lyrics

The song "Way Back to Love" from the Music & Lyrcis movie just got stuck in my head, I couldn't get it out so I had to find it. So I finally downloaded it. Allthough it sound a bit like one of these educational songs to teach English, it very catchy; I have already listened to it 50 times today, and transfered it to my mobile phone. (yess my new phone finally arrived thank God). Here's a verse from the lyrics that I like:

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again I guess
I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end

There are moments when I don't know if it's real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation...

http://musicandlyrics.warnerbros.com/

Sister Back

Weekend did me good, had a good time, a bit like in the old times, with surprises, and later saw my friends, said goodbye and welcome, as my sister, Nur came to visit me from Ankara. I took her out to shopping first and then there was this technology fair that she wanted to go, so we went there, then I took her to my favourite relaxation place, the Koza Cafe in Maçka(http://misstranslator.blogspot.com/2007/04/saturday-sunny-day.html)

and we played Backgammon. I hadn't played for a long time, so wasn't claiming anything but my sister claimed she was good and she played online, but who beated her? Me. :) Then we went to my DVD guy and got the film Music and Lyrics (Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore). She got really bored through the end, but I was enjoying it :)

So I had a good weekend. Then the week started as if the weekend never happened (it allways seems to be like that). Monday blues today.. Another busy day is coming up for tomorrow, meetings have already been scheduled in the morning and afternoon, presentations, documents and so on... So need to get ready!

Where's My Jetpack

I remember talking to a friend about the Year 2000 and predictions that people made about the future like ...we’ll be flying around with jetpacks on our backs and eating pills instead of food etc..

Well, I came across a book called "Where's My Jetpack?" and it's about all those things that were meant to happen in the future but still haven’t such as jetpacks, pills for food, a colony on the moon, x-ray glasses, streets with moving walk ways, servant robots…

We were supposed to live in fully automated, atomic-powered, germ-free Utopia and the government was supposed to give everyone a Jetpack! So where's mine?

You can find a review of the book in the following link (http://www.amazon.com/Wheres-My-Jetpack-Amazing-Science/dp/1596911360/)

What's going on

Have been feeling tired for the last couple of days without a reason other than work. And I've had people telling me the reasons why I was that way. You know when people say "Oh I know why you're tired, it's because you've had too many crips last night, you crossed your left leg over your right leg and deep inside you feel sorry that you didn't go for that thing that you wanted..." and so and forth. You know it, dont you?

And why do we sometimes treat the loved ones worse than we treat anybody else? Have you ever treated a loved one in a way that you wouldn't do to a stranger? I guess all of us have. Do we take them for granted? Hmm...

So there have been a couple of things bubling up in my mind to put in the blog, but could not really make a connection in between them to make sense for other people who read it. So I just don't put them. My thoughts are so scattered at the moment.

So may be I will go to a Mind Mapping course again on Saturday to tidy up and formulate my thoughts, get them all mapped out, and sort them out in a map, an example of which you can see here: http://misstranslator.blogspot.com/2007/03/family.html.

For now, back to my world.

Secular Meetings 2 (Cumhuriyet Yürüyüşü)

The Secular Meetings that started in Ankara, and continued in Istanbul, İzmir and Çanakkale are now carried on in Samsun, where Atatürk stepped ashore on 19th of May 1919 to save the nation. 19th of May has a significance in Turkish history and is a national holiday celebrated as a Youth and Sports Day. Today, in this historically significant place, people have gathered to celebrate the Republic and convey their message for the election coming up.

After seeing the crowd gathered in Cumhuriyet Square, broadcasted live on tv, I just spoke to my friends in Samsun and my mom, and they will join them soon... As for me, having had joined the previous one in Istanbul, I will go out for shopping today...

Rain, Cats and People

Hey, rain lovers! I have news for you. I kept my promise and went out and got drenched in the pouring warm summer rain last night! And I was happy. So there..

Then got into this small cafe playing slow Spanish music and people watching the rain outside. There was this fat old cat, which later I learned from the owner that she was 14 years old, I think it is times 5 or times 6 to humans, as a friend told me. It approached to me, this cat, looked at me for some time, I didn't move my eyes from it, and as if it knew I wasn't feeling so well at that particular moment, it jumped on the seat and sat next to me. May be it just wanted my jacket to lie down on, but I got friendly with it, stroking its head, playing with it and at one point it didn't like what I did.

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. In this case you can't teach an old cat new tricks, just like we have our own habits, oddities, weirdnesses and people will continue to do what they do even though you tell them many times not to do certain things, mention certain things, or change a particular gesture or attitude. They will not change. Even if they stop doing that thing they may still think from inside how silly it is... In this case we have to accept them as they are or decide to have nothing to do with them..

Simple Things

Someone once said that the secret of happiness is having someone to love, something to do and something to look forward to. I guess there's some truth in this, although it doesn't mean you have to have an adoring spouse or partner, a high-ranking job and a world cruise coming up to enjoy life.

The 'someone to love' could be a friend, family or pet, and the 'something to do' and 'something to look forward to' could be just about anything you enjoy.

Even though these are all in place, you may still feel down for all sorts of other reasons. May be being influenced by something that someone you value has said, a disbelief or an unpleasant comment against you. So our mood can be affected by anything.

It's up to us to find a way to cope with it or walk away from it. It is still our life. And we have to live it to the fullest...

Trainings

At the weekend I attended a "Coaching" course given by a colleague and friend of mine, Phillip Holt (http://nlpnow.com/), translating the course, on the other side of Istanbul, the Asian side, and I really enjoyed it. I had done Coaching before with other trainers but this time I learned other stuff and refreshed my knowledge as well. As everybody knows, I love trainings, I love attending them and giving them, being a trainer myself, I like interacting with people in a training environment. Having worked with many trainers including Phillip Holt, Sue Knight, Lily Cohen, Linda Wells, Jill Lawday, Dharma Gaynes and others I have gained an extensive knowledge and skills and I guess this helped me a lot in my translations. I'd like to thank all of these people, especially Phillip who has been an influence to me in my work and personal life; and Sue Knight who has been an excellent role model, helping me sort out issues with her guidance...(http://www.sueknight.co.uk/) Hope to see her back in Turkey this summer. And ofcourse Lily, who has been a great company and a fantastic tour guide taking me to the best corners of Israel, making me the finest vanilla tea :) Hope to be back in Israel.. I can not thank them enough..

Friday Evening

Out with friends again like it should be on every Friday evening, this time not to have a late night-out but to have a nice meal & catch up. There is a nice restaurant in Istiklal Street, Istanbul, going down Galata High School, on the top floor of Goethe Istitude. The place is called Litera (see http://www.literarestaurant.com/). A roof restaurant looking over the sea of Marmara. My friend got me to try something new without telling me what it was. It tastes exactly like chicken but it turned out to be the leg of a crab. It tasted good, but still I'm not a sea food person, allthough coming from Black Sea region, never been a sea food fan. I still enjoy eating fried mussels and stuffed mussels with beer once in a while, but that's it..

But having a red wine made my day as a nice beginning to a weekend...

Female Talents

Some of the followers of the blog asked me to write more frequently, as they enjoy reading the blog first thing in the morning at work, or when they come home in the evening drinking their coffee.. Well my response to that was first of all I want my entries (my writings) to have their time and be read. So I want them so stay on. Secondly, I need inspiration to write. They said I can get inspiration from anything. Well, that's true, I've just got inspiration from my big toe!

And there are others that want their name to be mentioned.. They sure will be :) but i cant guarantee they will be mentioned in the way that they want! For the simple reason, as with all females, and especially being an interpreter, I have an excellent talent for twisting words. So I may get out of any situation being right in the end! So beware..

Rain

Rain At Last

After a couple a humid days with tempratures above normal climate levels, it finally rained. The good thing about rain is being at home when it happens, having had a lovely meal, sitting in front of telly with a laptop on your lap, listening to the sound of rain, and drinking your tea. This is also the type of rain that you would like to be showered with as it is warm and mild unlike the type of rain in winter when the cold gets to your bones and wind makes the rain even sharper. Thanks to nature, summer is coming and let all our rains be summer rains...

Bosphorus, Day & Night

Yesterday we went for a nice evening out with the IT Service Management team, in Yıldız Hisar, looking over the second bridge (Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge), with a fantastic view. Wasn't very willing in the beginning to go as we had previously gone to a meal with other teams which I enjoyed but then people turned out to be drunk and getting crazy. This time was a nicer time where we went to the venue during daylight hours having a chance to see the Bosphorus by daytime, and later enjoying the night view. Lots of dancing and laughter, we enjoyed ourselves, having red wine, watching a colleague do capoeira, getting everyone worship a big baloon, it's been quite a night...