Take the train dude

You know that pet bone you pick with your partner all the time? The one your friends roll their eyes...

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Hopenhagen 2009 - Be a thought leader

The Guardian has established a "Reader Leaders" section, inviting readers to weigh in with their indepth views on Copenhagen, climate change and the state of the green revolution Here's my article... The Copenhagen Summit forges on, despite Climategate. Brave attempts have been made to reestablish credibility and redirect energies...

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Geneva in the spotlight

If you happen to travel to Geneva this week chances are you'll see a lot of what look like soup or...

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Lyon-Festival of Lights 09

I have to say I was astounded at the sheer scale, number of people and the spectacle of the Festival of Lights in Lyon. The installations were the best of modern art in themselves, but the city of Lyon is an icing on the cake  - vibrant, diverse, cultural - the best of what Europe has to offer. An hour and a half drive...

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Job hunting in Switzerland - the saga continues..

Today marks the four month anniversary of my unemployment. Being a  scarred veteran of the job...

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The World's Friendliest Expat Cities

HSBC released the results of its Expat Explorer survey this week, covering 26 expat locations across...

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The day fear won ...

It's official. Terror has won. The decision to ban minarets is the latest victory granted on a platter to every radical, hate mongering terrorist out there; even worse, it gives them a platform of self righteousness from where to boast that they are justified in what they are doing. " The west is waging a war on Islam", they will...

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Twilight for Dummies

Wondering why TV channels are going nuts over the launch of New Moon? Mostly interested in the...

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There's a bubble in the blogosphere

It started out as a simple idea... I wanted to jazz up my website with pictures I'd taken during our...

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The Lost Symbol- beyond the joyride

A week long trip to Barcelona was a lot longer than most vacations I've been on so far, so I thought...

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The Rain in Spain - And the Alhambra

For the first few hours, we almost regretted having left the buzz and excitement of Barcelona for Granada. The approach from the airport was through an industrial area, with dirty furniture warehouses and gritty factories. The approach into the centre of town reavealed a quiet small town, with one main street. Not much was happening,...

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The Boot Signal

Batman had one to let him know when Gotham was in trouble. The three wise men saw one in the sky when the Big J arrived.Something always went wrong every time Harry met Sally. It was a sign. One that we choose to ignore.  We first started seeing it in the last week of September.Every woman on the street (and quite a few...

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Theres more to October than pumpkin!

Voila, almost in a flash, we enter the best part of the year. I love this part of the year, it has joy and affirmation, excuses to celebrate crammed into its nooks and crannies. In October then, a month of metamorphosis, where sunny days turn overcast, warm breezes turn chilly, and nature changes her wardrobe from nautical greens...

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This is not a shameless plug

and I'm not making money off of this (I wish!) I'm linking to this great article I found on th Huffington Post. Do take the survey on the sidebar - I think it works for men as well! What The Happiest And Most Successful Women Do Differently...

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Gypsy in Wonderland

We are at the ticket counter at the Jardin du Cinq Sens (Garden of the Five Senses) at Yvoire. I stutter...

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Death to the chick flick

It appears that Hollywood currently agrees on the type of cinema that women want. Beautiful and successful...

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A Weekend in Venice- Wrapup

To wrap up, the highlights of the Venetian weekend …... To Die For The light in late summer. Slightly...

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A Weekend in Venice - Day2

(This is the second of a three part series - Day 1 can be found on Chantal Gardner's blog http://www.onebigyodel.com)What...

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Mars and Venus, Tiramisu and Fondant

So we are finishing brunch at this cafe on the weekend, after a bone crunchingly exhausting unpacking weekend. We just about have time for dessert before returning to the chaotic sea of cartons that is currently our home. We fleetingly contemplate experimenting with the house special (raspberry cheesecake in french), we decide on...

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Things I do to keep busy

A new activity just jumped to the top of my list of most hated activities. Its called "Networking"....

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Anatomy of the perfect pizza

I thought I hated it. The very idea of it was enough to ruin my appetite. In fact, various renditions of it ordered from fast food outlets during working lunches and late nights, had succeeded in not just putting me off pizza, but the entire cheese family. They were giant lumps of white bread, sometimes stuffed with melted cheese....

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Sunburnt in the Swiss Riviera

Alors! it's been an eventful few days. First up, it was mountain biking in Chamonix. There we were, gung ho expats, willing to give everything a shot. Two mountain bikes were thrust at us, we were bundled into the cable car, and then the ski lift, taking us upto La Tour. From there it was downhill all the way... figuratively speaking...

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Of job hunting and little French villages

So I walk into the office of this highly recommended "outplacement" agency. I meet a very tall guy wearing a suit.Me - "As you can see, I have a good educational background and work experience for a Finance position in Geneva"Guy - "Yes, eets very gud"Me - "So how long do you think it will take for me to find a job"Guy - solemnly.....

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The music more than the man

So we are at this karaoke bar last night with a bunch of friends (another last farewell). This is Dubai, so you have a crowd representative of most nationalities - Arabs, Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis, Egyptians, Italians, Brits, Americans... you name it.Black or White starts up, and spontaneously the entire bar joins in. Everyone...

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Bye Bye Dubai

This is it.. time to leave. I'll really miss Dubai, it has been a great experience. Over the past few years it seems like we've grown together. Here's my ode to Dubai ... it had to be in sentimental (albeit rickety) verse.Ode to DubaiI covet this glittering jewel in the sand No task or milestone too big for this land Tallest...

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Confusions of a new world woman in love

Nobody said anything about falling in love and landing yourself in an existential dilemma. I thought you met someone, fell in love, held hands and looked happily thereafter into the sunset.Instead here I am, moving countries for the second time in 3 years, setting up from scratch, wondering if I'll ever be able to build the kind...

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