28 August

Had a very busy weekend.

Friday night was a GenevaOnline musical chairs dinner party, followed by a GenevaOnline party.

Had a fantastic time, with so many people now familiar friends. We had a big night treasure hunt through a park - I didn't have much luck in my searching but I do love a treasure hunt anyway. I got home at about 3am, having rescued a waif on the way walking home. She was sitting shivering and crying by the road, and had apparently had a fight with her girlfriend and walked out of the nightclub they were in. She was only here for the weekend and couldn't speak any french, didn't know her girlfriend's address and was very distressed: I have some sympathy to the feel of feeling lost somewhere that you don't speak the language so couldn't leave her. So we walked back in the direction of the club she came from, and luckily found her girlfriend who was out searching for her. Good deed done for the day.

Saturday night I went to a party to welcome home a friend who has been away on a mission in Liberia, and thenon to the farewell for another friend departing Geneva, combined with the birthday of another.

Sunday was a bbq with my colleagues at my bosses house, followed by a "beauty party" at a fancy hotel. We had a professional makeup artist (who showed us his portfolio of ads in fashion magazines). He gave us advice on doing makeup for day, which was interesting, but you know, I am still never going to wear makeup every day.

Phew... I need a weekend to recover from my weekend!

22 August

Check out this amazing video mixing diet coke and mentos.

I haven't given much thought to the web page... too much partying!

For the close of the fete de Geneve, I ended up on a boat, watching the fireworks. It was with new friends: I had met one of them before, four days earlier; all the rest were strangers to me. I made a big plate of pizza scrolls (two of which were stolen by my houseguest Luis before I left) and a big batch of pasta salad.

We ate inside the boat and then went up on deck for the fireworks themselves.

Here is a lovely statue near my home:

7 August

A good weekend... included a serious tidy of the apartment, and much time spent by the edge of the lake with my mates on the Caipirinha stall.

3 August

I have just returned from the Fete de Geneve, where I had one of those moments. The moments which make you grin and think "yeah, I still got it". I was talking to my friends at the Caipirinha stand and smiled at them, and for some reason turned while still smiling. A man was walking past and saw my smile and actually stumbled! He did a double take, and then took a few more steps and actually did a triple take, looking back at me to see if it was really him that I was smiling at. It wasn't, and he walked on, glancing back at me, but I frankly felt fantastic - like my smile really had wattage.

Thanks mum and dad for my smile; at the time I got braces I would have preferred pretty wallpaper in my bedroom like my sister had, but in actual fact, they were a great investment, and my million dollar grin is thanks to them!