because I'm weird like that.

Something I found...

I dislike staying indoors
Because when inside I feel
confined and the walls seem to be locking me
in and away from where things
are happening.

I’d rather step outside where it isn’t safe…
I’d rather brave the company of strangers;

I’d rather walk the streets alone
Because, you see, every moment I spend actually living
Makes me wiser, more worldly and more real
To you and for you and for me as well.

Sometimes I refuse to sleep
Because every second I have my eyes closed
I may be missing the chance to catch a glimpse of you
The thought of making myself unreachable and separated
even just by consciousness
Makes me cringe and fills me with loss
As if I already am without you...

As if I were with you to begin with.

Limassol and Paphos

Allan and I decided to rent a car for the weekend so we could drive to Paphos and do some sightseeing. To be accurate, Allan drove and I tried to navigate using the maps provided with the car (which were not detailed enough). Suffice to say that Allan managed to stay on the right side of the road -- that is, the left side which is the correct side -- and I did get us from Nicosia to Paphos and back.

What we didnt foresee though was the time that we would spend in one place. It took us more than hour to just go around Kurion. The ruins with their mosaics and remains of public baths, pillars, columns and the theatre along with the magnificant views of the sea and surrounding hills and plains was just not that easy to leave behind. We had three more sights to see, and an entire town choc-ful of spots to visit...but what the hey, the whole point in renting a car and doing some exploring on our own was so we could take our time and spend as much time in one place as we thought fit.

After a late lunch, we made our way onwards, moving forward and backtracking every few times whenever we make wrong turns. Our next stop was the Sanctuary of Apollo to pay homage to the Greek God. Again, we're faced with more ruins, remains of what was obviously a vast area where people commune to do, well, whatever it was they needed to do. A temple here, mosaics there, columns and pillars here and there...Kurion was obvoiusly, once a very very busy area.



Moving foward through our scenic route, my attempts to find english songs over the local radio channels would be periodically interrupted with oohs and aahs and pleased reactions to what we passed. Just going past a bend in the road meant we may probably be gifted with another breathtaking view of the coastline, or possibly, a particuarly impressive cliff. At one point, Allan did stop at a roadside parking area to take in the view and take photos...a few meters later, we realize that what we were looking at was actually what we were supposed to visit next, Aphrodite's Rock, where, as Mythology suggests, the goddess was born. Stopping once more (twice actually), we couldnt figure out which rock was which...that being the only downside to not having a tour guide. Whichever rock it may be, we have photos and we've seen it.

When we reached the Sanctuary of Aphrodite...we were greeted with closed gates. Our visit to Kurion took longer than we thought and it was already 4 pm when we reached the place....and from there Paphos was something like 20 km away still. It meant we may not be able to go around Paphos...but when you're almost there anyway, why turn back?

Once in Paphos, we confirmed that the sights were closed and opted instead to stay at the harbour to grab a bite before the drive home. There would be other weekends and we can always return. Next time we head off to Paphos, Allan would be even more comfortable driving on the other side of the road, and well, I will insist that he look for the radio remote way before we go on the road.

2006 forecast

If the events of the first few weeks of January are to be precursors of the remaining year, then I think I will have an interesting year ahead of me.

Work-wise
Right from the first working day of the year I could sense the urgency and the expectations from the work that I'm doing. When I returned to Cyprus,I immediately went through a very tiring week...heading home drained and tired mentally and physically. I hope this does not mean I'll be stressed the entire year...I'm praying for a bit of balance here...

Plans, plans, plans
Three weeks into the new year and already I've been considering four different vacations. I don't know if everyone is just caught up with the whole new year thing and they're planning things way ahead of time....I just know that I'm not. I'm planning one out of those four because its long overdue and because it has to be done. Somehow, someway.

Wishes granted
I made a small wish at the start of the year. Just a wee bit of a request..and in no time I got the response I had hoped for. It bodes well for me to keep wishing and praying this year I think.

Past and Future
I am being bombarded with thoughts of different events from my past. I'm having recollections in different forms and superimposed on them is the a big question mark of a present situation. I wonder, if the past is supposed to teach us how to deal with things in the future, what do two similar situations in the past, handled in two different ways yet resulting in the same thing teach me about how to handle this current similar instance? That no matter what I do, the outcome would be the same? This, I think, merits another blog entry.