Café gourmand

At a restaurant with a friend. We order a delicious café gourmand for dessert: small crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, vanilla ice cream and, of course, coffee.

While chatting, I watch my friend as he dips the ice cream into his coffee and eats it. As I ask him about it, he says he loves to eat it like that.

We chat some more and during a small pause he says, sounding pleasantly surprised:

"Mmmmm, this ice cream tastes a bit of coffee!"

... all the while dipping the ice cream into his coffee.

"I wonder why!", I reply.

Realising what he just said, he smiles sheepishly and I giggle.

Women and Hobbies

Office Macho's latest statement:

"Women have no hobbies!"

This said in an office with a majority of women, Office Macho goes on, adding:

"They only think of shoes and clothes and reading women's magazines. They don't have any real hobbies or passions."

Office Macho just doesn't know when to stop talking...

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Since I don't have enough material to write these posts here on a regular basis, I am going to continue them occasionally as they come on my other blog. Do pop by for a visit if you feel like it!

In pictures - The make-up artist

Picture taken in Budisovice, Czech Republic, 2008

Maria, look!

Context: In the bus. Behind me, a woman is sitting with a boy and a girl, both around six or seven years old. The children are facing each other.

BOY: Maria, look! She's putting her finger in her nose!!!

MARIA (the woman): That's ok. She can do it. It doesn't matter.

BOY, sounding scandalized: How come I'm not allowed to do it?!

MARIA: Who told you you were not allowed to do it?

BOY: Look! She's doing it again!!! She's putting her finger in her nose!!

GIRL: I do it like this! (I assume the girl makes demonstration.)

BOY, scandalized and disgusted: Look!! She's putting her finger in her nose and eating the bogeys! She's eating the bogeys!!!

From then on, I don't hear the rest, for I can't stop laughing...

In pictures - Le Charlot des rues

There are times when images speak louder than words. Over the years I have been taking pictures of people I see and situations I witness that I find interesting or simply beautyful. I have decided that I will post some of them here from time to time. They are images that show things that, were I a bit better with words, I would probably have written a post on them. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

I like to call this one the Street Tramp. I guess it's a bit redundant, but in French it sounds better: 'Le Charlot des rues'. I took it in Strasbourg in 2006.

Polite conversation

In the bus. A woman comes in with two little girls. The youngest (around four years old) sits next to an old man.

LITTLE GIRL, addressing the old man: Moien!*

OLD MAN, smiles and answers: Moien!

The girls chatter during the journey. When they arrive at their stop, the little girl takes her mother's hand and stands up to leave.

LITTLE GIRL: Äddi!**

No answer. The old man hasn't noticed that she is talking to him.

LITTLE GIRL, turning around, not wanting to leave before she has her answer: Äddi!

Still no answer.

LITTLE GIRL: Äddi! ... Äddi!... Äddi!

People witnessing the scene start smiling.

OLD MAN, finally noticing: Äddi!

Little girl smiles and finally lets her mother take her away.

*Moien = Hello

** Äddi = Bye

In the news - The drunk sheep

A drunken Bavarian who was bleating like a sheep has ended up in jail. The 49-year old man was at home, bleating for up to 20 minutes at a time, in the night from Saturday to Sunday. Called by neighbours, the police tried to reason with the man before arresting him.

Read in: L'Essentiel, Tuesday 5th October 2010, Luxembourg

On the net - Strange introduction

Alixonlune: Hello! We have the same age! What's your shoe size by any chance? 37?

Chamelo13 (thinking it's a funny joke): Hahaha! No, 40. If my shoe size was 37 I might fall when the wind is too strong.

Alixonlune: That means you're slim then? Do you like foot massages?

(Chamelo13 is not sure what to answer to that, so just waits to see what comes next.)

Alixonlune: Apart from that, I like girls with big feet! I know, it's strange... I like them big and slim! Slightly elongated, I think it's beautiful.

(Chamelo13 doesn't feel like answering anymore, even if she might be missing out on a great foot massage...)

Little friends

In the middle of a village celebration, a little girl is sitting in the grass, crying because her mother scolded her.

A friend of hers, a boy a few years older, comes to sit next to her with a plane tree leaf in his hand and starts showing her how to rip the leaf in such a way that only the veins remain. The girl watches, fascinated. When he's done, the boy starts the same trick on another leaf and gives her one to try it as well.

After a while, seeing that the girl is entertained and has stopped crying, the boy leaves, quietly, the way he came.

Beer providence

Coming from a party I left early, I'm standing in the tram with a bottle of beer in one hand, thinking of a way to get rid of it, not wishing to just throw it away either.
At my stop, I get out right in front of a group of guys, most of them passably drunk. One of them talks to me:
- Hi! - he says, clearly having difficulty to keep his eyes open.
- Hello!
- Can I have your beer? - he adds, eyeing my bottle of beer.
- Sure! - I answer cheerfully, handing him the bottle, more than happy to oblige.
As I walk away, he shouts:
- Thanks!
- No problem! - I shout back, thinking to myself that I'm actually the one who should say thanks.

Yoga class

- Lie down on your back, feet slightly apart, palms facing upward.
Ok, all set.
- Relax all your body...
... ...
- Physical body...
Pff... Oups, I shouldn't laugh...
- Equanimity...
Whatever it THAT?
- Your brain is relaxed...
Not while I'm trying to figure out what equanimity means...
- Expansion of the consciousness...
Ok, stop thinking...
- Listen to your breathing...
... ...
- Mental body...
Awww!! I was just managing to stay relaxed...
- Equanimity...
Here it comes again... Ok, whatever it is it must be meant to relax...
- Harmony...
Exactly!
- Physical body...
Yeah... whatever... I'm relaxed *yawn* now... 
- Expansion of the cousciousness...
... ... ... 

Little car finds big parking spot

Little car finds big parking spot
Little car starts to make its moves to get settled in big parking spot
Unfortunately, little car is a bit clumsy, so little car is having serious trouble settling in huge parking spot
Turning tires right... advancing a bit... turning tires left... rolling backwards...
Advancing... left... backwards... right... reversing...
Little car is just getting ready for one final herculean move...
... when big car in front drives away from its parking spot
So little car, exhausted and maybe a little bit exasperated, finally settles in even bigger parking spot

Morning swim

It's Saturday morning, probably around 8:20 a.m. or close to that. Still half asleep but already in the swimming pool, swimming away...

- Moien, Joffer! Wéi geet ët?* - booms a loud voice.
Squinting at the middle-aged man who addressed me like that - as if I even needed to see him to recognise him - I answer:

- Moien, Eugène! Gudd, an dir?** 

- Gudd, gudd! Hohohoho! - Eugene goes, with his big, uncontrollable bomb of a laugher.

Swim... up the pool... swim... down the pool... swim, swim, swim...

HOHOHOHO! - echoes from somewhere in the room. 

No, no need for me to see whose laughter this is. I smile to myself and swim some more.

* Good morning, Miss! How are you?

** Good morning, Eugene! I'm good, and you?

Defining priorities

On the way home, some tourists, a Russian sounding couple, ask me for directions:

HER: Excuse me, where is the centre? We do not have a lot of time, where is the best to go to see the city?

ME: Well, that way, you have the main squares and the streets with all the expensive shops... And that way you can go to a part that is older, nicer to have a walk, enjoy...

HER, interrupting me: Nono, we go that way! (meaning the other way) Thank you!

Everyone's idea of discovering a new city is different...

Tattoo people

A middle-aged woman with a cute carrot tattoo on her neck, right under her right ear...

Birds of a feather...

... flock together.

At least, that's what I thought while observing a couple in a car at a red light, the woman biting her nails actively, and the man examining his before starting to bite them as well.

Unexpected present

On the train to Zurich I meet Atif, a young Pakistani underwear seller. As we strike up a conversation it turns out that he didn't think of bringing anything to eat on his journey, so I offer him my croissant. After making sure that I already had lunch he accepts it.

Now Atif wants to give me something in return, so he takes his bag, asks what my favourite colour is and goes on a quest for his present for me. When he finds what he has been searching for, looking sheepish, he takes it in his fist, reaches for my hand, puts it in my palm, closes my fingers around it, and asks me not to laugh.

As I open my hand I discover... a g-string... and start laughing uncontrolably at the unexpected surprise.

Flowers, a message and a smile

Flowers in hand, a teenager is leaning against the corner of a building, waiting for someone, probably his date. As I pass him by, I see a smile appear on his face as he reads the text message he just received on his mobile.

We've seen better days...

Sitting in a bus, I can vaguely hear the chatter of two old ladies opposite of me, the nice granny type. As I look out the window, I see a couple of sixty year olds with a dog trotting behind them.

What caught my attention was the general picture they gave: two unkept people walking an old little mongrel who looked dirty and had problems walking. The thought crossed my mind that the old saying is right: dogs do resemble their masters.

"Oh boy! This dog has also seen better days!", one of the old, rich looking ladies exclaims.

I couldn't help but wonder if they were referring to the dog alone, to his masters as well, or to themselves...

Would be nice if it was "Feierowend" already...

Sitting on the bench at a bus station, a guy comes up, greets me and sits next to me:

Him: Hi!

Me: Hi! (Look away, hoping to avoid further contact.)

Him: Would be nice if it was "Feierowend" already... ("Feierowend" means the end of a day of work.)

Me, looking at him to make sure he was speaking to me, and since he was:

Yeah, true... (Didn't want to tell him that I'm actually not working at the moment, so it's "Feierowend" for me all the time.)

Him: It's tough as a bus driver...

Me, trying not to be a bitch: Ah... Don't you work eight hours as other people?

Him: Not at all! We work twelve hours! I work from 10 to 22! Of course, we have three hours break inbetween, but what can one do with that?

Me: Ah yes, there's no time to go home, for example... (Making a face to show my compassion for him. Humour the potential crazies, I say. In the meantime the bus arrives and I stand up.)

Him, following: No wonder one is not able to keep a girlfriend in those conditions...

(Me, at this point already heading for the door, hoping that he won't follow, and starting to understand that he was actually trying to hit on me.)

Him, continuing: ...nobody wants a relationship like that!

Luckily, bus drivers in Luxembourg know each other, so as I walk away the guy stays at the front, speaking to the driver.

As I disappear to the back of the bus I hear him saying: Would be nice if it was "Feierowend" already...