Category Archives: Observations

Girlyness

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So I’ve developped an obsession with pretty socks and tights. Well, I’ve had that for years – one of my fondest clothing-related memories involves a pair of grey tights with a braided pattern – but only recently have I become comfortable with drawing attention to myself by dressing exactly how I want to (possibly a reaction to both a growing self-esteem and the boring office clothes I have to wear at work). And now I have fully embraced the fact that feeling good in my clothes also helps me to feel good in my skin, in myself.

A photo of at a tram stop in Zurich, holding a Starbucks cup and grinning like a loon. I'm wearing a black petticoat and a t-shirt that says 'party like a popsong from the 80s'.

I don’t know how universal this is among women (I am reasonably sure that most men don’t “get” it), but I love the fact that something as simple as putting on a skirt and a cute pair of socks will make me feel good all day long as I look down at myself or see my reflection in a window somewhere – or in people’s smiling faces.

Edit: And because I was talking socks and actually wearing leggings in the photo – here’s today’s “happy outfit”:
Mauve over-knee socks with black stripes, held up by sock garters with big black buttons. Also visible are grey tights and the edge of a black skirt.

🙂

And suddenly it’s winter…

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Seriously, only last week you could go outside in just a cardigan – now it’s coats, hats, gloves, scarves and warm shoes, the whole shebang. Having gone grocery shopping during my lunch break I couldn’t face walking home through the cold. Mostly because the office is just the wrong side of room temperature, which sucks if you’re sitting still all day.

Anyways, I took the bus. And was prompty reminded why walking is a better option – this particular busline is always full during rush hour, and there are always at least a handful of people with… hygiene problems. Yes, let’s put it that way. It was only three stops, yet I was so very grateful to be back out in the cold.

Now I’m on my couch, drinking chai (trying out the Migros brand, which is quite nice – and obviously cheaper than Starbucks) and watching Top Chef. In 20 minutes or so I’ll head out to meet a friend for drinks with hopefully nice views of Zurich at night – and I’m adding a couple more layers of clothing, just for good measure. 🙂

Two-for-one

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Because I haven’t been around the last couple of days, work + friends + a weekend with my family at my grandmother’s lake house (well, now one of my cousin’s lake house), have two moments for today:

At the station on my way home there were lots of dressed-up people, I don’t know why, but what caught my eye the most and made me grin widely: A little black boy in a dark suit and tie, who, from one moment to the next, started slaloming through the crowd on heelies, completely matter-of-factly.

..

My windows face a courtyard/parking space surrounded by mine as well as three other apartment buildings. This sometimes means annoying car noise and stupid people talking loudly in the middle of the night or early morning, but today it meant someone practicing blues guitar for a good hour. And boy, they were good! 🙂

Familiar faces

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The new season of TV shows is gathering speed, and I’m enjoying the return of some long-standing favorites (like ‘Bones’, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and ‘Criminal Minds’) as well as a couple of new ones (most notably ‘Glee’). Work is a bit chaotic still, but I’m looking forward to spending the weekend at my grandmother’s lake house with my family.

Observation of the Day
One of the things I like about walking to work through my neighbourhood is that I pass by the same people pretty much every day. Because this is a city, we don’t nod or even really look at each other, but I like seeing them, noticing absent-mindedly if they’re late or early, what they’re wearing, if they’re alone or with someone. For example there’s a very stunning girl I usually cross when I’m almost at work, model-slim with long red hair, who’s always dressed to the nines – fashionable yet simple, usually in heels. There’s a tiny Thai woman, in casual but elegant clothes, and who’s always smiling. Or a business guy, usually listening to music on his phone, slightly bopping his head.

I don’t know, but I like seeing them, imagining that maybe their life is just like mine or possibly wildly different, all of us on our way to work every morning at roughly the same time in the same area.

The monk

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Just home after a somewhat chaotic day at work (a co-worker is leaving on Friday and we’re nowhere near ready to take over his duties) and a fun evening of pizza and TV with American friend Milo and his family (SYTYCD, NCIS and Doctor Who).

A few weeks ago, on my way home from work, I came out of the underpass to where there’s normally groups of people sitting on the benches drinking/sleeping. What I saw this time, however, was different: A monk, in brown robes and sandals, laying a hand on a young black girl’s head, obviously praying for her. I halfway expected there to be commotion, stupid comments or resentment from the drinking onlookers, maybe embarrassment from the girl, but instead the scene was peaceful, and the girl was smiling.

Blogging resolution…

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In August I had to move, away from my beautiful apartment on the top floor of a church. Now I live in one of Zurich’s most… interesting areas, Kreis 4, also known among locals as “Chreis Chaib” (approx. “Circle Naughty”). Every day I walk along the (in)famous Langstrasse on my way to work, past sex shops, bars, drug dealers, drunks, but also past people just like me, living in their lives here – families, single professionals, people from every corner of the world.

So, because I’ve neglected this blog shamefully, let me try something: Every day that I’m around I’ll post an observation I make as I go about my life. It can be one sentence or a paragraph, but I’ll attempt to do it most days, at least on work days. And let’s dig right in:

One thing I love about this part of town is that it’s a proper “quarter”. People walk, people cycle, people sit in front of cafés or just on a bench somewhere, just living. Kids on their way home from school, passing the sex shops without a second glance; a guy in a business suit cycling past the tired-looking woman in high heels and a low-cut shirt at 8 in the morning; giggling girls shooting glances at a gang of boys as they wait for the bus; a guy trying to bum a cigarette because the kiosk is still closed; old men (also some young ones, women too) drinking beer from cans at every hour of the day; the woman cleaning the sidewalk in front of the café she works in every morning. And in between, there’s me. Living.

Postscript: I finally bought the lovely Ingrid Michaelson‘s new album, “Everybody” – and oh, it’s worth every penny. Her music is just PRETTY, in the best possible way. I do hope she’ll add a Swiss date to her upcoming tour!