Ok, so, Yeah... I'm off again.
I leave in two hours. Back to the Airport, back to other side of the world.

Let's forget this hectic month of random decisionmaking to get going.
Skip it, fast forward to the next destination. I ll start up the story there, where I left off last time on ingridgoesnewzealand.blogspot.com .

'Cause as you might know by now, blogging goes better when I am abroad, so that s what I ll do.

I m taking this sunday afternoon to reflect about what went on this last week.

after this September period of taking a step back and working out by myself what my priorities are, I made some drastic measures upon my return.

The idea of maybe getting a job on a movie in New Zealand triggered me to finally build up the courage to quit my job, give up my apartment and sell all my shit.

That way, I will finally be able to move wherever a new job will lead me.
Going back to ground zero, but now with some extra suitcases of experience, I'm ready to start this new chapter in my life, rebuilding it again one brick at a time.

Although it is scaring the shit out of me. These random, radical acts of the week, apparently make sense, not only to me, but also to my family, friends, and collegues.

It gives me the courage to persists.
The sky is the limit, carpe diem, yeah yeah all that shit...

So yes, indeed, it s higly likely that: http://ingridgoesnewzealand.blogspot.com/
gets a sequel.

Let's hope it works out.
I'll keep you all posted.
...

And to finish off, the difference between:



Morning glory clouds







sunset sky







and modern painting of flatulance

Yep, that s care.

It must be Sunday...

... another example of that

Isn't it wonderfull when Nature persists...

Where BlairWitch Project meets the Ocean

'Contact' with the 'wild life'.

Man imitates Bird, Woman with fake Poodle

Witness of moodchanges

love those ladders...

I decided against a chronological overview, but for random pictures I scatter over different entries... like pieces of the puzzle, a connect the dots-drawing, you can reconstruct the september-story as you see fit.

After I digest all that I took in, I will give you a quick picture overview of images that struck me during this month in september.

Let s kick off with the most obvious one under the heading:
the biggest disillusions of the month

the serenity brought to us by the pitoresk town of Niagara Falls

Sunday evening 23 h58

Back on belgian soil after 4 days in Portugal for the wedding of my cousin(educational info: the openingsdance was an authentic wals jieha).
The good news was that, when my plane landed from New York, I got news that Thelma found an excuse to get away from the island to join me on mainland Portugal for a few days. Now that is what I call the perfect ending of the rollercoaster ride, the roadmovie called 'one month in september'.


Although I am turned off aviation for a while, time flew by, that's for sure.

Its: Back to work tomorrow.
And that s all I have to say about that.

Monday 24 th of September 1:03 AM

The television is on in the background while I pack my bag. It s my last night in the States. A movie just started.
When Harry met Sally.

I try to organize my bag and realize its, as usual, kind of useless, so I pick up the computer, and try to pick up where I left off...

I think we left off in rainy Vancouver, of which the first day there I slept most of the day.
I know, a shame, but frankly, I needed it, and for the first time in a long time: THE BEDS WERE ACTUALLY VERY COMFORTABLE!!! It of course also helped that, that afternoon, I wasnt acquainted yet with the 75year old swedish woman snorring, sighing and talking in her sleep in the bed above me.

Overall, rainy Vancouver cleared up the remaining time I was awake, at least most parts of the day - the moments it started to drizzled, I sheltered in the movietheatre, the rest of the time, I just wandered around.
Most of that took place in Stanley Park -which I loved ( Lonely Planet trivia: Stanley Park is one of North America'a largest urban parks). It was there that three racoons followed me along Lovers Trail -cute looking rats easily mistaken with skunks-
Yes, that was adorable in the beginning, but a little embarrassing in the end, as every couple passing looked at me like I was freaking Snow White, or at least that s the fairy tale character I think is all zen with those forest animals.

By the way, have you ever realized that when walking in a forest, everybody feels the urge to salute you... they become like these Ned Flanders and Dorothy from Oz clones. Smiling, saluting, keeping up the pace.

Anyway, besides those brief encounters, I didnt really go into conversations with anybody, I just wasnt in the mood to talk. - dont worry, people, no need for an intervention, I m on my way home, and over the phase already...
I just took in as much as I could, and I must say, after a while, the city showed me its potential. With The Rocky Mountains in the background, walking on the seaview Wall, the idea starts to build of coming back here in another frame of mind, another season, when the time is ripe - yes, you can blame the damn racoons for that idea to return-

So that s that, Vancouver is what it is, and to me that means, wanting to see more at a later date.
But for now, I had to catch a plane to Boston where I would spend my last days in the States back, at the East Coast, this time, with friends again.
Social skills were turned on again.

Small traveltime-trivia though... -and this is besides the classic story of the 5year old boy with annoying toy sitting next to me- :
The stewardess announces 2 minutes before landing that we are about to arrive in Boston and that we have to put our seats in the upright position and all that standard procedure blabla, but then she adds: 'in case of an emergency landing, please leave all your belongings behind'

In all my life I had never heared a stewardess say this just before a landing...
my life flashed before my eyes. (ok, I exagerate a little, but still, who in her right mind would say that???) Thank you United Airlines for giving me my first airplane-ride thrill.

Ok, so as you can guess, I made it, no big deal... I m still alive and kicking in Boston.

And it has been a great 4 days that just flew by, 4 days of casual sightseeing, food and drinks and good talks.
I learned a lot of random stuff again... I ll give one random example: I know for instance, that tomorrow is Suicide Monday for the students.
Suicide Monday is something the faculties of MIT and Harvard have introduced to do something about the suicide-rate amongst students.
To give them a break, to catch up with their work, these random Holiday-Mondays have been introduced, and although I applaud the initiative, I find the whole concept a little sinister...

So that is that, I am packing up to go home.
My last day in the States involved my first yoga session this morning -under the motto 'do-something-new-everyday', a bbq in the backyard in the afternoon, and a great concert of Ben Harper to top it all off.
Yes, it has been one of those good sundays.
...

Meg Ryan does her orgasm scene in the diner...
the old woman says: 'I ll have what she s having'.
And then we cut to commercials.
Typical.
But I think of doing the same, that is: cutting to commercials.
Time for a break again.

next stops: NY JFK, BRUSSELS tuesday. and wednesday: LISBON.

waiting for my plane to Vancouver:
a rare moment of peace and quiet on LAX.

This is a special message for that Lois Lane with the internet connection from hell, the task to write difficult articles for Middle Earth.
Lois, exiled on an Island sitting at a desk with the humming of broken neonlights at the local Daily Planet, surrounded by aliens from outer space.

You are reading this and thinking? Is she really talking to me?...

Yes, You, whose communication facilities with the outside world have been dismantled by the authorities,you that are stripped from any real live feed-connection from the main land by your superiors and banned to read your emails that might safe yourself from becoming one of them!
You have gone so deep undercover under the codename, Journaaaal de Funchaaal, that we start to worry.
That is why I go thru public channels to address myself to You:

JA I m talking to YOU!!!!
This is a personal blog-entry for you because I want to know an answer to the killing question: Clo, are you coming to Lisbon next week?

Roekoeh 3x in the night if you have received this message and will be able to escape from your personal Alcatraz for a few days. I m sure you can invent the Perfect Excuse. Because if somebody can do it... You can - As you are the Invent-an-unlikely-excuse-and-stick-to-it- Master.

To all you others... this entry was, even more then usual, I think of no specific interest to you -unless you are her boss of course-