trouble in paradise

I had a sadhu as a customer yesterday who pointed out that Paradise can be pretty tough! Interesting perspective, but with the trouble I'm having with staff and cyclones I'm beginning to see what he's getting at.
Chocolate cookies was all I could manage today due to shortages in staff and ingredients. A bit heavy on the cocoa, i'm afraid. You win some, you lose some. planning a chocolate brownie fest tomorrow. And I have pressies to open thanks to my little sister, who is generous and organised.
Going to midnight mass at the holy family church tonight- having never been in my life, it should be an experience. That is if I can stay awake- not used to this work lark.
Just wishing the wind would stop blowing and I could get some sun-bathing and swimming in. That's what i'm here for after all!
Still can't complain- got some fish on the barbie and the sound of the waves is a constant lullaby.
Happy Christmas one and all.

juggling peanut cookies

my kitchen is very small and there's no sink. it also serves as the bar, cricket stadium and general hang-out zone for the local lads. logistical hell. having said that, i did produce some really not bad peanut cookies at the crack of dawn this morning. only time i get the facilities to myself.
barman still not really speaking to me it appears. could be an issue of territorial insecurity and thus jealousy. or envy? don't really care but trying to create three smoothies and some hot tea took a long time yesterday with us getting in each others way. communication and negotiation key at the moment if we are to avoid full-on battle. i'll get my thinking cap on...
weather still very windy and noone ventures to the beach in a sand-storm. bad news for business. new project is going out for dinner 2 or 3 times a week to check out the competition. went to a nice place last night- Shanti Cafe- on the beach, nice food, friendly, terrible music, not very cosy. met some fellow 'christians' who i may spend some of chrimbo with.

back at the Bob...

Yo! back at the Bob, lots of rain then the sun came out and stuff dried out and we oepned the cafe. Day 2 and things are going well- bought my gas oven and lots of kitchen equipment for my cake-making enterprise the other day, oven connected today, first espressos served. chaos today- a banana pancake which took an hour and a half! then she didn't like it! how i smiled!
bar man disappeared for 24 hours yesterday evening for an undisclosed reason. Mint! wasn't a problem as we all mucked in. first night though with a bunch of lovely drunk people, one with a guitar and a nice voice. trying to follow the rules of Shithead on a quantityof cheap rum! Nice!
exhausted last night. it felt good to be tired from hard work. i've been up and down those stairs 50 times today.
swimming this morning. yoga tomorrow. can't complain!
feels weird that chrimbo is upon us again. i'll be going to midnight mass at the very busy holy family church. did some carol-singing with the boys and men from the choir. 5 am. coffee and biscuits provided by good christians en route!
attempting some tamil. waNa cam is hello. how are you?

Freckles!

Just been for a typical India experience. I don't know why I do it to myself- I think I get bored and then want something to moan/ think/ laugh about. Went for a waxing- first there were two women looking at my legs and ass, chatting and laughing (will never know if they were talking about me or not), then there were three and finally there were FIVE at the point where I was having my bikini done! I no longer understand the meaning of the word 'embarrassment'. I was then asked how 'that happened to my skin'. Enquiring as to what 'that' actually was, I was told 'the pigmentation' all over your body! That is the umteeneth time I have been told I have a skin disease (it's the freckles) in the past month- on the Ayurveda course I was asked to be model for a facial after which they all congratulated me on the fact that my pimentations had reduced. I responded by shouting out "No! I like my freckles!" and confirmed my place in the land of the unblessed. I'm really trying not to feel like a complete freak. However it is a good experience to feel like a freak sometimes and I will never, never view any poor soul who is not 'normal' as a weirdo again. All the deformed, maimed and 'strange' are my brothers and sisters in Freakdom and we are all beautiful in our uniqueness. Normal sucks!
Right- well thanks for reading my rant. I'm now going to the post office to get stared at and mocked. But I will stand with my head held high, proud to be different and if anyone asks I will tell them that it's highly contageous and that they've probably caught it already so they may as well accept it. It's not fatal but they sure as shit will find it hard to get themselves a mate!