A Randomly Delightful Day:)

20th November 2009
11:40 pm
The Matchbox

If only moments be captured in words, how complete my life would be. Sigh!

Had the most spontaneously brilliant day today. Started off on a hurriedly lazy note. By that I mean I got up at 9:30, knowing fully well I had a class at 10, and stayed in bed deliberatley for another ten minutes, simply because I was lazy, then got up in a dash and dressed and ran to class. Hence, hurried laziness.

The class itself was pretty interesting, for a change. Our International Marketing professor not only made sense, but also managed to get us all hooked to the subject. He talked about the role of culture in business. He talked about various goof-ups campaigns make when they try to venture into new territory. A superbly funny example: In English, 'latte' is a coffee drink. In German, 'latte' means an erection. When the Americans beamed shows like Morning Latte in Germany, the results were, needless to say, highly amusing.

Post class I went to the city-centre and came across the quaintest little cafe in Castle Arcade on Castle Street. Cafe Minuet. A small Italian joint with a faintly red and cream decor, pictures of famous Opera singers framed delicately on the walls. A BFG (Big Friendly Giant) old man and probably his wife (who looked like an opera singer herself) ran the cafe. I had the most deliciously made minestrone soup with garlic bread. Nothing like hot, steaming food in the cold, windy breeze. And its a rarity in the UK! When I couldn't finish it all (thanks to the extra-large UK helpings), the kind BFG packed it up for me to take home for dinner. It will be my morning breakfast now.

Lunch over, I roamed about the city, taking in the pretty colours. If there is anything that never ceases to amaze me about Cardiff, it is the way all the colours sit so perfectly in place. The sillouhette of the tree against the pale blue sky, the purple tinge on City Hall's architecture, the pretty christmas lights dancing
above the people: it looks so perfect! And then the live music on the street, with the freeezing wind whistling in my ears, and tight groups of people walking past me creates the perfect ambience that makes me fall in love with the city all over again.

There was an Anne Frank exhibition today at the Old Library. Organised by the National Anne Frank Trust in Holland, it was a masterpiece. For those fond of History, it was an a living trip down memory lane. For those not aware of it, it was a moving eye-opener. The entire exhibition had two parts to it. One part, talked about the History. It explained what happened during the Holocaust, complete with a film on it and an audio with Anne's voice reading out bits from her Diary. It had a life-size room where Anne went into hiding with her family. Hidden in a corner, was also her diary, with a few pages open, all things written in German. The best bit, a brilliant PR and database creation tactic. There was a board stating the question, ' What would you pack in a small suitcase if you had to leave your home forever?" And small postcards were provided where people were to write what they felt was most important to them and leave their contact details as well (postcard duh). Just reading some of them brought tears to my eyes. 'Memories, crayons, photos, pen, diary, favourite book of stories, doll' were some of the things mentioned. I loved the way it talked to me.

The other section was the Contemporary section. Connecting the past to the present. Showing how the horrors of the past are still continuing today. And the youngster's take on it. There were old volunteers all around, helpful and kind, approaching visitors themselves. I loved the initiative they took. I loved the exhibit. It was a random, spontaneous act. Something I have been missing out on, thanks to my desperate need to bring order into life. Order is created out of disorder. Planning comes out of spontaneity. I keep forgetting that.

I'm not a dimwit for nothing:)