^.^ happy tree friends ^.^

Monday, February 19, 2007

My latest purchase

Today is Sunday- which in Europe means "inconvenience", because nothing is open. I didn't have survival supplies at home (ie food and entertainment), so I decided to strike out on my own and immerse myself in the cafe culture that every good ol' European seems to be a part of. It doesn't entail much really- you basically just spend most of the day sitting in a cafe somewhere over a cup of cappuccino, talking to friends, reading a book, online on your laptop...whatever. I tried to do this at the McCafe near my place; over my usual breakfast and David Hume on Suicide, but I didn't get far before the guy beside me started smoking, and after awhile I was all dizzy from the smoke and ready to leave.

Not wanting to give up for the day, I headed for the Alexandra, this huge bookstore (5 levels, but most of it in Hungarian) a little ways from Nyugati Station. Yesterday we found an English section here, which I spent the most part of an hour browsing even though it was so small. I wanted to buy a book about art, but that was before I found the above copy of Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Have been dying to read this book simply because it was considered so offensive to the Islamic religion that it was banned in Singapore and just about every other Muslim country, so I wanted to see what all that big fuss was about. If anyone's interested they can borrow it from me after I get home (am happy with my nice, contraband souvenir=)). Like all giant bookstores the Alexandra had its own cafe, so I sat there for the next 4 hours or so alternating between reading my new book and staring off into space... It was fun! Back in Singapore everything is so rushed- like people just sit down for as long as they need to finish their drinks and then leave. Or the crappy service staff starts hovering around you, waiting to clear your seat to free up space for the next few customers. Here, it is accepted that once you plonk your ass down you'll be there for at least the next 2 hours or so, and the staff don't ever bother you. Here's a quote from the book I kind of liked: "We are creatures of air, Our roots in dreams And clouds, reborn in flight."If there's any of you back home in SG like me, who've been wanting to read the book but couldn't get it, you're welcome to it after I get home=)

Around 4 I started heading back, but decided to walk instead of take the tram, and went a bit off course (a bad habit, but frequently practiced despite). At first it was nice because the sun was out and the streets were full of people, and I got to explore Andrassy street (where the Budapest Opera House is, and just about every other posh cultural institution), but then I wandered further than I should and ended up in this very deserted part of town before I realized it. I hated to backtrack, so I kept walking till I got really, really lost. It was creepy because everything was closed and it was so quiet. Honestly though, I was a happy explorer until this old man came up to me and asked me where I was headed too. Initially I thought he was just being friendly and helpful, so I waved him away and said thank you very much but I wasn't lost and was just walking around. He nodded and apologized, and then went off in another direction. But it wasn't before long that I realized he kept appearing behind me intermittently- like I would be crossing a street and see him somewhere behind doing the same. At first I reasoned that maybe we were headed in the same general direction and that therefore there was nothing to be paranoid about, but the labyrinthine nature of the streets and my horrendously bad sense of direction meant that I kept coming back to the same old places, and he would be somewhere around there too (I guess because he knew the streets so much better- stalkers are like that). After a while he wasn't even pretending not to be following me, and that's when I got scared, and very, very, VERY pissed off. I mean, what the hell?! I hate stupid, strange people who engage in such silly, anti-social activities such as stalking- don't they have better things to do? They could go make new friends, for example, or read a book, or whatever. It was disturbing, and I couldn't properly enjoy my day out anymore=/
This is actually the second time something not quite so pleasant has happened- the first being the day before yesterday, when a man we asked directions from tried to lead Cynthia and I down a dark alley. I knew something wasn't kosher when he said he's always wanted to go to Singapore because of the "laidback pace of life" (what a dumbass thing to say). Cynthia was really frightened so she called Sasa (the guy we were meeting) and the guy promptly waved goodbye and disappeared once she got through on the phone. So today I did the same, and called Chantal. She was horrified and said I should run into a shop or something, only there weren't any open. But it worked- the old guy disappeared, and I found a bus, hopped on, and went shopping at Match (the nearby supermarket) near my place to calm my jumpy nerves. I also got through a whole roll of biscuits and a whole tub of yogurt when I got home. Being stalked isn't exactly good for maintaining a healthy diet; but neither s beer and clubbing, though I much much prefer the latter.

Monday, February 19, 2007