Unobstructed View

Not long ago, work took me to the main Istanbul City office. I had heard from my coworkers that the view from the office building's cafeteria was amazing - and they were right! It was a fantastic vantage point to see some of the mosques, the aqueduct, the Bosphorus and a large part of the central city.

One thing I've loved about working here is that most offices have a cafeteria and lunch is served to everyone free of charge. I love not having to worry about packing a lunch, or finding time to go out. But I also love sampling some of the local food and have gotten to know the server in our small office well enough that even though we don't speak the same language, he's figured out I don't eat meat - and always want smaller portions.

But the thing I like most is that everyone: from the head of the office, to the receptionist, to the cleaning crew all eat together. It breaks down walls in a unique way. It is a custom I think would work well in more places. Of course, it would be best if all office cafeterias' had a view like the one from the City office.

The project I'm working on Istanbul is still taking up all of my time - including my blog commenting time - I miss checking in with my blogging friends so I can't wait til life gets back to a somewhat normal schedule.

Death Cab for Cutie: Unobstructed View


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New Year's Decorations - Istanbul Style

In my normal life I live in the suburbs where opportunities for night photography are limited, but thanks to Kat and her frequent posts and tips on night photography, I've been looking for more opportunities to experiment. The short days that go along with this time of year - and living a little closer to Istanbul's center means I've had more opportunities than usual to test my skills. It is clear I still have a lot to learn, but I've enjoyed the process.

When the holiday lights and decorations started to go up here I was a bit confused. I knew Christmas wasn't widely celebrated so I couldn't figure out why there were holiday decorations everywhere we went. A few questions later I knew it was for the New Year's celebration - which over the years has adopted more and more of the customs that I typically think of belonging to Christmas.

Are you picking a word for the year? Setting some resolutions? I felt like picking a word for 2011 (present) worked well for me - it stayed in the back of my mind and guided my decisions and actions in a positive way. I wasn't even sure I was going to pick a word this year, and then last week as I was doing my daily round of blog reading I found my word - deliberate.

I'm an easy going person, which works well for me since work requires me to move frequently and to adapt to new places, cultures and projects. But it also means that I can get into the habit of letting life just flow along. This year I want to be more deliberate in my choice and see if I can guide my life in the direction I want it to go instead of just coasting along with life.

How about you? Have you picked a word? Set some resolutions?

Here's a little Death Cab, "The New Year."


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Out and about in Delhi

It was a rare no-work weekend in Delhi and I took full advantage.  I did a little more shopping that was actually necessary, but I also added a few photos to my colors of Delhi collection.  Check out the adorable little boy in this first set of photos!

This second photo is of a downed power line we had to get pass on our way home Sunday afternoon.  It took a while, but watching the process was fascinating.

My favorite song this week (and yes it could have something do with the fact that I won't be able to see a certain movie this week along with everyone in the US) but it is also just a beautiful song.

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