a bit of backtracking

Tues 18 May

Had a great chat with Mat over coffee. Ooh that rhymes. It's nice to find somebody who you can talk to and you know the other person understands you, even though you never really hang out together or do anything together besides catch up over coffee. I have unusual friendships like that, but they feel like the most rewarding ones because you end up talking about some interesting subjects!

What a lovely dinner! Perfect company of course, and even better conversation. Serious topics, light topics, love and laughter. Went out to Baia San Marco with Joao for some yummy Italian food. Followed it up with a rich chocolate mud cake and ice cream... indulgence. Mmm.

It was such a good evening - after the ridiculous mood swings of last week, today I finally felt like I was back to normal again. I think I need to consciously maintain a healthy combination of spending time with friends and boyfriend respectively, and that's what keeps me as my happy self.

Wed 19 May

Had lunch with Eszter and Endre. Always have a good laugh and a chat with them - discovered Endre got engaged! Exciting stuff! It's all happening this year. I really enjoy hanging out with the two of them, the conversation is always fun and even though it's been so long since we last saw each other, there's no awkwardness. I function much better in small groups - even in a larger group I'm easier with one-on-one conversations.

Dinner at Takeru and dessert at the Chocolate Room with Joao, Mig, Dani, Kat, Diana, and cameo appearances by Colin, Calista and Ian Wang. As usual the conversation was nothing short of hilarious, and although half the group hadn't met each other before, the combination worked surprisingly well. It was such a fun evening, I was really glad that everybody was able to make it at such short notice.

Mon 19 July

Tonight's salsa class was great fun. Having not seen the class for two weeks made me realise how much I enjoy everybody's company. It's an hour of social refreshment for me. I feel familiar enough with the group to be able to crack jokes or make light conversation, and at the same time I know little enough that I still have plenty of questions I could ask everybody to get to know them better.

I feel like I don't often end up dancing with our instructor Oren, but it's always a good chance for me to refine my developing technique. Instead of having to reiterate the moves we're learning, he gives advice that according to him is 'just nitpicking'. It's a nice feeling to know that I'm progressing well. Having said that, I'm starting to feel sufficiently challenged by the moves we've been learning recently, so I know I've definitely got a lot of practising to do!