(I was holding a treat.)

HATING THE BUS GOES GLOBAL

A little introduction is in order for this post I belive. Remember about a week and a half ago I wrote this? If you're too lazy to click through it's that post about the idiots on my bus. Well one of the comments on that post was all like:

And then I was all like:

 And then it was like:

And she really did! I didn't think it would actually happen but she did! :) This made my week and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Her writing is like poetry! So, without further adieu, allow me to introduce ... Soumashree's bus experience!

Greetings!

I live in Kolkata. Or Calcutta as it was known earlier. It probably leads the list of the most populated cities of the world and is officially the rich West's charity outpost. No, I dont always talk like this. Heh heh.

So, bus rides, eh?

Buses are THE transport here. Everyone uses them. If you're out n the road and happen to be sticking your arm out, be warned a bus will stop in front of you. Which brings me to the most important bus phenomenon here... though there are a million designated bus stop and though bus drivers are fined if they stop outside the stations, buses will stop anywhere and everywhere in this city. Which brightens the situation for those needing a bus but makes it horrible for those on the bus who cherish the desire to reach somewhere.

Second, we're always standing. Buses actually have more standing space than seats and owing to the man count of this subcontinent, there are even people hanging out of gates during the peak office hours.

Sometimes, while I am jostling in the middle of one man who wants nothing as much as to brush his arm against by right breast and another who is artfully aligning himself so he can peep into my cleavage, I hear and see things which make all this worthwhile. Topping the list are people who speak over the phone. They don't need to. They speak loud enough for the other person to hear them without a phone. The lies they speak are quite entertaining. They're at meetings, at hospitals, or (and this is the crowd favourite) just five minutes away from a place which is actually no less than an hour away.

Endless battles ensue between endless hoards of men and women. Some people find a backpack very offensive, since it takes up extra space. I've even heard stories where men have been asked to take off jackets for the same reason. But these instances are more and less far between in case of the Great Indian Railway and buses are exempted, thankfully.

Of course, if a driver is stopping every minute to pick up every stray passenger from the road, an old man or two are bound to call the bus (loud enough for said driver to hear) a 'bull drawn cart with headlights'. Of course, the vernacular for this does not sound as ridiculous. It's short and swift but as bizarre.

Just the other day, I was speaking with a friend who had called from London. I asked him to call me later because speaking in a bus is plain impossible. A lady who overheard me was quick to ask how I met someone in London, whether I intend to live there and get married to him, etc.

C'est la vie.

Best,

Soumashree.

You can find Soumashree's blog here. I'm so happy she allowed me to post her e-mail for all to see!

If any of you out there have any bus tales to share (i.e. horror stories or general awfulness) please please email me along with a couple pictures of yourself and I will include you in my global bus hatred club. What does that mean? I do not know.

Things I Love Thursday

This week I am loving...

That my friend Sarah Kramer's iPhone/iPad vegan cooking app is available in iTunes now. Geez, those Kramers really work hard! P.S. if you watch the video you can see my name in the 'credits' section (at around 2:30), I wrote the biography for the app! :)

365 lucky days

Brinicle, found via  Rochelle.

The Down With the Capitol scarf! YES

Cricket! AWWW

Advanced style: age and beauty. 


Ahh the bloggess...does it again! (makes me laugh)

Kaelah's bar etiquette post.  Even if you're not one of the terrible drunk people, it is good to know what bar staff has to deal with on the regular so you understand why your beer took three minutes to make it to you or why you have to tip. It's shocking what wait staff in some states in the USA makes.

Now write "I promise never to return to Cambodia without enough pages..."

Do you have 'the hero instinct'?

That my kitty is getting all Tumblr famous! :)

The bad opinion generator.

Alan Sailer's high-speed pictures of stuff exploding.

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Circles of influence.

 

Very interesting!

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Cats wearing tiny human clothes. I repeat...cats wearing tiny human clothes.

Stuffed animals modeled after real children's drawings

How do you stay optimistic?

How to have a social life and still save money. 

How to make smart decisions in less than 60 seconds.

How to set up a photobooth.

How to challenge yourself. 

The Coffee Cantata. It's a song about coffee addiction written by...Johann Sebastian Bach. Back then coffee addiction was considered a serious social problem.

The bazaarium - hilarious stuff!

It's not you, it's the clothes.

Abandoned places: 10 creepy, beautiful modern ruins.


And last but not least...


Naihan Li's amazing and really really space efficient design. Check these out...I want them all!

Imagine how easy moving house would be if all your furniture was already crates?

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diptych: paintings

For the record, I love both of these.

Three things.

Thing one: did you know that if you live in Canada and win giveaways from the USA, you will be charged a percentage of the item's net worth at the post office? I don't know why, and I don't know if this is a new thing but lately I've been winning things all over the map and then having to pay for them when they arrive. Not cool USA/Canadian border patrol or whatever.

Thing two: I am so excited about the response to my sponsor/guest post thing from yesterday. I can't believe how many of you hate public transit! :) There are still a few trade spaces left and a few paid spaces as well, so if you're interested, don't be shy! For those of you who already emailed me I'll get back to you soon.

Thing three: Have you ever heard of Fan Tan Alley? Here's how it looks in the daytime.  It's in Canada's oldest chinatown (here in Victoria) and is only five feet wide. Here it is at night.

 

What I Really Wore - At The Tattoo Shop - plus bonus cat photos!

It's two posts in one day because I'm feeling like blogging about sponsorship is a surefire way to make you all hate me. So here's an outfit post, hahahaha. I bet you're all curious how I dress when I'm at my ultra-glamorous job. Glitter? Pizazz? Coctail dresses?

NOPE. Jeans and a t-shirt and a hat because I really need to re-dye my hair and/or get a haircut. Ta-daa! I really like the giant belt loops on those jeans. And that Bill Baker shirt is one of my all-time favorites.

Why yes, that is my lint roller in the first picture. You can't get away with having a white cat and a black jacket without one! SPEAKING OF WHITE CATS and me, check this out:

SHE LOVES ME! 

(via my tumblr)

BLOG BUSINESS POST - December Ad Space For Trade AND I'm looking for people who hate riding public transit for guest posts.

 Go on and skip this post if you don't want to read about free ad space for you and guest posting opportunities. BUT for the rest of you I have two things to announce.

Thing one - I am accepting sponsors for December!  

This may be only for a few months or it may stick, but either way it can't hurt to try it out, right? I've been feeling like it's time to try this whole 'sponsor' thing out...give 'er a whirl. Know what I'm sayin'?

What do you guys think about trading ad space? It's free, it's easy, we both benefit...AWESOME! And then I was thinking that since 'tis the season and stuff, maybe some small super cool small businesses, like Etsy store people and whatever might want to purchase a little ad space as well. So I'll give a couple spots to that as well for five bucks for a month's worth of advertising.

If you'd like to participate,  here's what I need from you:

1. An email - novaisawesome(at)gmail(dot)com - letting me know you're in the cool kids club now.
2. A 200x100 photo (or 200x200 if you want to pay cold hard Paypal cash) - static images only please! Unless it's super evil looking, then it can move. Or a pretty cinemagraph. Or a cat being cute. We'll talk.
3. Tell me what URL you want me to link your photo to.
4. Tell me if you want to participate in the 'check out my sponsors' post and/or do a guest post.
5. All your blog's sponsorship info...let me know what you need from me as well!


And here's what I will do for you:

1. I will design your button for free if you can't figure out how to do it on your own.
2. I will be sure to rotate the ads regularly so you each get a shot at the top space.
3. I am open to guest posts, and have some cool ideas.
4. I will do one 'check out my sponsor' post that features all of you, and as a notorious skipper of 'meet the sponsor' posts, I will do my best to find make it interesting for readers.
5. I guarantee that you will be infused with awesomeness if you decide to advertise here.

Here's what I'm thinking:

Free Space:

Five Dollar / Month Spaces - go at the top of the page because they gave me money so I love them more:

And then it'll be all like this*:
 

If you are interested in trading me some ad space on your blog for some ad space on my blog, or if you want to purchase a larger spot for your shop for five buckaroos, please e-mail me at novaisawesome@gmail.com and I will send some information your way.

*I hate the phrase "cool beans" and don't know why I put it on there.

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Thing Two - I need some guest posters to talk about public transit! 

I would like to do a mini-feature here on  the horrors of public transit. Particularly on the strange things that happen all the time that the layman would be shocked to hear about, and/or what public transit is like in other countries. I already have a post lined up from India, stay tuned! :)

If you are interested in doing a guest post on why you hate public transit, or just on what it's like in your city (perhaps an etiquette post) please please send me an email or leave a comment below and I will be in contact with you.

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tent city