Pasting averted, but I remain hopeful.

Greetings to all those who continue to subject themselves to my South American diaries. Please forgive my recent tardiness in posting, however almost unbelievably there hasn't really been anything worth writing about these past two weeks. Pleased to see an English side in the Champions league final (even if it is Liverpool)... could have been worse though I suppose; thank god its not Chelsea- I don't think I could ever back Chelsea and I am not sure how I'd have felt if I'd found myself backing AC Milan- can't stand italian sides! Incidentally can anyone give me an Iron Chefs update- does the Windsor Castle still rock to the anthem "our restaurant rules" or is it more a case of washing the dishes to pay for your grub? Since being here I've not actually played any football, a situation I hope to correct soon. There are whispers around the uni of a Chilean XI vs The Rest of the World match which somehow I've been nominated to organise. To be honest though I can't see it happening, organising anything here takes at least a year- efficiency isn't their strong point. Nonetheless I try to keep fit and trim in the gym at the uni 2 or 3 times a week, so hopefully that'll prepare me for an Iron Chefs comeback in the near future. Its taken a while, but I've finally been attacked! I was beginning to fear that my time in South America would be marred by the absence of a good Latin style mugging- always a hoot! I use the word "attack" loosely here, it was more of a confrontation and I haven't any physical injuries to substantiate my claim. I was walking back to the El Departamento Loco (the crazy flat) from a salsa class I'd been to at another establishment (not the Jose Luis Tejo school, which I've left due to the somewhat high nature of the fees) when I was approached by a group of 5 obviously Borracho (drunk) youths (about 17 or 18 in age I'd hazard a guess). 4 of them more or less ignored me, but 1 (theres always 1) walked straight at and into me and started screaming profanities about 2 inches from my face. Now I might be a little hard at hearing, but the chap didn't really need to shout and naturally I felt a little uncomfortable getting so close to a guy I'd only just met (we hadn't even had coffee!), he was taking it all a little too fast for my liking. So I expressed my objection by grasping his collar and telling him in no uncertain terms that I am not an easy girl; my actual words were more along the lines of "get out of my fucking face"- I can be a nasty bugger at times, but you know what it's like when the old adrenaline kicks in. Anyway by this point his chums had taken an interest in the proceedings and it looked like I'd get a pasting if I hung around, so I made a beeline for the relative safety of the flat. It was a pity really, I've really felt like giving someone a good whack some days, it becomes tedious having things whispered about you as you walk past or shouted at you as a car drives past, but unfortunately this is a reality for people like me who are so obviously foreign in Chile. Having said all this though I must point out that I've also been fortunate enough to meet some really nice Chileans as well. Not much else to report, I remain grateful to those of you who continue to stay in touch with me. Also I feel I ought ask, Hoogster are you suffering some sort of mid life crisis? The somewhat emotional nature of some of your recent posts has concerned me! (those interested should visit www.hoogster.blogspot.com). Be in touch soon Ps. Rob I am looking into Adriana Lima for u.