Pet Peeves

Don't we all have those things that just annoy you beyond belief? I know I do. Little things. Insignificant nonsense.

Leaving things to dry after washing up.
Sorry, but we have tea towels. That's what they're there for. Dry it up and put it away for crying out loud, washing up isn't done until the kitchen is cleared and everything put away.

Half-emptying the dishwasher.
It is possible that this only annoys me because I live with other people, but here's the thing: leaving the dishwasher half empty gives me doubts as to whether or not it has been run. I don't want to put dirty stuff in the cupboards. I don't want to run things twice. It's normally possible to see if things are clean, or smell it, but sometimes you've got THAT ONE THING that doesn't wash properly. grrr. we hatessss  it.

Distracted Cashiers.
have you ever been in a queue, looking over at two working tills, and still not been acknowledged? I have. And I hate it. See, I will typically walk up to the till when the cashier acknowledges my presence, that way I know they're open and ready, not, you know, just about to close or on their break. Or worse still, on the phone and consistently looking in the opposite direction. This happens every time I need something from Costcutter. And no, I don't shop there if I can avoid it.

Other People's Mess.
I don't mind my own.

Misplaced games/DVD discs.
So lots of people have this habit of putting the disc in the cover of the one they put in next. Or the first empty one available. It drives me mad! MAD! I once followed a trail of at least 5 misplaced discs. After the 3rd one I got annoyed.

Being asked if I'm ok because 
A) I'm quiet or
B) I've got a funny face.

A) I can go for weeks without talking, what makes today different? and B) IT'S MY FACE! Stop insulting my face.

Are you annoyed?
No I'm not. No I'm not. No I'm not. I wasn't until the third time you asked. NOW I'm annoyed.

Dirty bus windows.
I like to be able to see out. Because I don't know the area, or the bus route, well enough to know it on the feels. And because....

Local Buses don't announce their next stop.
You know, because people know the bus route well enough to not have to depend on that information to be available on the bus. Except I'm not that local and I've only been on this bus a couple of times before, WITH company.

Bus service that runs once an hour.
It's just stupid.

Being Late.
I can't stand being late. It's embarrassing. It's basically a huge sign saying "I can't manage my time!" And you know, it annoys me when other people are late too. Punctuality is a big deal for me.

News and Interviews

Well then, some news since last time I updated this blog - it's been a while, though I'm posting daily over at my Photography blog, since I'm doing the daily photo challenge this year. Which is, uh, a challenge...

Anyways, through some miracle, I have been offered a job in a very tough economy, and all by myself too, as I don't have many contacts here to get me work or even put in a good word for me. It has been a tough couple of months, sending out loads of applications and getting very few replies, but it made me realize something: I must interview quite well. See, I don't have a lot of experience. So I've only got 2 interviews out of the whole process. The first one lead to a work trial, that sadly didn't lead anywhere, but I got through the interview on a positive note. The second one lead to a job offer. So that is giving me some confidence. Surprising, sure, since I do get terribly nervous in high-pressure situations. I'm conscious of my nerves, and tried pretty hard to appear confident. So, because I'm an oversharer and love talking out of my ar** about stuff I know nothing about, I'll give you, the reader, some advice you should probably ignore about how I tried to appear confident during job interviews.

1. Dress smart.
OK this goes without saying, but bear with me. I don't just mean wear a smart shirt and businesslike trousers or skirt. Underwear is just as important. NO, not because you get up on the table and do a striptease if things go bad. Because wearing sexy lingerie is a good way of feeling beautiful, sexy and empowered - at least for me. So I would make sure to wear a nice matching set, stockings and suspenders, and a pair of nice looking, but fairly neutral heels.

2. Arrive early.
It just gives them a good impression of you, OK? I usually try to get there 10-15 minutes early, though that usually means get there 20-30 minutes early and wander around a bit because I don't want to be so early it looks like I've got the time wrong... But 15 minutes is good. It gives you a minute to relax and breathe before the interview, and it signals clearly that you are a good timekeeper and, in the future,  will be ready to start working once your shift starts.

3. Accept that drink.
So I'm usually the mousy never-mind-me, i don't want to be an inconvenience, don't want to trouble you type. But I've been thinking - a job interview is already highly imbalanced. They're in power, I bend over backwards to please them. Just accepting a drink at the beginning of the interview makes me feel more assertive, which makes me feel a bit more at ease in the situation. Just asking for a glass of water is no trouble for anyone at all, and i've established my presence.

4. Stop Fidgeting
Yeah I'm nervous. It's natural. I'm supposed to be in that situation. But being conscious about sitting still makes me look more relaxed. So hands down, back straight, posture, posture, posture. And of course eye contact, nod, show understanding and agreement. Be a part of the conversation even when I'm not the one talking. Not to mention having that glass of water in front of me can be a life saver when I really need to do something with my hands!

So that's it, the rest is probably down to luck, but making myself relax and feeling confident does make me feel more comfortable and less intimidated about the situation. Of course the interviewers I've come across have all been super nice, which also helps a lot. I'm not going to say 'this is how you nail that interview' because honestly, I don't have the experience to show that it works every time, and I've never been the one on the other side of that table. This is just what I've been telling myself to get those nerves under control.

Looking Back at 2012

2012 has been an ...interesting... year.
To be fair, it's felt like shit most of the time. Still. Good and bad I suppose, at the very least it's been eventful!

I have survived the last few months of uni, finished my dissertation, put my work together for the final exhibition, and graduated with a 2:1 degree. 

I have lost, and found, my inspiration to paint.

I left my flat, and found myself not feeling 'home' anywhere for several months. Settled in eventually though, and now I'm happily living with my boyfriend, his family, and a cat!

I've been between homes and between identities. No longer student, not yet employed.

I nearly got a job, but it slipped away. I still don't know what went wrong. No luck finding anything else so far.

I've been travelling between Norway and England a lot more than usual.

I have knitted a jumper.

I have suddenly got a massive makeup collection. Yeah, don't know how that happened.

I have watched I, Claudius and now know the first 5 Roman emperors in chronological order because of it. 

I have started to update my blog more than once a year (!)

I also got Twitter and Instagram.

I've learned basic Dreamweaver skills, and working on an artist's website. How exciting!

I have gone blonder, and blonder, and then short.

I have visited a nightclub! 

I've been on the back of a motorbike, and loved it.

I have been going for long walks in the countryside, and forgotten to bring my camera.

I have bent a spoon with my miiiiiind (a.k.a. ice cream)

I have been drinking a lot of wine. 

I have discovered drunkenness IS the road to happiness. Next year, I should probably get some help...

Happy New Year, everyone!
May 2013 be better than 2012 for everyone, whether this year has been kind or cruel to you. I know I'm hoping for a less rocky year, time to finally find my identity, sort my life out and learn how to be happy. I'm also looking forward to a year of more photography.

Just A Thought

My future and work situations have been a bit of a headache for me the last couple of months. I have been applying for many jobs I don't really want, but would rather do than playing at being a housewife with a small part time position on the side. I have considered teaching, but there is a problem; I don't particularly like groups of children. I don't mind kids, some of them are awesome, I just don't like them in packs. I'm not excited about studying to be a teacher. It seemed like a good step forward with a fine art degree, but it's a lot of work for something I'm not particularly excited about doing. It's the same argument I use whenever I pass a Vacancy sign at a hairdressers; yeah I'd get work, but it's a lot of time and money spent on education to do something I'm not suited for.

I have, however, been playing with the idea of getting some further education. Something practical this time. As in, something leading to job opportunities. Yeah I want to study history, psychology, more philosophy... all the fun stuff. But that would make me a mediocre academic, not a worker.

But what about cookery? Or catering? Or something leading towards that? I had a work trial in a kitchen a few months ago, and loved it. A bit depressing that pretty much all the food was pre-packaged and/or frozen, but hey. That's modern food industry I suppose. Maybe I could even do some business/leadership classes after that, and eventually end up with my own business some day?

Not saying I will definitely do this, but I am playing with the idea. Wondering if it's something I could get excited about.

My English Xmas

Well christmas is a time to spend with family, and this year, I've spent it with my boyfriend's. It has been a lovely time, starting Christmas Eve with christmas telly, alcohol and wrapping presents. I also spent the afternoon making gingerbread, 2nd year in a row, while listening to a mix of English and Norwegian holiday tunes (with a big thank you, thank you, thank you to my dad and sister who got me Putti Plutti Pott last year, because that is a tradition I truly missed living abroad- it's not on spotify and keeps getting taken off youtube).

Then Christmas Day, we woke up before the sun (probably around 10) to open presents. Everyone gathered in the living room, still sleepy, and opened the gifts one by one. Even I got quite a lot, wich was a bit of a surprise, being a newcomer in the household and not technically a family member. This included a lovely pink furry lounge set from the grandparents and a Pandora bracelet from the family. I also had the most amazingly deceptive present from my mum - a notebook and some nescafe coffee, or so I thought. When we were finished with the opening and started tidying and putting away, I thought 'I'd like one of those,' and opened the box. Then I laughed. She really got me this year.

See, my mum has this funny habit of packing presents in misleading boxes. You can usually tell, because of some tape, a bulge, unnatural weight, strange sounds, &c. Not so this time. I swear she even got the weight right. What I found in the box was a lovely necklace, a mini marc jacobs daisy perfume and some mini travel containers for cream, toothpaste or similar size restricted 'liquid' substances.

Then it was off to my boyfriend's grandparents for dinner. The turkey was delicious, and the company amazing. We had crackers with lots of strange stuff in it (like a yoyo, that the boys fought about) and high quality jokes (Q: Who is never hungry at Christmas? A: The turkey - he is always stuffed) and also some very festive flashing earrings. Everyone with pierced ears (including boyfriend's dad) wore them, the boys put them on their jumpers like little nipple ornaments. Class.

Today, Boxing Day, we had some more family over. Once again a very relaxed party, spent playing iPad Monopoly and Just Dance 3. That is such an awesome way of making yourself look like an absolute idiot, which is what I expect everyone to think of me anyway, so I didn't care. Honestly, I've always hated joining in and doing things I haven't done before/am rubbish at, and I've got 2 left feet and no coordination, but I've been trying to get out of my comfort zone a bit more than I normally would lately. That is to say, do stuff I'm not comfortable with BEFORE I'm so drunk I don't know what I'm doing. 

More xmas telly and attacking the nibbles tonight, and that's christmas pretty much over for this year. I'm guessing I'll come back to my own family for a proper Norwegian christmas celebration next year, but until then, there's some time for new year's resolutions, getting a life, and generally staying alive. Not to mention I'm going for the 360 Photo Challenge in 2013, so lots to do, lots to learn.

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year everybody!

xX

To my 13-year-old Self

If I could tell my 13-year-old self one thing, it would be to think about what she writes. Even if she's upset and angry and writing in what she thinks is a private diary. Because the written word survives, and it might end up hurting someone. Diaries are mislaid and turn up years later.

It is a bizarre experience to be confronted with something you wrote in a rage 10 years ago. Mainly because you really want to give the person who wrote it a slap. Thing is, people change. Feelings change. My 13-year-old self isn't me, not really. She lived, thought and experienced things very differently from me. Her priorities were different. Her life was different. She loved and hated very different things. She was short tempered, mean and stupid. And she could turn ink into poison.

From what I remember of the time, writing was a way of blowing off steam. I couldn't talk to my parents, wasn't allowed to shout, and NOBODY UNDERSTOOD ME. No teenager ever had the same experiences I did. Or something.

Writing to blow off steam?

Here's how to do it right.

Put all your feelings to the paper. Don't hold back. Get everything.
Once it's done, set it on fire. Watch all the negative energy burn away and disappear. You don't need it. Negative thoughts are not worth keeping. Who knows, you might even feel better.

Things are Things

Yesterday, I had a pretty bad day.
Determined to get to the bottom of the wardrobe, where quite a few things were just 'temporarily' placed when I moved in because I don't really have a better place for them, I discovered that things were not only cold in there, but wet too. On further investigation, quite a few of my things turned out to be attacked and probably ruined by mould.

That's a few of my coats, some accessories, fit flops and all but two of my handbags. The handbags were the hardest blow, because they were really very nice, not ridiculously inexpensive in their time, and one of the bags was practically unused and also last years christmas present from my mum. Needless to say, I was gutted.

Though it also forced me to think about the meaning of these material things I've been collecting. It's not as if it's stuff I use every day. OK so some of it s stuff I've used quite a lot and been meaning to dig out from the bottom of the wardrobe, and my fit flops... let's just say I've practically lived in them during the summer months of the past few years, because they're like flip flops but super comfortable.

But they can be replaced. Most of the stuff can be replaced. Maybe not the silk scarf my nan painted for me a few years ago, that was a bit of a loss. But the other stuff... none of it was that unique. Sure I'm sad, and of course I think about what this stuff cost when I bought it and how nice it used to be. But it's not the end of the world. At least not until tomorrow.

Things are just things. Some are more precious than others, but very few are essential.

I used to love this bag.

And this one. Great size for uni, space for everything.

Nooooo not the fitflops :'(

YouTube moment of the day: Cat Falls Into Bathtub

I don't smile every day, but sometimes, something just comes along to make me laugh hysterically.

It's usually got something to do with cats.

Thought I'd just share this video of a cat and a bathtub, because it's cute. Enjoy.

The Breakfast Problem

I'm not a breakfast person. This might possibly be an extension of not being a morning person. When I've dragged myself out of bed, still half asleep and wandering around like a zombie, I simply don't feel ready for food. I'm not hungry, nor am I tempted to eat.

Still, primary school propaganda says breakfast is the most important meal of the day (though this may or may not also be a scientific fact), so an effort should be made to eat something.

Years of research (also known as Life) has resulted in this small list of breakfast options, containing predictable variations of the breakfast classics everyone knows and loathes (or maybe that's just me?).


Breakfast Smoothie
Admittedly, making a smoothie in the morning does take some time. Peel and dice fruit, add yoghurt and/or juice, blend, and clean blender. It can, however, be made ahead. My mother makes smoothie in bulk, and stores it in the fridge in convenient, portion-sized containers. All you have to do is take it out of the fridge and drink. I think it's a great way to start the day, all the fruity goodness is refreshing and can give you a much needed kick in the morning, and do i need to mention it's full of vitamins AND one of your five a day?
There are ready made frozen smoothie fruit mixes available on the market, which makes things easy. The good thing with smoothies is, of course, that you can add anything you like. I did a dead simple strawberry, avocado and strawberry yoghurt smoothie once, which sounds weird but tasted really nice.

Porridge
I know many people swear to oatmeal porridge in the morning. Horses among them.
I have a periodical love/hate relationship with it, sometimes it's really nice, other times I can't bear to think of it. Porridge is nice with a bit loads of sugar, though an interesting variation is using syrup instead, and when I was a kid I usually had it with loads of raspberry jam (enough to make it a lovely dark fuchsia colour). For healthier varieties I've seen suggestions to add fresh fruits and berries.

Cereals
The breakfast classic, and usually the last thing I want in the morning. I know cereals come in every flavour and variety, but more often than not, it's not very tempting anyway and I'd rather skip breakfast altogether. I think it's the idea of things soaking in milk that doesn't particularly appeal to me. Milk is one of the things I find sickening in the morning (no I'm not pregnant, I've been like this since I was about 8). A more appealing way is eating a bit of muesli with yoghurt and fruit. I like strawberry yoghurt and banana slices.

Bread, Toast and Sandwiches
I'm not a fan. Bread generally feels dry and tends to give me that 'grow in the mouth' feeling, making the classic Slice of Bread with Cheese and a Glass of Milk a definite no-go. Though there are some bread varieties and sandwich fillings I can't resist (as long as it's not too early in the morning). The classic bacon sandwich, for example. Or, to make it more interesting, a BLT. Bacon is also absolutely amazing with brussels pâté. As is watercress.

Pancakes, Crumpets, Waffles and other Sweets
Most of all remind me of a petit déjeuner - breakfast the French way. Something sweet with no more nutritional value than a cardboard box. Tempting, but you're probably better off not eating at all... But if you've got the time, you could make French toast using brown bread. I like bread with bits of grains and seeds. French toast recipes usually demand white bread, but this demand can be ignored. Personally I prefer the texture of brown bread anyway, because you still got some bits to chew on after it's been soaked in the egg mixture. French toast is great with any variety of jams, my favourites are strawberry and apricot.

Eggs
Not for me in the morning. Eggs make me feel a bit sick if I have them too early. Same with milk and cheese. Some people like them though, and personally, I think they're good for brunch or a very late breakfast. Egg and bacon is the classic I guess, though my boyfriend is partial to eggs and soldiers (soft boiled eggs with fingers of buttered toast to dip). In my family, the centrepiece of a late weekend breakfast is always a nice serving of scrambled eggs with chives, served with cured ham (typically the Norwegian Westfaler) or Danish salami. It also works brilliantly with smoked salmon. Another strange thing I quite enjoy is hard boiled eggs on bread with Norwegian Kaviar.

Full English Breakfast
I'll include the full English as a weekend/hotel option, because I could never have this regularly! Too much... Though it is nice for an occasional treat.
Eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, a tomato, baked beans, hash browns, toast and, if you're not me, black pudding (to make it a full Scottish, add haggis).

Do I have to say 'serve with tea'? My favourite that is available abroad is Twining's English Breakfast. There are differences between the major tea brands, I find Twining's is the best for regular black tea blends, such as the english breakfast, earl grey &c, while Lipton is far superior when it comes to fruit teas.

Home made cards Rock

Just found this card I made for my oldest cousin's confirmation. Thought it was quite cute, so I decided to share it before I delete the images.

I quite enjoy making cards. It's a nice personal touch for a special occasion.