TAK!!!!

You don't really hear much about Copenhagen. Sure, it has the Little Mermaid (which we didn't see) and it's known for its Danish pastries (which we didn't eat). Copenhagen offers a little taste of Scandinavia: blonde hair, blue-eyed, fair-skinned people who are very friendly in a very clean and beautiful city. Sadly, the only thing missing from this trip was my Puppy. I realized I left him sitting underneath the TV once we got to the train station.

Den eneste måten er Oslo!

In the midst of frantically finishing our dissertation, S asked me if I had any plans in the coming month after we were done. I said no, and he said, "Why don't you come to Norway?!" Half an hour later, I bought my ticket to Oslo and still manged to finish writing a conclusion that night!

Three weeks later and I was on my way to what S calls "the greatest country in the world!" (Slightly biased opinion, but I digress.) I got lucky with the weather because the whole time I was there, I had sunshine and clear skies. So, we took advantage of it and walked the city.

Oslo is still developing. S told me to come back in 10 years when all the construction is (hopefully) done. It has a mix of old and new, undecided as to what it really wants to be. I quite liked the old part... well, I'm counting the Nobel Peace Center as old. The new has its perks too. S, C and I sat on the top of the Radisson watching the sun set for the longest time. Thank you high-rise hotels!

The trip was short but sweet. A little taste of a vast area of land that is Scandinavia. Next time, I hope to see the Northern Lights and visit C's 500 person village. I can't even image living there! Tak, Oslo!

The Only Way is (no longer) to Essex

I thought this day would never come... the day I would say goodbye to Colchester. When I started my Master's, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I was very right! But in this one year, I learned a lot. I learned a lot about what International Relations really is. I learned that I'll never be a statistician. I learned I'm pretty good at writing essays as long as I plan ahead. And I learned that there's a lot of ridiculously smart people out there. I will walk away from this experience with my head held high saying that after some odd years of being out of school, I was able to do it again and do it well. My answer might change come December once I get my final marks, but at the moment, I'm proud that I survived!

Ich bin ein Berliner!

The last time I was in Berlin, W and I went to three Holocaust museums in one day was depressed the whole time. This time, I had a different approach... bike around the city and take pictures with the Berlin bear instead.

And it worked! We discovered that Berlin is very laid-back, artsy-fartsy meets a truck-load of history. I think if I could, I would try to live here. The people are nicer than their friendly neighbors to the west (i.e. Hamburg). But it also has an international feel which Hamburg is seriously lacking, but I'm getting off-topic now.

Berlin is awesome because I <3 Berlin bear!

The Sexy Mashup

Covers are cool. Why? To have the ability to rehash a well-known song into something completely different and yet, still recognizable takes a lot of skills. Case in point... Have a look at LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It": (Venice Beach!!!)

And the new version:

Awesome! :)

Time To Get My Stuff Done

Me in the next month...

A Tempting Recipe

I came across this recipe and thought I should post this:

Some background information. The lady with the white hair in the picture is Paula Deen. She has a show on the Food Network (my favourite channel) known for her use of butter in every single recipe possible. I mean she LOVES butter. Her idea of "healthy" cooking is only using half a stick of butter in a salad.

But this recipe just cracked me up. Can you even call this a recipe? Open a tin can and melt butter. Done. And she gets paid millions of dollars?!?! Time for me to apply to be the next Food Network's next TV star!

Growing Up in Less Than 3 Minutes

This is pretty amazing...

I would do this also if

a) I had a child.

b) I had the energy to do so

c) I had the money to pay someone to make one of these for my imaginary child.

Me and My *CRAZY* Accent

I was in London for the day. While waiting to pay for a sandwich right before the train was about to leave, a gentleman tapped my shoulder and the proceeding dialogue took place:

Gentleman: Could I go ahead of you? I only have this [showing me a candy bar and exact change in his hand].

Me: I'm really sorry, but my train is about to leave.

Gentleman: WOW! You've got a CRAZY accent. [eyes in bewilderment] Where are you from?

Me: I'm from the States.

Gentleman: So you're going to board a train to the States from here? [chuckle] I heard that all Americans were nice.

Me: Hmm... yeah. Of course! [while inserting my debit card]

Gentleman: [handing over his exact change and showing the lady what he had in his hand then looks at me] See? Easy! [pats my back and walks away while I'm still waiting for my receipt]

Ok, I've had my accent called "too American", "strange" and "annoying." (The "annoying" bit was accepted because I had called my Aussie friend's accent as "incomprehensible" beforehand.) But for some reason, "crazy" and especially the way this guy had said the word left me slightly shocked. 

After the hour long ride back to uni, I've come to this conclusion: to each his own. (Alright, I borrowed that quote.) Accents make everyone more attractive in one way or another.

The Guilt

This picture says it all...

Last term, on one of the assignments for class, we were allowed to work in groups. I ended up working with two guys I'm quite close with, but there was also this lady who we'll call Z. From the beginning, Z started chatting up with me since we had one commonalty between us: an island where she had lived for the past 7 years and my family is originally from. And from the beginning, I didn't have a great affinity for her. She was loud, extremely opinionated and has a bit of a potty mouth. So, when we had to do the assignment, she had asked one of the guys if she could join in which he agreed. It's just say every time we met up at the library, we got yelled out because of Z's voice levels. After we turned in our assignment, we had our polite "hi"s then went on our way.

Two weeks ago, right before the start of break, Z emailed the guys and I about working together as a group on the next assignment. I purposely didn't respond to the email hoping that I was on holiday bumming around Eastern Europe the entire time and I didn't have a chance to check on my email as my excuse. And I know one of the guys told her he was going home (and requiring an trip on an airplane to do so) for the holidays, and therefore he couldn't work on it as a group. (It was a lie!)

Today, we had a study group for class. I was expecting the usual group of 5, but when I got there, there sat Z. I tried not to make eye contact the whole time and the guy who lied about his whereabouts had to do some backtracking to cover his butt.

In an ideal world, everyone gets along with everyone else. But sadly, it doesn't work like that. There is a reason why people lie: to hide the shame, to cover the truth. I did it because I felt guilty. I really wanted to be her friend, but at the end, I had to be as far away from her as possible. Does this make me a bad person?

How Draw Something Is Taking Over My Life

I was first introduced to this game about a month ago as a stress-relief. I've played this game in it's old-fashioned form called Pictionary. But thanks to Facebook and smartphones, I can play this game all over the world! I'm playing with former students in Korea, my brother in the States and friends around Europe. I draw as the last thing I do before going to sleep and the first thing I do when I wake up. (Although drawing right after waking up has produced some very odd pictures.) So, what have I learned from this game? Whether it be on a white board or in electronic form, I still suck at drawing!

Here are some of the more questionable drawings. The one in the middle is my masterpiece. What are the pictures? Enjoy!

Köszönöm Budapesten!

As part of my spring break extravaganza, I journeyed to Budapest with the intention of seeing the Danube, enjoying some classical music and spending some time in a public hot tub. Our first night, we soaked up some culture with a viewing of Don Quixote by the Hungarian Royal Ballet. I even dressed up in a dress (ok, I forgot my shoes so I walked around with a dress and black Converses.) I wish I read up on the story beforehand because I had no idea what was going on. But, it was a very interesting experience. Next time, I'll spring for non-nosebleed seats. The next day comprised of a stroll by the Danube... a very long stroll (and an eating tour!) The last day was spending some time people watching at Széchenyi spa. Kind of funny watching guys play chess in a spa, but when in Budapest, do as the Hungarians, right?

Trials and Tribulations

It's been a while since I actually wrote in this blog and with good reason. Being a graduate student is hard work! I can't remember the last time I've written so much in such a short amount of time. Now that all my assignments have been turned in and I'm one day away from the start of my holiday, I'll use this time to reflect. (Well, I'll give it a go. My brain officially shut down yesterday at 9:45am. Afterwards, I kept telling people it was the year 2010.)

Let's start with a picture that could sum it all:

When I first saw this, I laughed because it is so true. (Ok, maybe not the "What my mom thinks I do." My mom just thinks I write papers.) Sometimes, I question why I'm doing this and why specifically now in this point in my life. I had a pretty decent job and a comfortable life. Then, I gave it all up to live off sugar-free Red Bull while buried under piles of journals and books. Does this master's degree guarantee me my dream job? Does it even guarantee me a job period? I have no answer to that.

What I have learned so far is that things do not appear as they seem, and I'm speaking both from the point of view of a politics student as well as the average person standpoint. But I keep telling myself there is a reason why things have turned out the way it has so far. I just have to wait it out and go with the flow until it all comes together.

That's all I got for now. Let spring break begin!!!!!!!

The Fugitive

Not sure why but I just couldn't stop laughing...

A Walking Translator

I want to be this guy! So jealous...

The Joy of Books

I like these books. They move. Mines don't. =( Enjoy!

Nostalgia

Ferris Bueller 26 years later...

It's Amazing What You Can Do to Make Music These Days!

Something to past the time...

New Year's Resolution: The 2012 Version

Now, that it's officially 2012, I've decided to make 12 New Year's resolutions. Got to love these annual traditions! Here goes:

1. Manage my time better. I can always watch River Cottage and the Big Bang Theory after I do my readings! 
2. Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. My bum will thank me later once I can fit into my pants again. 
3. Enjoy sleeping in as much as possible. Once I go back to the working world, it'll just be but a distant memory. 
4. Keep in touch with my good friends at least once a month. The longer I keep living overseas, the more this becomes important. Or just go visit them in person. Russia isn't that far away!
5. Stop repeating the same mistakes. One day, I'll actually learn! Or I just need to start shock therapy. 
6. Stop talking to idiots because they will never change. Once a fence sitter, always a fence sitter. 
7. Learn to knit a beanie. I've spent all last month trying to look for a red beanie to no avail! If I make my own, then I can't complain anymore. 
8. Drink less. The UK hasn't been good to my liver. 
9. No more Converses! It's no longer the grown-up shoe. 
10. Crash an Olympic event. Hmmm... Compromise... Go attempt to be as close to an Olympic event a possible, preferably gymnastics. They can do cool flips! Or swimming. Guys in Speedos who should be wearing Speedos... =P
11. Start celebrating my freedom at exactly 9:46a on Friday, 14 September. I already got a party planned!
12. Find me one of those little things called a job. With the economy the way it is, I'll take anything. (Well, almost anything. Starbucks for sure. McDonald's maybe not.) Hopefully, anything where I can apply this Master's degree I'm attempting to get.

Wishing everyone a good start to the year! =)