Bits and bobs November 12, 2009
Posted by confusedsince1984 in Daily update, Rambling on....Tags: Books, Shopping
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I haven’t updated my blog in aaaages! Why? Mainly because there’s not much to say. Or actually, there are a couple of things here and there I could mention.
- I’ve got myself a desk! I bought it off ebay as a pick-up item, but the seller agreed to deliver it to me (he lives in Oxford). So for just £8 I got myself a really nice desk delivered to my door… cheaper than a pizza delivery!
- I went to the library yesterday. Borrowed Notes From The Underground by Fyodor Dostojevsky (I need to cultivate myself a bit, widen my horizons and challenge my mind) and another book called Girls of Riyadh which I don’t know much about. I think it’s about a couple of girls attending university in Saudi Arabia and their struggle to juggle traditional demands and their willingness to experience life… or something like that… Not sure. But I really look forward to getting into reading again. It’s something I’ve missed whilst at uni and something I’ve been craving for since arriving in Oxford, but simply haven’t had the time to. But now when we’ve started to settle in I hope to get some time over for rest and personal growth… haha… how pretentious does that sound!
- The BF ordered a desk from argos which we got delivered yesterday and I assembled. Lots of fun!
- I forgot to write a book review of the latest book I finished: Why is sex fun? The evolution of human sexuality, by Jared Diamond. It is actually a really, really interesting book. My cousin gave it to me yeeaars ago and I always found it a weird book to give to a cousin who is 12 years younger than you, but I tried to read it. I could see topics that were really interesting, but I think the book was too dry and academic for me back then. However, after having done 3 years at an English university I decided to give it another go. And I just couldn’t put it down! It was soooo interesting. During my last semester at uni I took a unit called the Psychology of Intimate Relationships. Basically, the unit looked at how the evolution has shaped the development of human intimate relationships. The basic assumption is that because the human child is so vulnerable at birth it has been essential for humans to be in couples to be able to raise their children. Now of course this might not be true anymore, but today’s society does not affect our genetic basis that evolved thousands of years ago. Anyhow, because being two makes such a difference to our offspring’s chance of survival, it has been argued that humans have developed several mechanisms that help us connect with another human being, and thus helps us maintain relationships. Some of these mechanisms are called attraction, attachment, commitment, jealousy and of course, love.
So what does this have to do with this book by Jared Diamond? Well basically the unit looked at the psychological consequences of our children’s vulnerability. This book looked at almost the same thing, but from a physiological perspective. How come our sexuality has evolved into something so very different from other animals? How come women reach menopause when other female animals don’t? And why on earth does men have nipples? It is really difficult, and complicated to explain, but whilst reading the whole book I had the feeling that I had studied all of these topics at uni, while is reality I hadn’t. But I realised at the end of the book that it was because both the book and the topic did in fact look at something very similar, but one from a psychological perspective and the other from a physiological. I really, really enjoyed reading the book and can recommend it to anyone who wants to understand human behaviour and relationships more. - We’re waiting for a TV. My BF ordered one, it was supposed to be delivered today, but it wasn’t. Great disappointment. Oh well. Perhaps tomorrow.
Clearly, there were a couple of things I could post! The bed is calling for me!
xoxox
Nothing and everything August 27, 2009
Posted by confusedsince1984 in Daily update, Rambling on....Tags: Friends, Pictures, Shopping, Video
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What a strange day! I woke up late, had breakfast and all the things that come with it. Around 4-ish I went to a cheap hair dresser, I just wanted to cut the ends so I thought “how bad can it be?” I’ve been there a few weeks ago and it was good, nothing special but cheap and quick and my ends were cut. Today, I said exactly the same:
I: I just want to cut the ends, not my fringe ’cause I want to get rid of it and there’s not any need to cut my layers either
Hair dresser: So you want to even it all out?
I: Yes
Hair dresser: OK, so I won’t cut the layers or the fringe and will only even it out
I: Great
And the woman started cutting. I’m not entirely sure what when wrong, but she cut off 6 cm (roughly 2 inches)! So now I have an ugly in-between hair style. It’s not long, it’s not short. I had the same length when I was 13, I hated it then – and I sure don’t like it now! It’s the kind of hair cut that says I’m-so-scared-of-life-that-I-even-go-for-a-safe-hair-cut-kind-of-look. Dammit! Oh well, it will grow out again… While I’m at it I just want to point out that I’m sure it can look great on others, but I just don’t feel comfy in it. I’d rather go for it properly and cut it even shorter.. maybe next time.
After that I went into central Stockholm to meet up with J. It was really nice, I haven’t seen her in a long time and it was nice to get to catch up properly before I leave. We went to have a ‘fika’. I had a brie & salami sandwich and she had a salad. Yummy! I love brie & salami sandwiches and it’s something I always miss when I’m in UK. But imagine my surprise when I had eaten half and all realised that I was sharing it with a worm! Yes! A WORM! Sooo gross! I found it between two salad leaves. I’m so happy I didn’t eat it. I went to complain and although the staff apologised, they didn’t seem too surprised.
After that we went into a big apartment store and saw Carola! The average person might not know who Carola is, but I’m sure there is not ONE single Swede who doesn’t know who she is. She might be a bit crazy, but she’s a STAR! She had her major breakthrough in 1983 when she won the Swedish part of Eurovision song contest. Since then, she’s been in it 4 times, and she won the whole shebang in 1992. So seeing her was quite cool! We were giggling like little girls. After this J wanted to show me a perfume she really liked. It’s called Warm Cotton by Clean and I LOOOOVE IT! I had been smelling it all through our ‘fika’ and I though she used some really nice laundry powder but it turns out it was a perfume! Great for just everyday use. Who doesn’t want to smell clean? The producers describe it like this:
So pure, so fresh, it captures
the feeling of a fluffy, warm towel just pulled from the dryer or slipping into your favourite T-shirt line-dried in the summer sun. CLEAN Warm Cotton wraps you in notes of citrus, lilac and jasmine over a subtle but oh-so-sexy blend of amber and musk. A fresh, comforting, just-laundered scent.
I want it! Badly! A must have! It’s not that often that I fall so madly in love with a smell so maybe… yeah.. I need it! I hope J doesn’t mind IF I somehow get it one day…? Note to self: Get a job – NOW!
That’s quite a long post for today. Like an episode of Seinfeld, what was it about? N o t h i n g…. I’m gonna finish this post about nothing with Carola’s winning performance from 1983. You’ve gotta love it!
Mooses and Wellingtons August 18, 2009
Posted by confusedsince1984 in Rambling on....Tags: Shopping
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Spent the day applying for various jobs, looking at flats in Oxford and then I went into town with my mum. We celebrated my birthday this Saturday, which was a bit silly as I turned 25 in April. But as I turned 25 (big number!) and I was in Morocco at the time, my family decided to celebrate when I got back to Sweden. I’ve been back for quite some time now, but better late than never. Anyway, my parents gave me a pair of wellingtons which was very nice of them and they were really cute. But unfortunately they were too small. So my mum and I went to find a bigger p.jpg "Hunter RHS Rose Original")
air. We found nothing!
They were quite special and from the brand Hunter, which apparently are a famous wellington-brand (who’d have known?). Anyway, because my mum and I have been walking all around town without any results I’m starting to think that black ones would be nice as well. Also found an oversize-sweater from VILA which I really, really liked. So now I’m dreaming away about an grey oversize sweater, black leggings and black wellingtons… would be sooo nice. Oh money! Jobs! Come to me! I really hope I’ll find a job in Oxford as soon as I get there. We’re going in the beginning of September and I look forward to beginning a proper life. My summer has been good and relaxing. I’ve been able to do most of the things I dreamed of while working so hard over the last year. I didn’t wish for much, just to relax, enjoy the sum beams on my face once in a while, read books and spend time with my family. I’ve done all of that, so I’m ready to move on to a different life in a different city. It might be a new chapter in my life. It’s the same as when I went to Australia and to Southampton. Although England isn’t a new country, it’s still a new city where I know no one (except for the BF) and I need to find a new place to stay, a new job, sign up with a doctor and all of this. It’s scary, but I hope it will be worth it. I don’t have high expectations. I prefer not to. I’d rather be happily surprised. All I want is a nice flat for me and my boyfriend and a decent job so I can pay my rent, utilities and food.
Gosh… I really am rambling on. Have no idea where I’m going with this. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now. My only purpose with this post was to post a picture of these wellingtons and a picture of the cake my parents got me for my “birthday”. There’s a nice little story about that. As we were sitting in the garden this Saturday to eat my cake (it was delicious! My favourite cake!) a moose came running past us! A moose! Can you imagine? It was really exciting because although we know that there should be moose in the forests around us, we hardly ever see them. I saw one once when I was 10-ish, but apart from that, I don’t think anyone in my family has ever seen one. Or perhaps my grandparents saw some, but my mum and dad had never seen any around there and the house has been in my family since the 1970′s. Anyway, it was really exciting. My brother saw it first and it was running straight towards our table. It must have seen us ’cause it changed direction and stopped behind a tree. It was standing there for a while. It was probably as surprised to see us, as we were to see it. After a few seconds the moose ran off and we though we would never see it again. Then all of a sudden we heard the beating sound of it coming back. Dunk, dunk, dunk, dunk. They’re really big animals so they make a lot of noise. It came running back, it past us quickly and ran off into the forest. It must have gotten lost and ran down to us by mistake. When it came down to the road it must have realised it’s mistake and ran back. I tried to get a picture of it, but neither I nor my dad managed to get a clean shot. Or in fact, both of us only got clean pictures of the forest. But I’m sure we will all remember it for a long, long time.
Anyway, enough for now! I’m writing too much!
Cheerios!
Shopping and life aspirations July 30, 2009
Posted by confusedsince1984 in Confusions, Daily update.Tags: Shopping
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I went shopping today! I’ve worn out one of my tops, and I just had to find another one. I really, really have liked this top and I don’t want to say goodbye to it. But it has started to look quite old and to be honest, dirty. I’ve got some stains on it that just won’t go away. So I went out to hunt for a similar one! Usually I don’t by the same clothes twice (might want to update the wardrobe a bit), but I just love this top. It does annoy me a little bit that they’ve all of a sudden become THE top that every Swedish blogger seems to buy at the moment, but I was first! Bought mine a year and a half ago… hmm… I seem to have some kind of problem with other people. I think this is the second time I’m justifying my shopping. To me, I sound as if I’m really afraid of being called a copycat, but really, who cares? I don’t care, I just wanted an excuse to post pictures of what I’ve bought!
Both are from H&M. The one to the left is the old one, and the right one is the one I bought today.. Looks ‘fresher’, right?
I bought a pair of shoes as well. I’m always so slow with these things. I started looking for something like it in May, and I didn’t buy any until the end 
of June. I hope the weather is going to be nice, so I get to enjoy them a bit.
Enough of the vanity! My friend Lisa commented on my last post and gave me the link to a really inspiring text. It’s called 10 HARD Ways to Make Your Life Better. I really enjoyed it. No “be positive and the world will fall into your lap”-bullshit there. Some of the things are actually things that I would like to do. For example starting a business, volunteer, write a book and learn an art. I’m thinking about starting with the book writing. Hmm. I really don’t know. Anyway, thought it could bring you some inspiration!
xxx
