The Bird and the Updates

Those of you who are more observant will note the new Twitter sidebar I've just added.
I remain hesitant about this whole thing, as I honestly don't actually know how it all works, so explanation would be more than welcome! But anyway, it is there for anyone wishing to follow me. Can't imagine why you would, but still.

Aside form that, things around here are the same old thing, really - gym, swimming, riding, taking the dogs out - you know the drill! Funnily enough, however, it is not routinal by any stretch of the imagination, which is good - after all, if there's anything I hate more than anything else in the world, it's routine. I hate it even more than I hate bad food, smoking and pink fluff put together - and that's saying something.

The only vaguely important piece of news I have to share is the fact that I've taken over the housework for the time being as part of my uni skills training - the point being, of course, that I learn how to take care of a house (and of myself!) such that I don't end up staring at the kitchen equipment like a deer in headlights if I hit uni next year.

Other than that, I've not been catching up with anything internet-related recently - in fact, there have been days when I've not even bothered to check my e-mail. It's strangely liberating, I find, to not be reachable 24/7...but I probably wouldn't manage a whole week with no Net. Although it'll be funny to try it, what with it being National Blog Posting Month et all. Sort of like a strike: a National Blog NON-Posting event. Or something...

Anyway. It's just dawned on me that I've only got about a month left until I go back to the UK to get my results and avert any disasters, should they rise. I just hope they don't, but just in case they do, I'll be armed with a lot of patience and phone credit so that I might tackle any problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. And if I fail to get into uni (as disappointing as it will be) life will go on and the world won't end. I'll just find something to do for that one year, and then reapply next year. But fingers crossed I'll get in.

Right. Gotta go cook myself some lunch, maybe put a movie on, or go out in the backyard and chill. Smiles all around.

=)

Bad To The Bone and a General Update

I don't think people are born bad or good. I believe we are born as people - with all that this implies.

I'm not trying to turn this into a religious debate involving original sin, baptism, cleansing, meditation or anything like that. I'm merely wondering if people are defined as good or bad based on anything more than their actions.

My standing on this is that, as Ortega said, man does not have nature - all he has is his history. In other words, man is as man does - it is our actions that define who we are.

The more I think about it, though, I see the danger: a lot of people step out of character in certain circumstances and then, through their unhabitual actions, create an impression of themselves that is not neccessarily true.

I guess what I'm asking is to what extent is our nature prevalent in our everyday lives. And do you define people based more on what they say or their actions?

***

Completely un-related, here's what I've been up to recently, for anyone who cares to read it:

I've been exercising every day since my last post - an hour in the gym and an hour of swimming (the countless hours on horseback and walking the dogs go without saying, of course.) I can honestly say I feel much better about myself, despite having to wake up earlier than usual. Bonus, I've spent more time with my dad than in the last few years put together, and it's been lovely. :)

Yesterday was particularly internesting in that after my morning gym session, I threw it all out the window and got the biggest slice of pizza, Coke and a cinema ticket (the latter wasn't overly calorific, though!) and spent the next 2 hours watching "17 again." It was a pretty cool movie, but I want to draw attention to the message it was putting across, but I won't discuss it here. To anyone who hasn't seen it - go and do so, and to anyone who has - what did you think?

In other news, I've not had much time for sitting around at home, twiddling my thumbs and the summer boredom that seems to have taken over a lot of people I know back in the UK. Oh, and today I received a Welcome Week notification e-mail from Soton (both my firm and insurance choice uni for next year) and I was rapidly plunged back into the sea of anxiety pertaining to grades, the future and more to what would happen if I don't get the grades I need.

It was pretty scary, especially as I had thus far managed to keep my mind off thinking about my results at all, but it has passed now. It will remain in the back of my mind until the end of August, though.

Once that was done with, I was left in a state of confusion. In order to register for the Meet and Greet service, I had to have a bunch of things. I also have to have applied for an ID card, I have to have enrolled, registered, filled out lots of forms and attached photos and...

Rah. It's confusing. I don't really know where to start with all of this. And that's not to mention the whole student loan application thing, which is even more confusing. Hmmmmm... :/

Right-o. Time to start cooking dinner. Today's specialty is a greek dish called moussaka. Try it sometime - it tastes fantastic (when cooked right!)

Dude, where's my charger?!

SO, in those last couple of weeks since my last post, I've been away. I spent that time visiting my grandparents on my mum's side; helping my gran in the garden, re-fencing the whole back and front yard (as the fence had been destroyed in the pouring rain and storms the week before) and taking long walks in the forest surrounding the summer house. Some of you - who know me in person, pr have deduced my character through this blog - probably think it ridiculous that I actually survived such a long time in the village (as I'm a city girl through and through) but I had to climb a mountain (that's how I solve my problems - by thinking stuff through while I'm either on horseback/in the pool or pushing the limit of "safe climbing" by climbing without ropes. Basically, anything active, but which allows thinking time. Extreme sports are left for times when I need an adrenaline [epinephrine, damnit!!] rush.) so I went without a moment's hesitation.

The curious thing, however, is this: I packed my bag the night before I left for their place. I packed everything I needed, and then the morning after, I checked it. I then went downstairs to get breakfast, and when I returned to my room, I looked around for my charger. I didn't spot it, so I frantically started searching, throwing aside everything in my path, and there was no trace of it anywhere. My mum came up to me and asked if I had looked in my travel bag.

"OF COURSE I L--"

I hadn't. I opened it to find the bloody thing staring right at me. Bah...humbug.

Four days later, my grandparents and I left the summerhouse to go into the nearest town, as my grandad had a horrific toothache. We planned on sleeping there overnight, and there was a chance we might have to stay there longer for the treatment. Yours truly packed up her little circus (including the charger) and unpacked it an hour later in the flat. We left the day after rather frantically as we had to make it back to the house in time for the Turkish telenovela. I was told about it, so I - being the goody-two-shoes that I am - packed my bag the night before again. I left in the morning without so much as a glance across the room.

Two days afterwards, my phone battery was dangerously low, so I therefore needed my charger. I decided on being clever this time around and look through the bag first, but my efforts were not rewarded. I then searched the room - still no charger. I went downstaris and searched there, too - although I was positive hadn't used it outside of my room and the flat. I concluded that - naturally, my dear Watson! - it must have just, y'know, sprouted tiny lil spidey legs and deserted me...until my grandad pointed out that I could have just left it behind in the flat. I was taken aback by the simplicity of the suggestion. I never leave anything behind. It's just not me -I've ALWAYS got everything I need. I spent the remainder of my holiday going about my aforementioned business in denial - there was no way I could've left it behind.

We got back to the flat in town today - as I had to vote and I was on the Plovdiv list (that's where I was born) - and the first thing I did after helping my grandparents with the luggage was to run to the room I slept in and check if the charger was there.

It was.

It was also plugged in, which means that I must have just whipped my phone offit in the morning when we left and forgotten to pack everything. It was quite a shock to be perfectly honest - forgetting the location of something as important as that.

Ah well, at least I've got it now. And I haven't forgotten anything else.

It just worries me that I actually forgot something like that. Does this mean I'm getting lazy? Am I really out of the habit of travelling so much that I overlook simple stuff like that? Has my dual life finally started getting to me, after five years of being no trouble whatsoever?

...

Am I over-analysing it?

P.S - there will be pictures later, I promise!

Compromise

In Bulgaria, we have a saying that goes like this: A good decision is one where both the wolf is sated, and the lamb - intact. That generally means that a compromise is reached whereby both sides are happy. Today, I'd like to muse on it: If both the wolf is sated and the lamb intact, then it must be the shepherd that got eaten. Thoughts?

Also, I know that quizzes are a waste of space, Internet resources and time but this one is apparently what employers sometimes use, especially for jobs in the caretaking sector. I tried it (Counsellor club, anyone?) and I strongly urge you to do the same (Click on DO IT! and then Dr. Kiersey's description.)

I'd be interested to find out what people got!

XD

Today, I have spent the whole day outside, playfighting with my dogs, breaking the few remaining flowers and generally being a kid. I also took the dogs out to the neighbourhood for a walk (one at a time, though, and if you see the bigger one you'll know why!) and it was on one of those walks that I bumped into this guy - a complete stranger kicking his football around. We got talking and from one word to the next we ended up at my house. We hung out for a while just talking, showing each other interesting things we found on the Net and it was fun, and it went no further than that. It's pretty cool to just stumble across someone, hang out for a bit and go your separate ways. Very refreshing indeed.

Now I'm pretty tired and about to go cook dinner for myself and my parents (whenever they get home) and afterwards I'll settle down to my magazines - I'm going through them to find articles etc. that I like such that I might refresh the display in my room. It needs some new images, too. But before I go, I was inspired by this. Clearly, I do not wish this sort of life to anyone, but if we all could adopt the attitude that goes with it, the world would be a much better place.

Shine up my old brown shoes and put on a brand new shirt

Phew.

It's been a very long few days. (Miss me? No? Didn't think so!) And in those there have been many things to report:

I finished college. (At long bloody last. I should feel euphoric, but for some reason, it doesn't really feel like anything. Not happy, not sad, just...nothing. Strange.)

I got home in a frenzy of delayed flights, many friends whose faces I only ever get to see at airports (That's an odd phenonemon. I seem to have a group of mates I hang out with exclusively at airports/in planes. It's a brilliant way to pass the time on a flight!) and luggage. It felt strange to be leaving boarding behind, but hell - gotta move on sometime!

Right now, it's 3 pm and I've been awake for the last 18 hours. I don't know why, but last night I couldn't sleep. I guess it's a remnant of the exam-induced insomnia. We shall see. Also, it's weird to see my laptop on GMT + 2. Before you ask, I'd normally keep my laptop on GMT for ease of communication/ arrangements when talking to people on the island, so it's strange to see it show what time it is on my end. Yeah, I'm a weirdo. I don't particularly care.

The muscle I pulled a while back is much better, thankfully, although judging by the amount of running up and down, tidying up, cleaning, walking the dogs, shooting hoops etc. I've been doing, it might well strike again with a vengeance. Hmmm. I hope not.

Also, I've taken to categorizing my replies to e-mails, letters etc. - it must be as a consequence of all the tidying up/unpacking I've done. I happen to think it makes it easier to read when everything's split up and it contains nothing but specific answers to people's questions. THis happens to be in contrast to my love for writing/receiving long e-mails, so we'll see what comes out. What would you prefer - short, straight to the point e-mail or something longer, more eloquent and generally seemingly more considerate?

And as a final thought - I can't believe it's finally summer! =D

When the shit hits the fan like a big pelican - that's amore...

Two and a half hours from now, I will be starting my last and scariest exam of 'em all. That's hardly a comforting thought, especially since "Frankenstein" is a bloody difficult book, all things considered. Plus, the gothic genre is hardly my absolute favourite, although it does have its merits. Anyway, point is, I am scared, nervous and reading through reference material so fast that my eyes appear to be blurring. Sound familiar? It's probably a moment long forgotten for most of you reading this. BUt boy, is it ever scary. AAAAA!!

The aim of the game here is to get an A, especially after the abysmally long time I've spent on this book. I think I can do it. There are people who believe in me. Do I believe in myself? No. But I try to.

My best friend of the last five years is currently sitting in the examination hall, taking the very same exam. Our plans of the Last Lunch as College Students were torn to pieces as she had to go and take the first part of it earlier than moi. But no matter, my thougths go out to her in the hope she aces this exam and gets her A. And I hope I get mine, too.

With that, I'm off to the world of the Creation of Man and the psychoanalytic theory of Freud. Oh, the joys...