Six Word Sunday

This blog is inspired by Caterpillars blog and also by Loubas blog. Six words for this Sunday…

Sleeping, reading, making notes, tea, chocolate

I thought it was easier to write a six word blog. It’s not, but it’s easier than writing a 100 word blog. Try it yourself sometimes and tell me about it, I would love to read it :)

100 words: Halloween

Since tomorrow is Halloween I think it’s an appropriate time to admit I don’t get it. I don’t get the dressing part; I don’t get the candy part. I don’t get it at all.

Maybe the reason for this is that Halloween came to Slovenia in the 90s and we don’t have big Halloween parties like America does. Some people have private parties but it’s not widespread.

We have costume parties in the end of February when we have a holiday which is supposed to “scare winter away”.

It’s not that I don’t like Halloween I just don’t get it.

Bathrooms and buses

In this busy world everyone needs to relax one way or another. I already wrote about a way of relaxing in this blog. Talking to some friends made me think about different places where people can really relax. I figured out there are quite a few we agree about, but there are two places that are outstanding.

The first is my favourite place in a house or an apartment. This is most definitely the bathroom. Don’t get it wrong, it’s not my favourite room in an apartment because I would hang around in there for hours at a time putting make-up on. I do this in a couple of minutes. The thing is that over the years the bathroom became kind of a shelter for me. I still remember crying in my bathroom when my first boyfriend left me. My friends came over and they just had to sit with me on the bathroom floor for hours.

Another time when I had problems with my ex-boyfriend I was crying in the bathroom again and I remember that at one time I thought “When I’ll own an apartment or a house I want a giant bathroom, not a tinny little hole like this one!” I still want a giant bathroom with a shower and a bath inside. And a sofa or a comfortable chair… or both.

The thing about the bathroom is that I come out of there fresh and reborn. Not just on rare occasions when I pour myself a hot bath, light some candles and relax. Even if I just wash my hands it makes me feel better when I come out of a bathroom.

Another place that I get totally relaxed in is a bus. I got to university by a city bus, usually it takes me about 15 minutes to get there. I worship those minutes. On a bus station I usually stand where the bus stops so I can go in the first and I can get a place to sit. I really hate standing on the bus since bus drivers here in Ljubljana are crazy and drive like they’re race car drivers or whatever.

So I try to be the first one in line and get a place to sit. Then I look through the window, I watch out for cars that I like and try to imagine why some driver is looking so annoyed or what is a couple (at least I think they’re a couple) in the other car fighting about. Sometimes I watch people on the bus, try to imagine their stories. But please, don’t think I'm a stalker or a freak who stares at people. It’s just my way of relaxation – I let my imagination do it’s magic and I shut everything else out.

But there are some things which can totally ruin my perfect bus ride. The biggest problem is probably if an odd person sits next to me. I don’t mind sitting with total strangers on a bus as long as they don’t smell weird, don’t try to chit-chat with me or do anything out of line. I don’t care if you sit next to me, but for the love of god, sit still, don’t move and don’t do anything annoying. All sorts of strange things happened to me on a bus including some stoned idiot trying to convince me to take him to my place where he would stay for a couple of days. He was a total stranger and I was very afraid but then I politely asked him if he would stop talking to me which he did but then he stared at me. Luckily he went off the bus before I did.

Another irritating thing on a bus is when someone is talking too loud. I don’t care if someone talks on the phone or with someone else, but it’s nice if they don't do it too loudly. Last week some girl was explaining to another about her boyfriend and she was so loud that the whole bus heard her. I can tell you her life story if you’re interested; I heard everything even thought I didn’t want to…

One of my friends' favourite spaces in the house is the kitchen and another ones' is the living room. Some people see mountain hiking as relaxing and some do yoga. I don’t care what other people do as long as they don’t try to convince me that their way of relaxing is better than mine. As long as someone doesn’t ruin my perfect bus ride, everything’s all right.

Pia and Klara

I have two little sisters; they’re 10 year old twins, Pia and Klara. They’re awesome and I love them with all my heart. They’re fraternal twins and they probably couldn’t be more different than they are.

I still remember the day they were born. It was the summer of 2000 and my mom had been in a hospital for a month already since it was a very risky pregnancy. I was 12 and I went to see her every day. One day my mom said she has contractions and I totally panicked. Dad also panicked a little bit but not as much as I did. The only calm person in the room was mom who stopped me when I wanted to call a doctor. She counted contractions and then she went to see a nurse and told her she’s having a baby. My dad took me home and went back to the hospital. They were born with a caesarean section the same day, on 2^nd of August at 18.13 Klara and Pia at 18.14. When dad called me to tell me I have two little sisters he was crying and it was for the first time in my life I heard him cry. I was a very proud big sister. I still am.

They’re growing so fast and becoming big smart girls. As I already said they couldn’t be more unlike each other than they are.

Klara is a boyish girl. She had always wanted to be a boy. She has a short boyish haircut and always wears jeans and T-shirts. I have never seen her wearing a skirt. She’s very clever and very much protective of Pia. Klara loves sports; she trained basketball and loves playing football. She’s more into math than literature. She loves spending her time outside, riding a bike or shooting some hoops.  

On the other hand Pia is girlish. She has long dark blonde hair and loves dresses. She’s also more spoiled than Klara and loves to be in the centre of attention. Pia is more into literature than math and she’s more of an indoors type. She doesn’t like sports because she’s a bit lazy.

I always worry about their wellbeing. Once Klara fell from a 5 meter (approx. 16 feet) ledge and landed on her head. She was in the hospital and when I came there I was shocked. She had a very swollen eye and she could barely open it, a broken leg and bruises on her head. She also had a minor concussion but luckily it wasn’t anything more serious so she could go home after a day in the hospital.

Last Sunday Pia fell with roller skates and she broke her wrist, so she has plaster on her left hand. This kind of “accidents” happen all the time. They’re so damn clumsy and I wish they were more careful.

I feel I’m a bad sister since I’m studying in another town and I only go home for a weekend every now and then. I call them quite often but it’s hard to talk to them because I’m 22 and they’re 10. We have totally different interests and they’re childish. I can’t blame them for that, they still are children but I still feel bad about not being on the same page with them. I feel like I’m not there for them if they need me.

They’re very attached to each other and it’s hard for them to be apart. When Klara was in the hospital Pia couldn’t sleep because she’s used to having Klara in the same room.

They always fight with each other. It’s normal because they spend all the time together but on the other hand they always have each others back when someone’s against them. And I love the fact that they stand up for each other.

I wish we’ll have great relationships when they grow up. I want to see them often and talk to them about everything. I hope they’ll be able to tell me what’s going on in their life and we’ll talk about boys. And most of all I wish that they’ll understand I wasn’t a bad sister, that the age difference was the reason why we were not always on the same side.

Rain

I’m a very moody person and bad weather makes me cranky and sulky. I love the sun and it gives me lots of energy. I’m like a plant which needs sun for growing (though, sadly, I don’t grow anymore). I would say I’m also a summer person since I love hot weather and above 30°C for me is just right.

Today it was raining and I was so freaking happy I didn’t have to leave the apartment. I hate going out in the rain because somehow I always end up being wet.

In high school I always came to class wet up to my knees and I’m still wondering how that happened. It’s a total mystery. It would be ok if this would have happened on rare occasions when I had my crazy moment and I would jump in every puddle I saw but no, this happened every time it rained. That was the reason why I often pretended to be sick on rainy days back in high school so I could stay at home. Luckily, i don't get drenched that often anymore. That’s why I think the reason for always getting wet was that I was wearing bell pants that were way to long, but I’m not sure about that.

It also happens all the time (this actually still happens!!!) that I have one wet shoulder because my umbrella is a small cheap piece of shit. I don’t buy expensive umbrellas because I always leave them somewhere, that’s why I had about a thousand different umbrellas in my life.

But I would love to have a huge colourful umbrella like the one on the picture for two reasons. First, I wouldn’t have wet shoulders if it was big enough. And second, it would make my day less grey and would make me happier. But I want an umbrella that folds, it’s much more practical. 

And the most annoying thing about rain is that sometimes it starts to rain in the middle of the day despite the sunny morning. This happened to me this summer in Paris. The morning was beautiful and sunny so we didn’t take the umbrella with us when we left the hotel. I expected a wonderful first day in Paris but when we came to the Eiffel tower it started to rain so we waited under the trees until it stopped and decided that we’ll go on the tower another day and we went to the Hotel des invalides. Somewhere on the way it started to rain and when we came there we were pretty much wet so we decided to go back to the hotel and change our clothes. But we couldn’t find the metro station and in the middle of searching for the damn station it started to rain very heavily. It never rained so heavily in my entire life. When we finally found the metro station we were completely wet, even down to our underwear. I had to wring my hair and it was like I would just come out of the shower. I felt like a cat thrown into the water. And I looked like one too.

I really hate rain… 

My hero

If I would have to choose one person who had the biggest impact on my life I would have chosen my grandfather. He passed away in the summer of 2001, just a couple of days before my twin sisters had their first birthday. I was 13 and his death was one of the hardest moments in my life…. I was his little princess and he was my hero… and still is…

I remember him taking me to kindergarten every day. He helped me take off my shoes and jacket and that was the moment when I usually started crying. Then he quickly dressed me back, tied up my shoelaces, and took me home. As this became an everyday thing, my parents decided that they won’t insist and I didn’t have to go to kindergarten anymore, so my grandparents baby-sited me since they were retired and at home all the time. I was a spoiled child and I always got what I wanted, and staying at home was just one of my achievements.

He was quite tall though I can’t remember how tall exactly. His hair was greyish and he always combed them backwards. Usually he wore jeans and a checkered shirt with a cardigan on top. He had laughed very loudly and it was contagious. It still makes me laugh when I remember him laughing. We had our jokes that no one else understood and it makes me very sad that I don’t remember those anymore. He was a truck driver and that’s the main reason why I don’t get mad when a truck driver on a highway is slowly overtaking another, blocking the traffic. They’re just people whose job is to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

My grandfather loved cartoons and I still think that’s very cool. We had our little ritual – laying on the couch and watching cartoons after launch. Usually we both laughed our asses off and then we fall asleep. Those were the best times…

We both had trouble falling asleep so we usually stayed awake very late. My mom didn’t like me staying up late so I went to bed and pretended to sleep. And every night my grandfather came into my room to check on me before he went to bed. He opened the door very quietly, came to my bedside, and covered me with my blanket in his special way. I can’t explain how, but it’s a very nice memory.

There’s one event I remember very clearly. It was my birthday and we had a little party for our family. I think it was my 7^th or 8^th birthday, I can’t remember exactly. I wore a knitted pink dress with a white slim cat on it. My parents allowed me to drink a sip of wine, just for the toast. In some moment, my mom said something that made me cry and then she wanted to photograph me crying. I was running all over the house trying to escape from her and at the end, I ran in my grandfathers’ lap. He protected me from the camera but mom still made a photo of me crying in his lap (though you can’t see me crying on the photo). I still have this photo somewhere, I should find it.

I already mentioned I was a spoiled child so it’s not a surprise that my grandfather drove me to school and came to pick me up after even though we live about one kilometre (0.6 miles) away from school.

Once when we were alone at home we went out for pizza. Even though grandmother cooked something, I can’t recall what exactly it was but I think it was some kind of stew, we decided we wanted pizza. So we went to some pizza place and discovered a pizza with fruit. Of course we ordered it and I think we liked it. That was first and last time in my life that I ate pizza with fruit but now I have to try it again. When we finished we ordered pancakes for desert, which we both loved. He was known for having a sweet tooth.

He was the big boss in our house. When he commanded something, everyone obeyed. Luckily, I was his little princess so I was a bit privileged. But not always. If my cousin and I fought about something, grandfather always judged fairly. Ok, I have to admit that sometimes when it was my fault (which was very rarely) he didn’t punish me but I always felt guilty for disappointing him.

I always loved to listen to his stories. Because he was a truck driver he had so many exciting adventures to talk about. He was such a great storyteller that I could easily imagine everything he told me. I’m very disappointed I was so young when he died because I didn’t understand some stories he told about war and living in Yugoslavia which I would love to hear now that I know more about these things.

These are things I like to remember about him, not those bad days when he was fighting lung cancer and was exhausted and drained. Though I have to admit there isn’t one thing I would like to forget about him. Not even the day he died…

10 truths about me

Since I’m a new blogger I decided to write a 10 things blog post and try to introduce myself. So here I am: 

1. I’m quite a pessimist and I always see the dark side of a situation. I’m also good in exaggeration, that’s why I need people around me to be positive and rational to help me rationalize my mind and actions. I’m working on this and I’m trying not to exaggerate, which isn’t going as well as my aspiration to see things positive (not finished with this either)… 

2. I’m a city girl! I love the city pulse and having everything at the reach of hand. It’s great to go to the old part of the city in a small pub or café and have a nice evening with my friends. That’s why it’s a disaster that I’m born in a really small town where nothing’s going on. Ever. But now I’m living in Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia), which suits me very well :)  

3. I’m studying political science. Though it wasn’t my first choice I’m very satisfied with it at the moment. I wanted to study journalism but I knew I didn’t have a chance to get into the course so I chose political science. First year was hard for me, I wasn’t interested in the studies but now that I'm in third year I love it. 

4. Generally I have very bad memory but I remember some things so clearly like they would happen a minute ago. That’s why I hate it when my boyfriend is trying to convince me that I’m wrong about something that I remember as clear as if I would have photographic memory. I heard there are some exercises for improving memory, I should do that!  

5. I hate being alone. I was an only child until I was 13 so as a little girl I was always in the centre of attention, which I loved. There was always someone around me. I have problems with being alone and that doesn’t mean that someone has to talk to me all the time. I just like having someone around me doing whatever he or she wants. 

6. I’m afraid of a painful death – mostly in a sense that someone would torture me and then kill me. If you really have to do it (I wouldn’t mind if you don’t!), do it fast!! Just shoot me in my head and don’t freaking miss!!But I’m also afraid of slow dying as a result of some horrible disease. I don’t want to suffer.

7. I’m afraid of snakes and not just afraid – it’s phobia! I can’t see a picture of sneak without yelling and screaming and getting scared to death. If someone talks about them I get horrified and I start to look around if there’s a snake anywhere near.

8. I have coeliac disease which means I can’t eat products that contain gluten which is in wheat, oats, barley and rye. The doctors discovered I don’t tolerate gluten when I was 17 so for the past 5 years I have to watch what I eat very carefully.

9. I love food and I love eating. Since I’m gluten intolerant my choices can be quite limited and I hate it with all my heart. But that doesn’t ruin my appetite it’s just that I have to be very careful about what I eat. Oh, and I also like to cook.

10. I’m a control freak. I have to have everything under my control, I have to know everything. That’s mostly bothering to my friends who have to plan their activities with me a couple of days in advance, since I have to have a plan. And it freaks me out if everything doesn’t go as planned.

Hmmm… It seems like I mostly described negative things about me… If anyone’s interested I could also write down some of my more positive qualities :)

Are women shallow materialists or are we the best psychologists for ourselves?

There’s one thing that’s been rolling in my mind for quite a while now… It could easily be called a phenomenon, I think…

Girls I bet this has already happened to most of you: You have had a bad day and somewhere along the way you found yourself in the middle of the store with new shoes/jacket/purse/lipstick/nail polish in your hand. And buying that thing made you feel better.

Does that mean that we’re shallow materialists who feel better after buying some (usually completely unnecessary) stuff?

I bet Freud would have an interesting opinion on that topic. But it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, it matters what you think! And of course, how you feel :)

I would say NO, we’re neither shallow nor materialists. Everyone should know themselves best and should know what makes them feel better, whether it’s a new pair of gorgeous shoes or just going hiking. We’re all different and everyone finds comfort in something else. It’s important that we know what makes us feel better.

Also, there’s another positive side to new things that we buy. Usually, other women notice the new item and are usually so kind as to give us a nice compliment about it. And this compliment makes us happy.

It seems like every argument is in favour of treating ourselves from time to time, so girls, don’t feel bad about it :)

I'm a virgin

I’m brand new blogger and this my first time :)  I have many interests and none of them outstanding, so I’ll write about different things…. Those of you who like some kind of red line in blogs – you can stop reading here. And thanks for your attention :)

The ones who are still reading, thank you… and I hope I’ll be fun or interesting enough to keep your attention in the long run. =)

First thing I would like to share with you - well it’s not a thing it’s more of a though - is my fascination with blogs. It’s amazing how anyone can have his or her own audience (in a way), how anyone can write just about anything… And there’s another amazing thing – we can all find blogs which interest us and we find them fun enough to read posts from other authors and learn/find out something new… I see a blog as a kind of a diary; except here we can all get some kind of feedback (at least I hope I will).

So this is basically my diary where I can whine about life and everyday stuff that’s bothering me or… Don't worry, I'm not planning to whine all the time, just now and then :)  I hope I can get some good advice or critics or at least something so I’ll know someone is reading this =) 

If not… ok than I’ll just have this as my on-line diary…

We’ll it looks like I’m not a virgin anymore – I posted my first blog :)