LOUISE

I have some recipies I want to try out.. Avocadosoup, veggie pie, pancake in oven... Hmm, might try that out soon!

Any recipies to share with me?

So I just thought about how I could "cheap up" my living situation through my food shopping, and came to a number of things that aren't too much to ask for, and does make a change finacially speaking:

1. Soup
- for less than $2 I can get a 4 pack mushroom cream soup, that also is really good. That makes $0,50 per serving (2,50 SEK), and perfect for lunch every now and then. Just complete with some bread or veggies to make it last longer.

2. Skip the snack
- if you think about it, eating snacks and candy is really expensive. For an example, one pack of M&M's cost about $6, and for that amount of money, I could have bought a pack of pasta, cream and green onions which would be a good dinner.

3. Make a list
- before you go shopping for groceries, make sure you have a list for what you need the whole coming week. You should not have to go and buy something more, stick to shopping once a week. Besides that, if you stick to your list, you know you'll only buy things that you really need.

4. Don't shop when you're hungry
- it's a fact that you buy more when you're hungry, and fair enough; when you are, you want to eat everything! Eat, and then go shopping for the best result.

5. Use specials
- if there is a special offer on something, stock up! Say the mice is half the price, buy some extra and put it in the freezer. I usually go for canned veggies, whenever something is cheaper than usual, I buy a couple of extra, it does save money!

6. Use your freezer
- you can freeze in almost anything! It's more expensive to cook for one person, so whenever you do, make a lot of food and then freeze it in, but in portions. That gives you a pre maid meal and more money on your account.

7. Drink water!
- if you skip the carbonated drinks, juices and lemonades and stick to one glass of milk a day and then just water, I promise you, you'll save a lot of money! One can of coca cola (approx 350 ml) cost about $2. Once a day makes $14 dollars a week. Add one glass of juice to each breakfast and you're up at $20 a week. Water is for free, and the water here in Christchurch happens to be one of the best in the world. Enjoy it! If you don't like water, buy some concentrated lime or lemon juice (unsweetened) and add just a bit to the water, or just fresh lemon, lime or berries.

8. Cut the alcohol
- I'm sorry, students! I know this is the last thing you want to hear, and it is the last I want to write, haha, but we all know that alcohol is too expensive to consume (not even to mention unhealthy). If you stick to drinking a maximum of one day a week and stick to drinking while pre gaming instead of getting drunk at the bar, you'll save a lot! Also, make sure you buy your alcohol in a supermarket instead of the liqor store. At Countdown, you can get a good bottle of wine for $8, or a 12 pack of Corona's for $19,99 (right now at Countdown).

If you have any tips, feel free to share!

I think that I will be able to sleep normally tonight, and Gosh have i waited for this or what? The last couple of days have consited of me being sleepless, tired and cranky. But after sleeping all afternoon and almost all night yesterday, I'm starting to feel better.

So I went to town today and fixed some things:

- got a library card here in Christchurch
- bought some food
- lent an Italian book and started my Italian studies. I've decided to do one chapter at a time and finished my first today. Even though I already know most of it, it's for the best to repeat from scratch in order to develop.
- handed out Cv's and applied for some job's online as well

Now it's past ten in the evening and I'll go to bed in an hour or two, when I usually go to bed. I think I'll try to get to bed a bit earlier every night, and perhaps in time I'll be able to go to sleep at ten and thereby get up earlier.

I have some things I want to get whenever I get started working full time and hence have some money over: Lost on dvd starting on season one. That will be my reward to myself when I've managed to save money over the summer. Sweet as!

Well I hope everyone's enjoying their lives, whether it's in the Swedish winterland or New Zealand summer, or anywhere else in the world!

:)

I now have the best CV I've ever had.

And oh, the person in front of me just burped, and I cam smell it. Uuuuuuurrrgh, disgusting people.

I feel so down, and I'm not quite sure of why.. Well, I am listening to Kings of Leon, they always cheer me up just a bit.. I've just sent some job applications online and I'll leave soon for the library to print out some papers. But aaah I want to feel glad, happy, full of energy, but I don't. What shall I do to feel better? Am I getting sick?

I feel like running and exhausting myself, but at the same time I just want to go to bed and do nothing. I guess I have to get used to not having friends around me all the time. Gosh, I really am co-dependent of other people. I wish I wasn't, but on the other hand, what could ever replace the love you have for, and recieve from your friends?

I'll probably keep being down for a while, but I won't give in and sleep the day off, instead I will go out there and do what I need to get done with.

Don't forget, job interview on Saturday.


I'm exited!

So I went to town only to realize I left my card here, so here I am again to collect it. I'll just head back to town to print out some cv's and look for some jobs.

Well I just spotted in my mail that I've been called for an interview. It was a job ad from TradeMe that I applied for but I never thought they'd contact me. So the interview is on Saturday 10.15 am. I will go, but It'll be hard because I work the night before and shouldn't get off until 6 in the morning, so I haven't decided yet if I am capabe of either staying up or just having two or three hours of sleep. Well, I'll figure it out somehow! I have to go because I am really curious of what kind of job they would give me, because this really isn't just a normal job ad, it's "slightly" diffrerent.

But I won't say what it is quite yet.

Dammit, I'm not sure what's wrong with me but I feel so sick right now.. My sleeping routine is, in all honesty, fucked up. Yesterday I slept from 2.30 pm until 8.00 pm, not okay! Later on that night, when I ususally go to bed I had a sleeping pill so I wouldn't stay up all night, but it didn't work at all. I finally fell asleep around 3.00 am which is way too late. Uh I really feel sick, this sucks! And I have so much to do? Aaaaah!

At least I did sleep last night, which I didn't the night before yesterday at all. So today, I just won't attempt any powernaps, I'll just stay up and keep activate myself until 10ish, and then I'll go to bed.

Sooooo.. What's up for today? I am supposed to skype right now, but I'm not sure if that'll happen. Anywho, I just had breakfast (a bun, oatmeal, yoghurt and strawberries) and I'm about to get ready, put on some makeup and do something with my hair to conceal that I am sooooo tired.

Then I'll drag my ass to the library, I need to start plnnan for when sis comes down here and the things we'll see and do. And yeah, except from that I need to get out of this house and move my ass. Yep. It's noon now, I give it an hour, then I'm out of here!

Ciao!

So the time is 2 pm (afternoon) and I still haven't slept. I'll try and get a power nap now and then go to town as soon as I've got some rest, I'm exhausted!

Ah well.. I've skyped a lot today, first with Coffe for almost three hours, and then Jonte for an hour and a half, alwayd nice to catch up.

So now, in order to get in my napping mood:

- couch CHECK
- blanchet CHECK
- coushin CHECK
- The Social Network (movie) CHECK
- negerbollar CHECK

I'm all set for some rest. Ciao!

I am having major trouble with my sleep right now.. It's 5.30 in the morning, I've watched Grease and Cruel Intentions, I've tried to just relax and listen to music, you name it. Still not in the mood for sleeping, I rather feel like having breakfast and doing something. Not good at all. This has been going on for too long now, it just can't be good for my body to be kept awake like this.

Ah well. I mean, I think I know why I can't sleep, still irritates me though.

I'll just watch Cruel Intentions again and hope to fall asleep.

Ciao.


Ryan Philippe is beautiful!

I just wanted to say that I am truly blessed with amazing friends, and that is something you can't say too many times. Never did I think that so many of you would actually be willing to come all the way here, of all places, to see me and explore this wonderful place. I just talked to Erika, a babe from Olympia, and she wants to come here! Not even to mention my sister, Jasmine, Jonas and all the others who said they want to come down here. Even if you won't make it, it still means a lot to me.

Gosh, I have so many great friends. As I said, I am blessed!

I'm just going to make some pro's and con's for me being an adult

PRO

- I am working
- I live in a row-house (radhus) which I never thought I'd do
- I barely ger drunk anymore
- I buy and cook my own food
- I feel like buying a bottle of shiraz to enjoy just a single glass after dinner
- I just love dinner parties

CON

- I am still dependent on my family in different ways
- I still want to climb a tree and get wasted, even though I haven't done it for a while
- I've never cooked chicken as far as i remember
- I'm not a proper coffee consumer anymore

How do you reckon, should I be considered an adult?

One thing that is stuck in my mind, and probably most people's minds actually, is how much your body really matters? I guess it's a routine thing for a teenage girl like me to question my right to really decide what shape my body should have. If I gained weight I'd feel bad because I wouldn't have the body of the gereal persons desire. But at the same time, if I'd loose some weight people would let me know through comments etc, and then I'd feel bad for losing weight. Why is this subject such a taboo in today's society? Why do girls have to be skinny, and guys muscular? I mean it's probably as much of an issue for a guy to have a sixpack as it is for a girl to get rid off her "love handles".

My weight has been a mess since the last five months, and by that I don't mean that I've been either over- or underweight, it's been irregular which isn't the best. I gained some weight the first month and even more when I was in Samoa, and after that I've lost some as well. I haven't checked my weight until last week, and by then it was 54 kg's, which is about two or three more kilograms than before I moved to New Zealand. I'd guess I weighed at lest 57 kg's when I was in Samoa because I can feel the difference from then and now.

But seriously:

-I'm not in New Zealand to worry about my weight.
-I refuse to remeber my time here as a struggle to watch what I eat.
-I just won't go running for an hour every day when I donät want to, I only exercise when I feel like it.
-I don't want to worry about weighing more when I return to Sweden than what I did before I left.

But of course I do, I mean it's all printed in my mind, right? Anyway, no matter of how much I have this in the back of my head, it doesn't stop me from feeling confident about myself and my looks, not in any matter. By this I don't mean that Iäll just eat till I burst and weight 80 kg's, because that will NEVER happen, but a few kilos really shouldn't matter that much. Even though I am only human and sometimes just wish I could take a pill and lose 5 kg's just like that, and I agree that it does feel good to lose some weight sometimes, I still DO NOT respect people whose lives are controlled by weight and looks. Actually, I'd rather say I feel sorry for you, because you stop yourself from enjoying life and being happy.

Is it worth it?

So sure, I might one day when I feel motivated decide to lose some weight, get in shape and all of that crap, but I will never let it control my life, and I will never have a movie night without snacking.


SEPTEMBER 2010. This is me in Samoa, a bit chubby as you can see (and WASTED AS, guess what's in the glass, hahaha) right after my morning snorkeling. Even though I've had my skinnier days, I'd never be too ashamed to wear my bikini.



AND

JULY 2008. I estimate the weight difference to about 10 kg's between these pictures to the one from this year. In these two, I weighed about 46 kg's. Fun part is I was more worried about my body back then.

This song is so good and Katy Perry is so beautiful! I always feel happy, exited and adventurous whenever I hear this song, and it is one of my NZ songs, it will remind me of my time down here in the future.

The connection is terrible right now, so that kind of sucks.. Anyway, the plan was to go to town and get some stuff done, but it's raining (IT'S RAINING!!) so I'll just stay inside until it stops and make some negerbollar (I'm really not sure if there even is an English word for it). I don't feel so good anyway, so maybe it'd be good for me to just do my baking and then stay inside and watch some movies? I just got Grease (haven't seen that one in years) so I think I'll see that one..

Otherwise.. This internet thing sucks, I wish I could use it properly for Skype etc.. I'll just have to figure it out somehow.. But now I'll do some baking:

Tasteline's light chocolate balls (not that I'm making them the light version, if you want to live "light" then just skip it)

Åååh jag har haft en överhängande huvudvärk HELA dagen som bara inte vill ta slut. Jag kommer inte kunna sova förrän den är över, och skulle jag somna ändå så vet jag att jag kommer må skit när jag vaknar... Vill inte ta en huvudvärkstablett men får nog ta och göra det om jag vill få någon sömn.. Usch! Lovar att det är pga värmen (dehydration) och att jag inte sovit propert nu på en vecka.

Usch,. Räliga piller here I come..

So, Sunday today. The weather is crazy, it's so warm I'm not even sure if I can go outside. I just might go to this park close to where I live, bring my book and just pass out in the sun... Or, I could find a supermarket close to where I live and get some stuff so that I cam make chocolate balls! I just might do that.