tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37688198457251407762024-03-14T08:50:00.737+01:00the shiny bubbleWelcome at the shiny bubble, the little world of a small girl with big dreams.yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.comBlogger444125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-24216869579250641852012-03-12T13:25:00.003+01:002012-03-12T13:25:46.870+01:00I'm not here, I'm over there!Please, join me for more magic, green living, sunshine-safaris and other adventures at<br />
<a href="http://www.shinybubbles.org/">Shiny Bubbles</a>!<br />
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(That's http://www.shinybubbles.org)<br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-57993859520751571122012-03-01T22:12:00.003+01:002012-03-01T22:12:45.112+01:00New beginningsIt is certainly an ideal time for new beginnings in all aspects of our lifes... Imbolc, the festival of the first signs of new life has hardly passed and the weather turned from freezingly cold to cheering sunshine and warmth.<br />
Spring! First snowdrops... A new moon. The waxing sickle is opening upwards like a pot, waiting to be filled with earth and flower seeds, like a cradle to rock a new-born baby in.<br />
I've just passed through holy time and space and emerged on the other side with a new perspective and full of love for the new part of my path that lies before me.<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What would feel more natural than to start anew on the internet, too?</b></span></u><br />
I am so happy and proud to invite you all to my new bloggy home. <a href="http://www.shinybubbles.org/">Shiny Bubbles</a> is waiting for you and I hope you will love it just as much as me!<br />
<a href="http://www.shinybubbles.org/">Let's meet over there!</a><br />
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Much excited love!<br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-14113892878594625252012-02-29T18:44:00.000+01:002012-02-29T18:44:14.519+01:00Home sweet homeI felt like I had witnessed the arriving of spring in Switzerland in the two weeks that I spent there. When I arrived it was the deepest of winter, lakes frozen over, powdery, snowy paradise... and when I left: Snowdrops everywhere, sunshine, all the buds ready for some inaudible signal to start exploding with flowers and the meadows soggy and muddy from the melting snow.<br />
I had assumed that similar things had happened in the South, but of course this is the South and everything is a little bit better here...<br />
Here it's short sleeves and breakfast in the sun, sunglasses and the feeling like I should have left my tights at home. ^^<br />
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Oh, and tourists! ;o)<br />
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Hope you are having the wonderfullest of weeks. I can't wait to get more creative again after all this social time I've had now. I've got big plans... and I'm going to tell you all about them, of course. At least you guys listen to me. That's why I love you. ^^<br />
Kisses <br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-47166307183749652162012-02-27T23:12:00.000+01:002012-02-27T23:12:04.065+01:00FairylandAt the moment, I am sure that my life is a fairytale. Everything is coming together like in a dream. A good one... You know how sometimes life feels like your swimming against a stream?<br />
Well, right now, life feels like floating on gentle, warm waters, feeling completely immersed and at peace, joyful, full of trust... things are not perfect, but from my perspective, I feel the soft water and I'm looking up into the blue blue sky and I know: Life is good.<br />
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We're traveling back to Montpellier tomorrow and my parents are coming, too. They're staying until Thursday, so Wednesday will be spent city-watching and there might be some good food involved. ^^<br />
On <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-shiny-bubble/194726240565678">facebook </a>the other day I mentioned another change that will affect you guys too and don't worry, I'll spill the beans this week, it won't be long now! ;o)<br />
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See you soon! <3<br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-12488992724581885972012-02-25T10:00:00.000+01:002012-02-25T10:00:07.172+01:00The universe is with you<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you have a bright thought today, send it my way, I will use them all to create the big magic that is going to happen this afternoon, as I step into the ritual circle to change my life. <br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-74730288010984029622012-02-24T18:30:00.000+01:002012-02-24T18:30:00.629+01:00Awakening the dreamerAlways, but more clearly so in the times of transitions, I awe at how things come together in life. Coming home from a shaking ritual of goodbye to the old ways, I somehow find my way on the web to the pages of the <a href="http://www.pachamama.org/">Pachamama Alliance</a>.<br />
Within an hour of letting past things go, I am presented with new perspective, hopes and inspiration. May they bless you, too!<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/11086775?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/11086775">Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream, 15 minute trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3637121">Vivian Dittmar</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-44971246033998940162012-02-23T13:53:00.001+01:002012-02-23T13:53:14.293+01:00A short reminder for awesomenessLive juicy. Stamp out <strike>conformity</strike>. Stay in bed all day. Dream of gypsy wagons. <u>Find snails making love.</u> Develop an astounding appetite for books. <b>Drink sunsets</b>. Draaaaw out your feelings. Amaze yourself. Be ridiculous. Stop worrying…now! If not now? Then when? Make "yes!" your favourite word. Marry yourself. Dry your clothes in the sun. Eat mangoes naked. Keep toys in the bathtub. <b>Spin yourself dizzy</b>. Hang upside down. Follow a child. Celebrate an old person. Send a love letter to yourself. Be advanced. Try endearing. Invent new ways to love. Transfrom <strike>negatives</strike>. Delight someone.<b>Wear pajamas to a drive in movie.</b> Allow yourself to feel rich without money. Be who you truly are and the money will follow. Believe in everything. <u><b>You are always on your way to a miracle.</b></u><br />
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Thanks, <a href="http://bhavatusabbamangalam.wordpress.com/">Alexa!</a> <3 <br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-14394625247569628352012-02-22T21:03:00.001+01:002012-02-22T21:09:32.140+01:00A short updateHeya everyone,<br />
blogger just published an empty post whilst I was away... really weird!<br />
I've been out meeting people all weekend and until yesterday - so many great moments and hours and hours of good discussions!<br />
Now I'm at home, taking the three days until Saturday to prepare for my initiation ritual.<br />
Mainly I'm trying to keep open for more inspiration or insights that might happen, but whilst I'm doing that I'm just taking it easy, drinking a lot of tea, meditating, taking walks and going with the flow. At the moment I just feel unusually tired and I'm actually quite glad about it, it seems to be a sign that my mind and body are able to let go.<br />
Since I'm trying to keep my screentime during those days to a minimum, I'm just typing this and might return to my Sudoku (I'm afraid I might be addicted...) afterwards.<br />
I hope you're having a great week!<br />
Sending love to everyone!<br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-4247490645129547632012-02-16T23:24:00.001+01:002012-02-16T23:24:12.589+01:00Self portrait Thursday - week 7 of 2012!Hooray, the first self portrait of 2012! I really just forgot to do them once I couldn't upload pictures and then continued to... shame on me! That's going to be different from now on. So here it is:<br />
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I'm not actually sure... I think I just wanted to draw stars... I'm jumping from light to light... you could say that the stars are the ideas or projects or goals I'm working on.<br />
Or probably the many many people I'm meeting at the moment - every day of my two weeks in Switzerland is full with coffee and dinner dates - that's a good thing about living abroad. When you are home, everyone actually takes the time to come see you. <br />
I hope your day held some shining star-moments for you, too!<br />
Good night ;o)<br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-1021350711208734362012-02-15T20:28:00.001+01:002012-02-15T20:28:53.742+01:00How I've been living sugarfree for nine months<b>It's been almost nine months now since I started a sugarfree diet in May 2011, and I thought it was about time I updated you about what's cookin' chez yaga. </b><br />
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You can read my first summary after a month of going without refined sugar <a href="http://theshinybubble.blogspot.com/2011/06/30-days-without-sugar-why-what-and-how.html">here</a>.<br />
I also wrote a more general article and guide about going sugarfree <a href="http://yaga.hubpages.com/hub/Finally-sugar-free-Why-Who-and-how-to">here</a>. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6months sugar free. Talk about smug. </td></tr>
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<b><u>How the decision to go sugarfree has affected my life so far</u></b><br />
Looking back now on these days in May last year, I smile and I'm a
bit tempted to give myself a pat on the back. Going sugarfree has
definitely been one of the best and most lifechanging decisions I made
in my life. <br />
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<ul>
<li>As I said in my last post, I feel phisycally lighter and more energetic. I did not lose a lot of weight, but I feel I have gained flexibility and body consciousness.</li>
<li>My mind feels clearer and more balanced.</li>
<li>It is easier for me to handle mood swings and depressive phases, although they still occur. </li>
<li>My PMS has definitely changed character. I am still sensitive, whiny and complicated in the days before my period, but this is nothing compared to the instable, aggressive, self-destructive mess I got myself in before the switch to a sugarfree diet.</li>
<li>I have almost eliminated foodcravings from my life. I used to have cravings and think about eating maybe 80% of my waking time before the switch. Now I am much less emotionally attached to food. I mostly eat when I'm hungry and if i have cravings I am more able to identify the root of them and react accordingly.</li>
<li>I am able to make much more conscious and healthy food choices. My diet has improved when I met Trev and he reintroduced me to cooking actual meals and the idea of a nutritionally balanced diet (I used to live from readymeals, sandwiches and pizza delivery before that), but it again got a bazillion times better since last spring. </li>
<li>This has to do with the fact that I am now able to read my body's language of reactions when it comes to food. I learned what foods nourish my body and give me energy. I have begun to get a feeling for a balanced diet. I get immediate feedback from my body if I eat low-quality food or food that my body can't handle well (like dairy - veganism will be a topic of my next diet post).</li>
<li>Oh and I almost forgot: I have not had a single migrane attack since last spring. </li>
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When I look at this list I totally feel like it was so worth the effort!<br />
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<b><u>What my diet looks like now</u></b><br />
In the course of learning to listen to my body's likes and dislikes of certain foods and the fact that we lived with a couple of vegan and dairy intolerant people, as well as my ongoing research about food production has led me to the conclusion that a vegan lifestyle is what I'm aiming for.<br />
Thus, if ever possible, my diet avoids milk products and eggs (I don't have a problem with honey) as well as meat and sugar.<br />
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Slowly, I am also beginning to experiment with reintroducing some kinds of sugared food into my diet. I'm eating white bread, for example, and in the rare occasion of ordering fries, I will eat the ketchup. I am not quite sure yet if and how exactly this will affect me. I still feel like I'm lightyears away from the state of being able to have an occasional cookie and then leave the rest of the package in the cupboard untouched. <br />
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<b><u>Problem's I've had during this period</u></b><br />
I definitely don't want to tell you that I have gone through these nine months without eating even a morsel of sweetened food, cravings or binging. Oh yes, all of this happened.<br />
Once, for example, we had chinese takeout and I ordered sweet and sour and after I had eaten every last bite of it Trev said: "You know that they definitely put sugar in that sauce, don't you?" I was devastated. It seemed obvious, then, how could I have not thought about it? And I had eaten it all... I felt very bad. ^^<br />
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Well, it happens. It also happens that I have occasional days - mostly linked with my period or a stressful situation - when I feel like I'm back at square one again. I'm pacing back and forth in front of the fridge, wishing something sweet would appear in there by magic to soothe my horrible, horrible cravings. I'm eating all kinds of weird food like mustard on toast, pure tomato sauce and handfuls of almonds trying to find the one thing that will make the feeling that I had to eat something stop, and it just doesn't help.<br />
Christmas has also been a though time, and I admit I've had an occasional cookie, although I was surprised at how well I held up (I had planned on giving myself an 'out-of-jail-free' card for that time but felt I didn't need it in the end).<br />
So yeah, it wasn't nine months of totally sugar free.<br />
It just happens, it's part of the game.<br />
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It also totally happened that I caved in about two weeks ago and begged Trev to bring me some choccolate cake because I had been dreaming about choccolate cake for two nights in a row and I just really, really needed a choccolate cake date.<br />
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AND it is totally true that I ate at least five lindor choccolate balls today. And a big spoonful of cheese potatoes. <br />
Jap.<br />
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I don't regret these episodes, though. They teach me a lot. First of all, it's ok to let go sometimes. Sometimes it's not my body that needs food, it's my soul. And whilst it should learn to thrive from other things than food, every once in a while I feel like my soul and I should totally go for a choccolate-honeymoon. :o)<br />
It still confirms though that I still can't do moderation. It just doesn't work. Once I started, I CAN NOT stop myself. Even if it makes me feel sick. My body speaks very clearly to me in these situations. My gurgling, cramping stomach, the sicklish feeling in the back of my throat and the horrible ache in my head are screaming at me to stop.<br />
And I just can't.<br />
If I needed any more motivation to cut it off again, the creepyness of this situation would totally be it. <br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-2768434235864104692012-02-14T19:00:00.000+01:002012-02-14T19:00:00.787+01:00Valentine's day thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Listen children to a story that was written long ago<br />
'bout a kingdom on a Mountain and the valley folk below.<br />
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On the mountain was a treasure buried deep beneath a stone, </div>
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and the valley people swore they'd have it for their very own.</div>
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So the people of the valley sent a message up the hill</div>
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asking for the buried treasure, tons of gold for which they'd kill.</div>
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Came an answer from the kingdom: "With our brothers we will share</div>
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all the secrets of our mountain, all the riches buried there."</div>
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Now the valley cried with anger; mount your horses, draw your sword, </div>
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and they killed the mountain people, so they won their just reward.</div>
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Now they stood beside the treasure, on the mountain, dark and red,</div>
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turned the stone and looked beneath and "Peace on Earth" was all it said.</div>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> *~*On this Valentine's day, think about what love you can give to heal the world*~*</span></span></span> </h6>
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-38266061036958903492012-02-13T18:00:00.000+01:002012-02-13T18:00:01.847+01:00Sshh - I'm writing a masterplan!In the past week, inbetween trying to find a flatmate for next month, babysitting and having my sweet sister as a guest, I didn't really get much time to think and organise.<br />
I am a person who loves to have an overview. Making a plan motivates me more than anything else. Having things all lied out in front of me, neatly ordered by topic or importance, marked with different colors... add some cute stickers and I'm totally in!<br />
I also really really need time to do this. To sit down and think, write down endless lists, then make lists off these lists and order those lists in neat folders. Some things need a big page to be written down on. Others are snippets of thoughts, philosophic insights or just personal ramblings that go into my diary. Things that will be used often or very simple to do lists go in my carry-on notebook. To do lists for computer-related things I write on desktop stickie notes. Webpages I want to look at more closely one day get filed in my favourites.<br />
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So a 'planning and thinking' session is jumping back and forth between different mediums, sometimes closing my eyes and just thinking or meditating, sometimes writing or typing furiously. It's something I do with fervor and is totally sacred for me. <br />
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That's what I've been doing yesterday. Amongst other things, I wrote down a spiritual manifesto, invented a couple new rituals, created an outline for my spiritual life and wrote a blogpost about my diet.<br />
Quite a productive day, I would say.<br />
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The thing about planning your life? You have to accept you will never be finished. As long as you live you will be adapting, changing, rearranging, writing down new dreams and plans... it's a wonderful firework.<br />
I've created an impormptu altary of gratefulness to remember myself that it is not about putting the last tick on the list, but about enjoying the process of achieving all the wonderful things you wrote on that list. <br />
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What plans are you excited about or what dreams for your life do you have these days? <br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-38301511893542131742012-02-12T16:35:00.000+01:002012-02-12T16:35:10.858+01:00Why family and homes are amazing!Holdriooh, here I am in Switzerland! ^^ Jack Frost sure has made an appearance here, but there is snow, and that makes me feel like at least we get something for enduring the cold: Everything looks pretty. I love sitting at the kitchen table at my parent's place and see tiny snowflakes peacefully float down in the streetlight in the evening, or looking over the misty outlines of the forest in the distance in the afternoon, and watching the sunrays dance on the white bark of the birch tree across the road.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">snow in switzerland</td></tr>
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<br />I've had a very busy period since we moved to Montpellier. I was trying to make sure I made the most of every moment of my stay. Me and France, we have a history. A history of childhood memories of glorious summers, spent camping in the south. A history of heartbreaks, first loves, and the bittersweet times when a childhood's magic world turns into something you point at on a map. A history of falling in love all over again, making new memories and creating new magic.<br />
It has been my dream to make this place in the world my home and to be able to speak French confidently for a long time.<br />
Now that it has become reality, I suddenly felt a lot of pressure to make it as good as I possibly could. It has been fun, organising language exchanges and starting to build a network, trying to hack my way into French culture, trying to find a job... but also tiring and a tiny bit frightening.<br />
That is just how it has to be and I wouldn't want to change a thing, really. But now that I got some distance I realise that I needed a break quite badly.<br />
I have been worrying about a number of things - too many to be worried about at the same time. The worry drained me and made me much less productive than I could have been.<br />
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<br />When I arrived home, I was surprised by how utterly at home I felt. Everything is so friendly and welcoming here. I know every corner, every tree around here... this is my territory, my homeground. The flat, still the same rooms, the same furniture... everything so cosy and warm and embracing.<br />
And of course, the people, my family. My parents have always been utterly (sometimes riddiculously so) supportive of me and I was never in doubt that I could fall back on them if there was a need. I also did, a few times and I have always felt grateful for it.<br />
But it seems like this time, it was just exactly what I needed at exactly the right time, and it seemed to me that I have never been so deeply moved by how blessed I am in this. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peaceful</td></tr>
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I have been rid of a very big load on my shoulders by my parent's generous offer to support me financially until I find a job - money issues have been heavy on my mind for a couple of weeks. Trev has supported me a lot for the past few months, partly because it was his delayed graduation that had made it impossible for me to take a steady job this summer, but mostly just because he's the sweetest guy in this world. But he'll be up in Scotland having to support himself and another flat next month and I'm starting to feel bad relying on him so much and had planned to be independent again by March.<br />
Sadly, there is not much happening in my life jobwise atm and I started to feel stressed and pressured. Well, now I don't have to, anymore and I feel very grateful for that.<br />
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Talking about money is awkward, isn't it? It's weird. I don't feel like I'm poor but I'm used to living with little and want to keep it that way. I don't feel like money is something I don't want to talk to you about. This is about my lifestyle and how it works. And sometimes, well, it doesn't work so well. ^^<br />
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I just needed to get this out of my head.<br />
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I think, next week it will be time for another big post about my diet. It's been almost nine months since I went sugarfree, and there have been some other changes, too.<br />
Don't miss it. You can follow me with Google friend connect or on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-shiny-bubble/194726240565678">facebook </a>to be informed of new posts.<br />
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Happy Sunday!<br /><center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-81514836928896098462012-02-09T19:00:00.000+01:002012-02-09T19:00:06.333+01:00Ice affairsEven though it is not as bad as the stories we hear from Zurich, the cold weather has reached us here in the south, too. <br />
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This poor plant in a pot on our terasse got iced in when some<strike> id*</strike> weird person left on a sprinkler during the night. This is what we found the next morning.<br />
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I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when I get to Switzerland tomorrow... I'm already wearing all my clothes here, and it's supposed to be even colder up there. I think I will have to stay inside and huddled under a blanket all day.<br />
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Wait, that's pretty much what I do here, too! It'll probably have to be two blankets. oO<br />
There is a fountain down in town that got frozen over, too. I saw a little girl that wanted to try and walk on the ice, but it was realy only thin... luckily she got saved by her dad! :o)<br />
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I'm having my ritual on the 25th and I'm already shivering when I think about it - not because I'm nervous but because I imagine how cold it will be... I had planned on wearing something pretty, but I guess I'll just make it into something as warm as possible.<br />
Oooh! I'm off to make a cup of tea! <br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-32956250961911746902012-02-08T22:44:00.000+01:002012-02-08T22:44:29.405+01:00Retro treasures from the beachWe didn't find any pretty shells, but we brought a bottle of sand and many pictures, and even more memories.<br />
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Although it was frosty and windy, we kept our spirits up and enjoyed our little adventure! :o)<br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-64719709333266115482012-02-07T22:58:00.002+01:002012-02-07T22:58:36.269+01:00FloatingIt's been a whirl of a week so far.<br />
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I went to the farmer's market on Saturday.<br />
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On Sunday, Trev and me went to the Fleamarket to get some bikes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Bye-Bye-Bike</td></tr>
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We got a good deal for both of them, although the Cool bike is most probably a stolen one... it's very well kept and I paid, like, nothing for it. The byebyebike was less value for money, but even cheaper. It's a bit too small for me and doesn't have good brakes or working gears, but it's driveable and I wanted it mainly to give it to my sister/guests, and to drive myself when I'm out with Trev who can use the cool one. After he leaves I might sell it on.<br />
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Sunday afternoon a friend of mine invited us to a crêpes party at her place and it was the first time in ages I had a conversation with a group of French speaking people. I think I did quite well.<br />
Sunday evening we picked up my little sister at the trainstation. She's staying the week and on Friday we're going to Zurich together, for my dads birthday party on Saturday.<br />
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We went out yesterday and had good fun<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and good cocktails</td></tr>
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We went to a rockbar which is one of the coolest places ever because their theme and music is so well chosen that all of us like it - me, my sister, Trev and my dad!<br />
And later we had cocktails at a pirate-themed bar. Who doesn't love pirates?<br />
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Of course, I haven't really got any work done and I feel a bit disconnected with all the things I still have to take care of until end of the month. I'm a bit floating in a between-space at the moment. <br />
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Today was one of these days that is hard and good, in the way that lots of things happen all of a sudden and you get very confused and it's hard to make decisions, but you have to, and you struggle on but you know that this is the storm that leads onto the time when things just fall in place.<br />
I've started to look for a flatmate for March so I can share the rent with someone when Trev is gone. So today my phone was ringing constantly and I was trying to explain to people in French what the conditions for the contract were etc. A couple already visited tonight and there's some more coming over on Thursday.<br />
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But tomorrow, we're planning on a nice day out at the coast. I won't think of anything else and just enjoy the time. There's a time for planning and there's a time to let go. <br />
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I hope to get back with beautiful pictures tomorrow! ;o)<br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-78794426346690005002012-02-05T18:58:00.004+01:002012-02-05T18:58:54.720+01:00Weekend linksI've been saving some links for you to check out!<br />
First, I'd love to share this really inspiring video, I hope it will bring you some motivation to start into the new week full of energy.<br />
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I found a very interesting and inspiring blogger who lives and travels with her family in a caravan in Australia. Go visit her at <a href="http://livingthesimpledream.blogspot.com/">Living The Simple Dream</a>.<br />
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I've also been a bit sluggish with my workouts in the past week so I've been looking for some inspiration on the web and came across this fun quiz: <a href="http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/slideshow.asp?show=44">What's your running Style?</a><br />
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Lastly, I've been treasuring that one for a while but haven't really had the mojo to start yet, but it might be just the right thing for you: A website that helps you write every day, it's a great ritual to boost your creativity and productivity (in any field). Visit <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1340853504">750 words. </a><br />
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I hope you've had a good weekend and haven't suffered too much from the cold... See you tomorrow!<br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-10550053124864070472012-02-03T21:29:00.003+01:002012-02-03T21:29:53.526+01:00Merry ImbolcImbolc is a pagan festival that celebrates the very first signs of spring. Depending on the region, that would be ewes giving birth to lambs, snowdrops pushing through the frozen earth, even the first of some milder days.<br />
Imbolc has many forms and faces, and as always, it doesn't really matter what the name, what's important is the overall feeling of relief and hope as the days get perceptively longer. In some countries, people braced themselves for the last tough period of winter, when all the stored food started running out and new crops couldn't be harvested yet.<br />
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Today people celebrate groundhog day in the U.S., it's the season for Fastnacht.. rituals that want to make sure winter is driven away and summer is going to be good.<br />
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Imbolc is often celebrated in honour of Brighid, the three-fold goddess of creativity. <br />
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I have been a bit sick-lish during this week, so I didn't get out to buy some new candles for the celebration as I had planned. Instead, I made do what we had at home and set up an altary for Brighid in the livingroom, next to the sanctuary-bed.<br />
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I didn't really do a big ritual... just some praying and meditating, that's what I was capable of... I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed, it seems like I've taken on some big goals for this year and I have to simplify. I was praying for help to organise it better so that I would not feel like I was drowning in to-dos.<br />
In my meditation, I met Brighid in a beautiful garden. She was wearing a plaid shirt, overalls and wellies, and she had a very foul language. She reminded me a bit of a hobbit-lady. ^^<br />
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Anyways, it seems that even the smallest amount of effort is opening barriers these days and I think I made another good step towards getting it all in order and actually move forward.<br />
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This Sunday, my little sister is coming to stay with us for a week. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'll be busy until then getting some things done.<br />
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I hope Brighid grants you inspiration and fruit-loaden orchards for your efforts these days!<br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-87480159506867071512012-02-02T06:30:00.000+01:002012-02-02T17:44:41.001+01:00My favourite days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some days, when there is nothing pressing to organise, I steal some sweet hours during the afternoon.<br />
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I drag out all my sketching utensils and make myself a nice cup of tea.<br />
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I doodle and scribble.<br />
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I study and I write down ideas.<br />
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I soak up the sun until the shadows start creeping over my notepad and it gets chilly.<br />
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Or I sneak in a few minutes of coloring on the sofa.<br />
<br />
Winnie is always my companion.<br />
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Sometimes I even feel free enough to pull out the painting supplies.<br />
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It is easier to go on working on a piece than to start a new one.<br />
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Sometimes I need a full day just to get started on something.<br />
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I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but I'm clumsy and I smear it everywhere.<br />
<br />
But when I'm finished, I feel exhilarated.<br />
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This is the work that matters, the work that makes my heart sing and my soul glow.<br />
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Artist days are my favourite days of the week.<br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-3321181539546824482012-02-01T17:56:00.000+01:002012-02-01T17:56:09.732+01:00In defense of the French motorist<i><b>Or: A piece of what I've learned from living abroad </b></i><br />
<br />
When I told my mum I was going to get around the city here by bicycle, she was very worried. She told me to get a helmet (well, she does that all the time, she knows her duties as a mother ^^) and to be "really, very, extra careful, you know how the French drive, sweetheart!"<br />
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Well, when you learn to drive in Switzerland, every other country is basically a huge, chaotic mess as soon as you get on the road. At some point you just have to accept that you have to either grow steel nerves or keep away from the steering wheel when you're abroad.<br />
<br />
Here in the south, traffic is really approached in a very different way than I am used to.<br />
Rules are used as guidelines and people obey them if they have an exceptionally good day.<br />
Otherwise, the French are of the opinion that every driver has his own head and eyes and should use his common sense rather than blindly follow a set of static dictations.<br />
<br />
And what can I say - it works! Yes, traffic is chaotic. People are parking everywhere. Cars are going down one way lanes the wrong way if the fancy takes them. They leave their vehicles in the middle of the street to go and buy some eggs. They honk whenever it seems fit (it does often).<br />
<br />But they are incredibly far-sighted drivers, they know their vehicles, they are patient and they consider everything that moves in the streets a 'partner in the crime that is traffic'. ^^<br />
<br />
I have never been stopped for and urged to cross the road (standing in the most unconvenient places) so often like since I've lived here. I have seen a car stop for a ragged old dog who was busy sniffing a pizza box in the middle of the street and patiently waiting until he was on his way.<br />
<br />
And whenever I am on a bicycle... I feel safe. Much safer than in Zurich with its speeding, stressed and utterly self centered drivers.<br />
So, yes, even if they take my Swiss passport away from me for saying this: Order is not everything. There are other things than rules that make the world go round. <br />
<br />
Drive safe! ;o)<br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-21576315773640184432012-02-01T00:32:00.002+01:002012-02-01T00:32:15.820+01:00Out and aboutWanna see how it looks around where I live now? I often see interesting things when I go for a quick walk in between painting and writing job applications and I take my camera with me!<br />
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PS: The pictures weren't all taken on the same day... it's just always SO sunny down here! Sorry for bragging but I can't stop it, you know, I've been living in a place where bad wheather is default for too long. :o)<br />
PPs: Loool, oh irony! Today when I went into town I got caught in a big downpour and later on it snowed! ^^<br />
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Hope you'll enjoy some rays of sunshine! ;o) <br />
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-83977065489311141712012-01-30T22:31:00.000+01:002012-01-30T22:31:29.902+01:00The dreaming sanctuaryWe've been having a cleaning day. We've been chasing dust bunnies and shaking out rugs, scrubbing pots and pans and running after bubbles.<br />
I've been spending my nights on the bedsofa in the livingroom because it is more comfy than ours and I've found I wake up less and have more quiet nights that way. I've also been very productive during the days and the bedsofa has been turned into my working-dreaming-planning-lounging sanctuary.<br />
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All sparkly clean! What a feeling to settle down in this space in the middle of the cleaned, aired flat, incense burning, lighting some candles... I really like that it is cosy and soft and warm (as opposed to working on the floor), but I can still spread my stuff all around me, and I'm next to my painting nook and the window.<br />
So tonight I got out my diary and notebooks and scraps of note paper and all my planning and list files on the laptop, and I had myself a big dreaming and goal setting session.<br />
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This is what it looks like when I work! ;o) Colors and pens everywhere, teacups, and Teddy and Pinkerton are my assistants.<br />
(I've been experimenting with a new picture editing program... ^^)<br />
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Do you have a vision or list of things that you want to achieve in 2012?<br />
Here's some of the things I've been working with:<br />
- Tal Gur's <a href="http://www.tal-gur.com/blog/index.php/archives/design-your-dream-year">design your dream year</a><br />
- Live your Legend's <a href="http://liveyourlegend.net/simple-goal-setting-that-gets-results-make-2011-epic-and-free-workbook/">goal setting and action workbook</a><br />
- Resources from the Home Life Simplified's <a href="http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/52-weeks-to-simplify-your-life-challenge/">52 weeks to simplify your life challenge</a><br />
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Happy Monday to you all! :o)
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-56598685102163372372012-01-29T18:25:00.000+01:002012-01-29T22:11:54.916+01:00Yaga's list of must read 'classics' - 2012<b>One of my <a href="http://theshinybubble.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-years-resolutions-part-2.html">goals </a>for 2012 is to read at least one book a month from
this list of 'classics' that I have put together. I thought it might be
fun to share it. </b><br />
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This is a personal list. It is not meant to be complete.
It only contains books that I have not read yet. There are many more
that can be considered world literature and that I have either not
thought of yet or that I have read already.<br />
<br />
<br />
If an author as written many famous books, I have usually
selected one or two of the most well-known or recommended. The titles
are written in the languages that I intend to read the books in (mainly
German and English, sometimes French), if you want to see the complete
list with information about the year each book was published and the
original language it was written in, please give me a shout.<br />
<br />
Some of them, more to the end of the list, are modern books that I
put on so I wouldn't forget that I wanted to read these, too. I do
consider all of them quite must-read books, though, so maybe they are
interesting for you, too. <br />
<br />
If you have any suggestions of books to add to this list, please do contact me!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<i>(Fat means I'm currently reading this) </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Brothers Karamasov -Fyodor Dostoewski</li>
<li>Crime and Punishment- Fyodor Dostoewski</li>
<li>1984 - George Orwell </li>
<li>Animal Farm - George Orwell </li>
<li>Im Westen nichts Neues - Erich Maria Remarque</li>
<li>Les Miserables - Victor Hugo</li>
<li>The Great Gatsby - Francis Scott Fitzgerald </li>
<li>Great Expectations - Charles Dickens</li>
<li>Narziss und Goldmund - Hermann Hesse</li>
<li>Siddharta - Hermann Hesse</li>
<li>Das Glasperlenspiel - Hermann Hesse</li>
<li>The Catcher in the Rye - Jerome David Salinger</li>
<li>Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck </li>
<li>Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde </li>
<li>The Sea-wolf - Jack London</li>
<li>Call of the Wild - Jack London</li>
<li><b>Walden, or life in the woods - Henry David Thoreau --> DONE!</b></li>
<li>Lord of the Flies - William Golding </li>
<li>Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes </li>
<li>Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes</li>
<li>Moby Dick - Herman Melville </li>
<li>Frankenstein - Mary Shelley </li>
<li>Jenseits von Gut und Bös - Friedrich Nietzsche</li>
<li>Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe </li>
<li>L'Etranger - Albert Camus</li>
<li>Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson </li>
<li><b>Paradise Lost - John Milton</b></li>
<li>Le Comte de Monte-Cristo - Alexandre Dumas</li>
<li>To kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee </li>
<li>Emma - Jane Austen</li>
<li>Eugene Onegin - Alexander Pushkin </li>
<li>Doctor Zhiwago - Boris Pasternak</li>
<li>One hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez </li>
<li>The old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway </li>
<li>Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov, </li>
<li>The Hound of Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle</li>
<li>The big Sleep - Raymond Chandler </li>
<li>Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë </li>
<li>War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy</li>
<li>Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens</li>
<li>Der Besuch der alten Dame - Friedrich Dürrenmatt </li>
<li>Der Richter und sein Henker - Friedrich Dürrenmatt</li>
<li>Effi Briest - Theodor Fontane </li>
<li>Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck </li>
<li>Radetzkymarsch - Joseph Roth </li>
<li>Catch 22 - Joseph Heller </li>
<li>Buddenbrooks - Thomas Mann</li>
<li>Konferenz der Tiere - Erich Kästner</li>
<li>Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth </li>
<li>L'Insoutenable Légèreté de l'être - Milan Kundera </li>
<li>Das Kapital - Karl Marx</li>
<li>The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro</li>
<li>Der Zahir - Paulo Coelho</li>
<li>His Dark Materials Series (The Golden Compass/Northern Lights, The Subtle Knive, Amber Spyglass) - Philip Pullman:</li>
<li>Narnia
Series (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Return to Narnia/Prince
Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and
his Boy, The Magician's Nephew, The last Battle) - C. S. Lewis</li>
<li>Sternstunden der Menschheit - Stefan Zweig</li>
<li>Schachnovelle - Stefan Zweig</li>
<li>The difference Engine - William Gibson, Bruce Stirling</li>
<li>Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours - Jules Verne</li>
<li>A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess</li>
<li>Millenium Series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who played
with Fire, The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest) - Stieg Larsson</li>
<li>The Help - Kathryn Stockett</li>
<li>The Man who mistook his Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks </li>
<li>I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith</li>
<li>Out of Africa - Karen von Blixen-Fineke</li>
<li>Le Malade Imaginaire - Molière</li>
<li>Timm Thaler - James Krüss</li>
<li>Die Judenbuche - Anette von Droste-Hülshoff </li>
<li>De Goali bin ig - Pedro Lenz</li>
<li>Spiegel das Kaetzchen - Gottfried Keller</li>
<li>For whom the Bell tolls - Ernest Hemingway</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
What are you reading at the moment? <br />
<br />
<br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-22563500410509453062012-01-28T18:07:00.000+01:002012-01-28T18:07:30.389+01:00Come on in!!Oh my, oh my! It's been two and a half weeks since we're here and I haven't been able to show you our place. Can you imagine how that <b>bugged </b>me!!?? I'm dying for you to come and take a house tour, so come on in!<br />
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Our entrance aerea is small but functional, the only thing that's missing is a coat rack. But then judging by the weather we've been having, I don't think we'll need coats for much longer! :o)<br />
Let's turn right to the livingroom.<br />
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As you can see there is plenty of space, for mine and Trev's obsessions. The easle is doubling as a sheet music holder for the moments in life when I need to caress my cello. And the cupboard behind it is dedicated to my painting supplies. It feels so great to have a place where you can just sit down and start the work.<br />
Through the livingroom we can have a peek into the kitchen:<br />
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Yum, cooking in progress! :o) What I absolutely love about this place is that almost everything is getting recycled. We have to take our glass up the road to a container, but we have special bags for the compost that we can deposit in the garbage containers and there is a collector for cardboard, paper and pet right next to our entrance.<br />
Do you wanna go out on the balcony? The sun is shining, you won't need a jacket. ;o)<br />
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We're the lowest flat in the block, but it's still a bit elevated and our balcony looks out on a big terasse space in between the block complex that forms a horseshoe shape around it. You can see the trees of a tiny park in the background. If I would live here for longer, I would totally start a rooftop garden up here! ;o)<br />
But for the moment, I am looking forward to have some kitchen herbs up here, and we're enjoying the occasional late breakfast soaking up the sun:<br />
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(The plants are fake, although quite good looking ones, I must admit. ^^)<br />
Both the kitchen and livingroom have window fronts towards the balcony, but because of the angle of the flat, we actually only get direct sun into one corner of the balcony for a few hours in the early afternoon. I'm not unhappy about that... I know what temperatures are waiting for me in summer!<br />
Let's go back to the entrance, then you can have a quick look into the bathroom:<br />
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It's both bigger and much warmer than the one in Glarus! ;o) Doesn't have a bathtub though. Definitely a minus in my book.<br />
On the lefthand side of the entrance is the sleepingroom. Don't be shy, I cleaned it up for you. ;o)<br />
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Cute, isn't it? I still can't really imagine the amounts of clothes somebody must own to fill the wardrobe space available in this room. After we made all the weird decorations of the late proprietor dissapear in the depths, there was still way enough space for all our clothes and lots of other stuff.<br />
It's mostly functional, although I found space again for a little altary and we put up our own decorations and it feels very peaceful.<br />
There is a little balcony on this side, too. It doesn't get any sun and looks out on the walkway and the school on the outside of the residence, so it isn't a place to linger, but we hang our washing here.<br />
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I hope you like our little space, isn't it quirky and cute, and very personal already? It's great fun to live in different kinds of places... I love making a place my home.<br />
Don't you wanna stay for dinner? <br />
<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3768819845725140776.post-56652302518058152822012-01-27T15:20:00.000+01:002012-01-27T15:20:01.174+01:00Clean eating challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm linking up with <a href="http://sometimessweet.com/">Sometimes Sweet</a> for her clean-eating challenge that starts Monday 30. This challenge is wonderful if you need a little motivation and a kick-start for healthy eating habits. It's very open as to what you define as your clean eating.<br />
It could be that you cut out sugar completely (even fruits, bread, pasta and such) like Danielle there is currently doing (be sure to do good research though, she's backed up by a doctor!), or you could just decide to ditch fast food for a week.<br />
There'll be a linky and I think it will be a great circle of girls to help each other out, share inspiration, tipps and recipes. I'll certainly do that, I've been planning some more detailed posts about my eating habits for a while now and this gives me a good opportunity. <br />
So stay tuned and fill your fridge with healthy healthy stuff!! :o)<br />
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See ya, pumpkin! ^^
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<center><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5878027780_ecfa9aff84_z.jpg" /></center>yagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09452763237214067585noreply@blogger.com0