Valentine's

Valentine's Day has never been of much importance to me. When I was a kid it was called an celebrated as Friend's Day in Estonia meaning that you made cards to all your friends (and yes, that also included an anonymus cards from secret admirers) and little gifts (chocolate bar, random valentine's day crap - yeah sounds awesome I know ;) etc) for your besties. There were a couple of years I put such effort into gifts and then forgot them home -.- and since I lived about half an hour by bus away from school I couldn't just quickly pop home and get them... so yeah... I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Ahhh the good old days :D

Now it has kind of lost it's meaning: I'm not too fussed about the Americanized Valentine's gifts and blah blah blah. Who actually needs those little heart figures that they sell in stores by the bucket. In UK it's obviously a big deal nearly every restaurant and pub has a special Valentine's Day menu not to mention all the shop windows. In France it doesn't seem that important but maybe it's because I haven't actually been to town for a while because when I asked about it the French said that yeah it's big here if you're in a relationship.

Mr. Special sent me a huge card that he'd customized himself, meaning it has my name printed on it and a special message from him. But since he is always rushing and anxious about all this romantic stuff (he is a sucker for romance - a total opposite of me ;) ), I got the card last Saturday already lol :D And we were actually Skype'ing at the time so as soon as I saw a huge envelope I asked him: What have you done?! But it's cute and so sweet :) So I had to do something too and a card would've been too predictable so when it was 1 o'clock my time and midnight his time, meaning Valentine's Day had just begun I sent him a text asking if he'd be my Valentine :) obviously he was soooooo happy and surprised :) yay :) 

I also remember last Valentine's Day because that was the day I apparently ruined someone's Valentine's Day LOL. That is to say maybe a week later I found out that at some moment of time precedent to Valentine's I had promised to cover one co-workers Valentine's Day evening shift and then decided to be a total bitch and turned around and said hell to the no just to ruin their date :P Sounds just like me :) Just to clarify no one ever actually asked me to cover their shift (so how could've I said yes at first?). And the person in question was already covering someone else's shift so excuse me but why did you agree to that in the first place if you knew that you wanted to go out with your partner yourself? Anyway I find it amusing and probably will remember it forever :) An interesting change to my boring Aber life back then :D

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

Asking, whining, complaining

Since I am a calm and collected person who rarely whines and complains about something that I'm not entirely happy with. And obviously I'm not talking about just whining to my friends or myself, that I do very often ;) but here I mean the actual complaining to a company or person etc. When I don't like something I just suck it up or leave without any fuss, no biggie. At the same time I hate and admire the people who dare to claim their rights loudly and who usually, due to that get upgrades and free stuff from the company to say they're sorry while I just get a verbal sorry. I feel like I'm missing out just because I don't go shouting at someone when things aren't perfect all the time. It's just not in my nature and I try to avoid confrontation with strangers at all costs. I can stand my ground when needed like in Vapiano once my card wasn't emptied before they gave it to me so my bill was bigger than it should've been and obviously I piped up and said whoaa this is not what I ate a quick sorry and explanation why that happened and I was on my way. Now I can only imagine that if that had happened to someone who dares to use more words (not the bad ones - that's just rude) would've gotten maybe some voucher or something :D

Been watching the EasyJet Airline tv show from years ago and the pattern is seen clearly there: you'll get a free transfer to another flight if you scream and shout there, kind of reasonably of course because if the staff feel that they were attacked they said no to even conversating with the screamer. But the people who demand they're rights more than the no-fuss-everythings-ok-I-understand-no-worries customers like me got free transfers and other stuff even when at times it was they're own fault that they were late for they're flight. How is that fair? Surely the policy should be the same for everyone not that the mouthy people get what they want and the quiet types have to suffer in silence and take what's given (the best option for the company that is).

What brought this post on? The fact that I finally gathered my courage and went and asked for a new mattress. Applause please :) My mattress had been old and knackered since I got here and I've heard people (already from Aber times) going and complaining and whining about every single thing that isn't perfect in their rooms or needing a special mattress and what not. So before I went down it took a long time for me to convince myself that my mattress is indeed in need of a replacement and I got it a new one :) Feels so different :D Feels good. Victory :)

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

Little friends

Hey-hey-hey

I think my little friends deserve a post too :) And they are little birdies behind my window who sing to me quite often. Sing not shout like many city birds do. And every once in a while one of them comes to peep through my window and it is sooooo cute. Although I am a bit afraid too since when warmer weathers come I like to keep my window open but what if they fly in. How would I get them out, what if they shit everywhere? :D yes I like to create panics for myself. for now every time I see a tiny head peeping through my window I'm filled with a warm awwww feeling and when they sing - all the music I need :)

Another curious thing I'd like to mention is someone in this building who, now more often then before, shouts in Russian in the evenings. Don't know where he is but he is always angry and the things he shouts are almost always the same bad bad words... Why is he so angry all the time? And by his voice he seems to be an older man about in his forties or something so not a normal student in student halls... curious... I'm always too scared to go and have a look where he actually is, most probably a floor above me, Very curious...

The director of the student halls is also living here on top floor and probably in a lux flat not like the ones students live in. And he has two little chiahua dogs on black and one brown and they're so cute and nice and just make me so jealous because I want a pet (or ten) tooo!!!!!

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

Crappy weather aka flooding

New Year began with flooding, even we got the notice to evacuate, despite the fact that we are not even on the seafront. Well, luckily nothing happened, but house was a mess later, because we moved all the stuff.
So now, another stormy weather is expected and the uni is evacuating seafront students again, they even pay for the train tickets home, if someone chooses to go home, instead of staying with friends or where ever they offered people to be. And the lectures are cancelled today and on Monday, kinda annoying, as it pushes lectures in one module into exam week lol.



Ems

Teething problems

Vol 2 actually

Got all my exams done (well not all but the ones I decided to go to) and was actually pretty proud of myself :) Although don't expect any high grades or anything :D I'd be happy with only a pass at the moment ;) The results should be available at the beginning of February, don't know where or how I can access them but I'll figure something out.

And now the second semester has started... bambambam... the first week when Tourism lectures started I still had exams in other classes so naturally didn't go to the lectures :D not a very good start, the second week I just wanted to rest, so again missed the first lectures of some Tourism classes but oh well... By now I've managed to go to some of the classes so it's looking up :D But yeah all my motivation is gone, don't want to walk into a classroom filled with people looking at you stupidly like you sure you´re in the right class? and then having to introduce myself... awkward... And this time most of my lectures are early in the morning like 8.30 wayyyyyy to early for me - torture!!! Last semester was a bit better, 11 o'clock starts etc. So yeah I just want to sleep in my bed and wait til it gets warm and sunny and start going to the beach lol :P

My timetable for this semester then:

Monday:

9.00 - 11.00 Langue regionale - Corsican

11.00 - 13.00  French-English translation in tourism

18.00 - 20.00 Arabic - this was supposed to be at 14.00 like last semester but was changed last minute so I missed the first lecture due to my laziness... surprise

Tuesday:

should start with 8.30 with either products and markets or techniques d'accueil but I seriously can't be bothered going to them since the first keeps on changing it's slot on the timetable and is on some thursdays as well when I have other lectures... So I decided to knock these two on the head before even going to them but had to list them in my learning agreement to get 30ECT points...

every other Tuesday 13.30 - 15.00 Initiation au logiciel Amadeus - the computer program that is basically essential in the tourism industry :) so happy about this module

Wednesday:

8.30 - 12.30 Analyse des Territoires Touristiques every other week and this week actually started at 9 so not too bad, the lecturer is very nice :P Pointed out that if there's something I don't understand I should raise my hand and ask immediately but I don't do it so I feel a bit bad :P

14.00 - 16.00 French grammar for the french themselves, so dreading it. Starts in March.

16.00 - 18.00 French as a foreign language for the Erasmus students - there's barely anyone there this semster :(

Thursday:

9.00 - 11.00 Phonetics - every other week, don't know what to expect and the fact I didn't the introduction to it las semester isn't helping as well but I'll just tell them that I only came for this semester or something :D

11.00 - 13.00 Corsican with another departement ;)

Friday:

8.30-12.30 either Valorisation des Patrimoines Corses or Gestion Relation Client - haven't been to any of them yet -.-

luckily no afternoon lecture this time so early weekend kind of :)

Wish me luck

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

The Dam

Second year in a row I've spent New Years Eve away from home. Last time in London with Ruby ( I never got around to write about it though :( ) and this time Amsterdam with Mr. Special :) 

We got there on the 31st and were welcomed by the hotel administrators warning: Beware of the fireworks that people blow up randomly on the streets and she wasn't exaggerating: every now and again you could hear a big boom somewhere. The culmination obviusly came at midnight. Before that we went to have our last meal at an Italian ristorante close to our hotel, it had been recommended. Ummm... not so good though :D At first they wanted us to sit right next to the door that didn't close properly... well no, do you have any other tables? Upstairs they did, so we could sit next to the window which was better. Now my favourite food is pasta carbonara probably but if not made properly it can be awful so I'm always too afraid to order it and this time probably with good reason. My next usual meal is lasagne which is always alright, so I ordered that. Lets just say I wasn't fond of it this time :( To be fair it wasn't a proper Italian restaurant: the people running it weren't Italians - just some frauds :D

It was raining and initially we had planned to start going to the main official event around 9o'clock. In an unknown city you just can't expect how many people would turn up and how early. I think in London we were at our place waiting at least 2 hours, probably more but it wasn't raining... So I was hesitant to go there that early. The journey should''ve taken us about half an hour or so... I think we started walking then about quarter to eleven... Everyone was out on the streets and now you could hear loud bangs and booms more often obviously.What was confusing though was that people went in every direction, usually you can follow a mass of people to a big event but not in Amsterdam since mini firework shows are all around town made by normal people so when we asked someone who was helping people and traffic etc, where do we have to go he just looked at us stupidly like stay here if you want (we were on some square), doesn't matter. We were persistant though and made our way to the main spot where luckily for us weren't a huge mass of people so you couldn't move or see anything but a nice crowd :) We got a spot were we could see a panorama of fireworks: the official city's show on the water, behind and around us fireworks by normal people. And the latter didn't stop until about 3 o'clock in the night and it was constant wow.... I've never heard anything like that before so a good experience.

Getting back to our hotel was an adventure in itself and yes we are the boring people who don't go clubbing and drinking our arses off :D There was practically no room on the streets to walk and every now and then someone in front of us would stop suddenly: someone just lit another firework right on the street where hundreds of people are walking! We will die this evening :D and soon enough we heard a loud bang next to us and a minor explosion under a row of motorcycles... no fire though so I guess it wasn't too bad but the initial reaction was like omg!!!!omg!!!

The three days we were there weren't enough surprisingly. I felt that there was so much more to see and do. We obviously did all the main tourist attractions: Anne Frank's house - well worth a visit! But be sure to book a ticket online because the queue outside the door is enourmous, about 1,5 hours... The Heineken Experience from what I kinda expected more, don't even know what but more like a factory sort of thing but it is made for masses and therefore doesn't have that educational factor that much as a wine celler would have I guess. Although I'm glad I've been :) The Tulip museum - didn't know tulips had that much history!!! For example that they are actually imported from Asia and once were very and I mean VERY expensive. Of course multiple cheese stores/museums :P That was our lunch because in every shop you could try the cheeses: free food yay ;) üüüüüü and we visited a sex museum :D when in Amsterdam...

Didn't go to any coffee shops or tried special brownies, because neither me nor Mr. Special are particularly fussed about that notorius side of Amsterdam, we did buy chocolate though that had a tiny tiny portion (probs just flavour though) of cannabis. I didn't even try that :D For some reason whenever I'm with him I don't want to eat chocolates or sweets really :D Oh boy how he was nervous of bringing it back to the UK with him in hand luggage: he now calls himself a drug smuggler -.- Dude relax... It's just chocolate... But a new thing he tried - I don't experiment with food because I'm picky - was a bacon and banana pancake... he liked it... Weirdo.

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

Home sweet home

I'm so glad I got to go home this Christmas. Although Skype and letters exist it still is nice to see your family and hug them (especially my little babies (brothers) who grow up soooooo quickly!!!!). And Christmas is the perfect time for that since everyone comes together to have a nice meal and chat like a family reunion - without the weird distant relatives of course ;)

In Estonia our main day or eve rather is the 24th. Families gather, have a huge dinner: pork, potatoes, blood sausages with cranberry sauce, sauerkraut, pumpkin cubes and so on... :D aaaand then all the families with small kids wait for Santa Claus to drop by around 8 o'clock or something like that and exchange for gifts everyone has to either sing a song or recite a poem, by heart obviously. Soooo fun.

In my case: me, my sister and now her boyfriend, my mom and stepdad, little brothers, grandparents and aunts family with 2 little girls gather in our living room and nowadays the "elves" put gifts under the tree, because Santa is too busy (and would probably scare the hell out of the little ones), when no one is watching. Magic ;) Everyone recites a poem or song and let fun begin, mostly for kids obviously. It's just so nice to see the excitement and happiness in their faces when they've opened a gift and been completely bedazzled by it lol. For the grown-ups the evening is obviously more about spending time with each other and having a nice chatter. Then the next day or a couple later the same with my dads side of the family :)

And of course my lovely friends :) I do miss them so much and whenever we're together it just feels like school times again, it's so weird like we've gone back in time and then we discuss all these grown-up subjects :D Bizarre :D This time we went to St. Patricks pub which was surprisingly not expensive :D and the second time of course Kompressor: my ultimate favourite pancake place :P

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...