Erna Hamilton and Winston Churchill.

Via Leoparddrengen

Today is the "favorite quote" and mine are one by Erna Hamilton, a duchess with a very interesting life, a fantastic turn of phrase and course a fabulous sense of humour as well as one by the ever inspiring Winston Churchill.

I first came to know about Erna Hamilton when I watched the documentary "Grevinden på Tredje" ("The Duchess on the Third Floor") - it really was an intriguing way of life, one which is both decadent yet you can related to her. The quote is actually from the documentary and it is both funny as well as self ironic and insightful. It also reminds you to take everything with a glint in your eye. The quote is:

"Folk tror, jeg ligger på sofaen og spiser chokolade og ryger hele dagen, men det passer ikke. Jeg har aldrig røget" - Erna Hamilton

This translates into something like:

"People think I lie on the couch and eat chocolates and smoke all day long, but it is not true. I have never smoked"

My second quote is by Winston Churchill (who is one of the most quoteable men of all time, in my opinion):

"In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my own words, and I must confess I have always found it a wholesome diet" - Sir Winston Churchill

This is a "think before you speak" reminder to us all. Very wise, Sir Churchill!

These are just some of my favorite quotes, many more are included but I don't think I should go on and on and on. Please look up quotes by C.S. Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill, René Descartes and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Many gems will be waiting for you!

Thank you for reading,

- C.

The Unbearable Unpleasantness of Being (a Mostly-Perfectionist)

Via Tumblr (please contact me if you know who to credit)

Sometimes life just hits you in the face - it all goes to hell and if you, like me, are a perfectionist (of any sort) it can hit you extra hard. The thing is, most of us perfectionists do not expect everyone to fall into our idea of perfection, I could care less if my friend burnt her roast dinner - if it would happen at my own mistake though, I would never forgive myself. Even to this day I can still mentally kick myself for burning a piece of toast I was making for my mother's birthday ten years ago.

I presume it's not only something I do, in fact I suspect a lot of so-called perfectionists feel a lot like I feel - the incurable need to be better, not to prove others wrong or belittle them, but to confirm to yourself that you are indeed good at something. On one hand it can be a very destructive pattern but on the other hand it can lead to many great accomplishments. As with most things in life the middle road is the road best traveled (this does not include things like love, books, learning, pizza, ice cream, buffalo wings and other disgustingly good aspects of life - where it is of course only the overly-indulgent road that is the best traveled).
Sometimes you just have to complain a bit, so you can get the negative thoughts out and replace them with positive thoughts. Which is why today's topic is a very good one - what makes one uncomfortable?

As stated before, I am a perfectionist so of course this makes me prone to get very upset when my own plans do not go perfectly (macarons is a project I have tried around five times and every time I've gotten it wrong and thus I lose my mind - yes yes, the taste is good, but are they perfect? No and that is why they simply will not do). As with many projects that go horribly wrong, I just don't attempt them again, move on to things I can actually do perfect like omelettes and other easy things. I am getting better at not abandoning a project, but I just hate doing a half-assed job, it is incompetent and not worthy. Therefore the whole process has been "tainted" and I really have to get myself together to give it another go - every time I produce something less than perfect, I fail myself and no amounts of "okay" projects will make it up. I am a very simple woman - I am easily satisfied with the very best.

My other pet peeves include the way snakes slither, sticky hands (sticky anything), smelling too much of perfume, other people's hair on my furniture/brush/anything and many more things. None if this matters enough to bother me that much, though (except for the snakes, I get goosebumps just seeing a snake on tv - it's the way they move!).

Enough about me, what are your pet peeves or what things make you uncomfortable?

Thank you for reading, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

- C.


Edit: I thought I sat this post to appear on the 4th, but I didn't! So I will have posted it a day too late - shucks!

Should-Be Profession

Via Gamearics

Second day of the challenge and I almost forgot it - figures. My mind and my time is currently preoccupied with a longtime and dear friend - Tomb Raider. I remember it like it was yesterday - before the Sims, before the Internet there was Lara Croft. An ass-kicking, gun wielding, clever femme fatale whom I always wanted to become. Never mind the whole idea of an archaeologist actually being able to shoot people like a trained assassin - she was my idol (and also loved animals and swam with dolphins - how very realistic)! I think of her as a sort of action-barbie doll.

I was always good at playing games and I always enjoyed it - be it board games, games played with a keyboard or a joystick, I always had fun doing so - although here I am not counting any kind of sports, since I would then be a very, very poor "gamer".  Tomb Raider was one of the first games I ever played and like your first "real" book, it leaves an impression. Some of the Tomb Raider games have been almost catastrophic - a short mess of a game, most of the time.

The new Tomb Raider reboot, however, is a whole other story.
Even though I am not yet done with the game, it feels like a very, very good story. So far I have encountered a much more in-depth story and I can really sense that they have taken a leaf out of the "Uncharted"-book. It has worked wonders since the new Lara feels familiar and yet not at all the same. She still has the steely look in her eye and yet she is a bit softer, which is very appropriate considering that this is supposed to be her origin.
The supporting characters are very thought out, as well (though some of the crew's relationships were not really that hard to foresee) - her best friend "Sam" and one of the crew members "Jonah" are interesting characters- Lara's mentor "Roth" is a whole other story. Predictable development and not really THAT likable makes him one of the worst characters of the game, to be honest. In his case, it has all been seen before.

All in all the new game is one I would highly recommend to anybody who loves playing games, if not only for the very interactive, scenic and high-in-body-experience. Also for the sake of the mystery of the game, of course. As well as the incredibly gorgeously animated Lara.


Thank you for reading!

- C.

Making Up for Lost Time

Via hermes.com

So, it has really been quite a while, hasn't it?
I've been so busy living (ha ha) that I haven't really had much spare time to do much else. In between studying Chinese, reading books, working and seeing friends the need for blogging just hasn't even been an option. I have only had time for the 10 of the 50+ things I want to get done in a week - and then it begins all over the next week. It has been quite stressful, but also very rewarding.

Now I have a lot of spare time on my hands again and I really want to start blogging again. Just by writing this I am rekindling my fondness of writing (which has really become evermore apparent since I bought a working Remington Standard 1912 typewriter a couple of weeks ago) and the thought of has writing again been on my mind a lot lately. Then, as though the Internet could read my mind, a blog challenge popped up!
It is primarily a challenge to blog every day in May, but I thought I might extend it and also include writing for myself - maybe even by 'writing drunk and editing sober'. So, starting today I will hopefully rise to the challenge and come out with a renewed and improved love of writing.

To move on with the agenda, the first course of the "May class" is to tell your life's story in a paragraph or so. A deed not done easily, if one has lived a full life.

Thank you!

I just wanted to thank you if you're reading my blogposts and send you lots of love, since I know I've been quite inconsistent. I could blame it on the lack of time I currently have, since all my time is divided between studying and living, but that's not really fair. I do have time on the computer as well, it's just that nothing significantly noteworthy has happened. Besides starting university again and actually finding it abnormally hard to just keep along (Chinese). So I'm just focusing really hard and blogging is something I want to do, but I just never feel like I have that much to say. If you just want to see something, try checking my tumblr or my polyvore. I've been updating them quite a lot.
As always, I will try to find something interesting to say and, hopefully, it will be interesting to read as well.

Thank you again for reading, I hope you had a fantastic weekend!
- C.

Truffles

Last time (as well as the first) I visited London, I bought these amazing little truffle boxes. I rarely get to taste such small luxuries, so I was a bit skeptical at first. Not only is the price tag a bit steep, but I've never really loved chocolate and I never really fancied myself a chocolate girl. I'm much more of crème brulée, pana cotta or lemon-y girl (I have a serious addiction to lemons - I can't get enough of it!).

In spite of this, and because of the pretty packaging, I gave these a shot.

Also, this is happening tonight

I've just returned home from one-and-a-half month trip to NY. As always, I fell in love with the city and all of the impressions. I didn't do everything I wanted, but I sure did a lot of things I didn't set out to do, which ended in good times. All in all, I had a fantastic time and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity. But for now, I must admit that it is good to be home. One of the things I bought was a vinyl of Jack White's album "Blunderbuss" - so of course I had to listen to it the day I got home. I've heard it before (on repeat on spotify!), but it feels good owning things I really adore.  I can recommend it to everybody! Seriously, RUN out and get it, ladies and gentlemen - it is that good.

Thank you!
- C.

Kartofler, Potatoes, Potatis

One of the absolute best things of summer: potatoes.

I am not talking about the regular, large and grainy potatoes - you know, the ones where you overcook them and they taste like mushy dirt. Oh no, I'm talking about the freshly dug, small monstrosities that have an ugly exterior but is a superior potato in every way that is possible.

  

!!

I am BY FAR the world's most horrible blogger - ever!

I promise, though, that I will update very soon - I have a lot of stuff planned, as well a functional camera again (hooray!). Also, the days are getting brighter, longer and thus I can take a lot more pictures with natural light (my favourite) now. I swear, I will update soon!

Until then, thank you for your patience and thank you for reading!
Hope you had a wonderful day,
-C.

They see me strolling, they're hating.

I haven't been able to find my camera lately, so unfortunately I have not been able to upload pictures of my recent purchases. I suspected to go on a shopping spree when I was in New York, but instead I kept it simple and bought items that will (hopefully) be in my wardrobe for many years. Except, of course, the nailpolish spree I went on. This doesn't count - does it?