I've Been Replaced!

It's totally normal to repurpose your children's bedrooms once they leave the nest. When my sister moved out, we transformed her room into a sort of storage/crafts room. When I moved out, not only did I leave home, I left the country to go on this big adventure in Germany. So of course, my parents decided to repalce me.... with plants!

My room has a huge window and my mom had the brilliant idea of using my room as a greenhouse. She placed her "crops" on my shelf in front of the window, and from there, my dad joined in and now my room is overrun by plants of all sorts! The best part? It works. The plants are growing at record speed!

What did your parents do with your room when you moved out?

German Words We Should Be Using in English

When you learn a new language, you're bound to find some great words with no English equivalents. That, or some really great translations. German is especially great when it comes to inventing words or expressions. I thought I would share with you 10 German words we should be using in English!

via

Fremdschämen (exterior shame)
The shame you feel on someone else's behalf. Like secondhand embarrassement.

Muskelkater (muscle hangover)
The soreness you feel after exercise.

Warteschlange (wait snake)
A waiting line.

Feierabend (party or free evening)
This means being done with work.

Ohrwurm (ear worm)
You know when you have a song stuck in your head? This is the word.

Fernweh (far pain)
The opposite of "Heimweh" or homesickness. A longing for a place far away.

Kummerspeck (grief bacon)
When you're emotional and "eat your emotions".

Schnappsidee (schnapps idea)
A really dumb idea, just like the ones you have when you're drunk.

Backpfeifengesicht (slap face)
A face that deserves to be slapped or punched.

Treppenwitz (stairecase joke)
That clever joke or witty response you only think of after you leave.

Another great thing about learning German is that many of the words are simple! Add a "zeug" at the end, and you can get away with just about anyting. "Zeug" means thing and has eben used to describe many, many things. Flugzeug (airplane, or fly-thing), Spielzeug (toy, or play-thing), Feuerzeug (lighter, or fire-thing) and the list goes on.

World Pillow Fight Day

Apparently, there's such a thing as the World Pillow Fight Day. This year, it was on Saturday, April 2nd. Cities across the world organize a pillow fight in a public square and anyone can join in! So of course I had to go check it out! I got myself some €1.99 pillows at Woolworth, and off we went!

People gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, while police officers watched and reminded us to clean up after ourselves and to not abandon our pillows after the fight. At exactly 3pm, a dozen people starting counting down... 3! 2! 1! PILLOW FIGHT!

Photo Credit: Martin Waltz

And it begun. It went from what seemed like a few people standing around, to hundreds of people having a pillow fight. Pillows, feathers and photographers were everywhere! The tourists were completely confused by the sudden chaos while we were having the time of our lives, fighting strangers with pillows.

I only lasted about 15 or 20 minutes in the chaos before I had to stand to the side. I got a few elbows and fists in the face and head, so I was getting a little dizzys, and with the half marathon the next day, I didn't want to over do it.

The whole fight probably lasted less than an hour before people starting slowly leaving the crowd. I didn't see how messy it was, but from the amount of feathers in the air and on the ground during the first 10 minutes, I can't imagine what the cleanup must've been like! Clearly, it was efficient as I didn't see a single feather as I ran past the Brandenburg Gate during the half marathon!

If you ever get to experience the World Pillow Fight Day, GO! It's a hell of a good time!

Sarcastic Guide to Taking the Subway

For April Fools', I thought I share some helpful tips on how to ride the subway. It's a new thing for me as in Winnipeg, we only have busses, while in Berlin, you've got the U-bahn, the S-bahn, the Tram, the Metro-Tram, and the Bus, the Metro-Bus and the Night Bus. The possibilities are endless!

Here are a few tips to taking the subway:

1. Ignore the blaring siren signalling the doors closing. Don't worry, they won't close on you.

2. People love when you talk to them. Start up a conversation with the person sitting next to you! Germans love nothing more than a bit of chit chat about the weather on their morning commute.

3. If you don't feel like talking, make sure to play your music really loud without headphones for everyone to enjoy!

4. Don't worry about the people standing. Put your bag on the seat next to you so you don't have to hold it in your lap.

5. Please, for crying out loud, don't pay the fare! It's a whole €2,70! What a waste.

6. If you get caught without a ticket, just pretend you're a tourist. Or run as fast as possible.

7. Don't worry if you're late. The busses and trains will always wait for you.

8. You will encounter beggars and musicians asking for money. Always, always, always give them a little something.

9. If you're on the escalator don't worry about blocking the flow of traffic. It's an escalator; everyone will get there at the same time.

10. If you're on a bus, you should use the front door to get off. It's where you came in, might as well go out that way too!

Random Facts About Me

I've written a couple of these posts already, but I thought I would do another one. There are always more random facts you can learn about a person! Especially when someone moves to a different country, you tend to learn a lot more about yourself.

1. I am totally fascinated with lingustics and where words come from and how they evolve with time.

2. I hate the way my clothes feel all stiff when they air dry.

3. I have such a sensitive sleep pattern. If I take a 30 minute nap during the way, it makes it so much harder to fall asleep at night.

4. I love thunderstorms. I find it so amazing that nature is about to create this sound and blinding light out of thin air. It's so impressive! Plus the torrential rain makes me weirdly happy.

5. I really love souvenir shops. I love looking at all the ridiculous knick knacks people invent for the tourists, knowing that, as hideous as one thing might be, every single one will be bought at some point. I don't usually buy anything other than postcards, but I'm allowed to window shop, right?

6. I've never been a fan of groups. If I'm hanging out with friends, I don't usually like if there's more than three people.

7. Speaking of which, I can't figure out if I'm an introvert or extrovert. People give me energy and make me happy, but only one or two at a time....

8. I'm really bad at putting makeup on. No matter what happens, I either look like a raccoon, a girl with 90s sparkly way too colourful makeup or like a two year old did my makeup. I use a lot of q-tips and makeup remover to make it look anywhere near normal. Hence why I normally don't wear makeup.

9. I'm a cover and bed hog. I will take all the blankets away from you and most likely push you off the bed in my sleep. #sorrynotsorry

10. I make lists for literally everything. I've even made a list about lists I need to make.


What are some random facts about you?

Guilty Pleasures

Guilty pleasures... things we secretly enjoy but refuse to admit we do. You know exactly what I'm talking about! Mine aren't necessarily embarrassing (for the most part) but because of who I think I should be and the friends I have, they're considered embarrassing, hence being guilty pleasures.

Music: I really hate to admit it.... but Justin Bieber's new album is awesome. Taylor Swift's too. Yep, I said it.

Books: When it comes to books, I'm still a total teenager. I love reading paranormal romance (not Twilight, but in that same category), and the dystopian novels like Divergent and Hunger Games.

Movies: I'm a huge sucker for romantic comedies. The Princess Diaries, The Ugly Truth, 10 Things I Hate About You, Because I Said So... bring it!

TV Shows: I recently fell in love with Grey's Anatomy, a show I had always told myself I would never watch. Gossip Girl is high on the guilty pleasure list as well.

Food: I don't do it often (though that's already too often), but I love me a good McChicken burger. McDonald's is awful, but so good!

What else? Organizing is something I do too much of. If I get bored, I will literally take everything out of my drawers and closet and reorganize it. Though that pretty much means putting it right back where it was in the first place (while jamming out to the Biebs.)
I love buying cosmetics, toiletries and jewelry, but I rarely ever use all of it. I have tons of hair conditioners and solutions I've never used, necklaces I'll never wear, and makeup I've barely touched. Oops!

Yep.... there you have it. Some of my (not so)dirty little secrets. While it's not that embarassing, I know most people would shake their heads at reading this list.

What are some of YOUR guilty pleasures?

Bob the Alien

When I was working at the museum gift shop in Winnipeg, I came across this strangely cute stuff.... creature. On the tag, it read "Bob the Alien" and the name stuck. I fell head over heels with Bob and decided to buy it. I needed to find a way to turn this impulse buy into something useful. So I did what any rational adult does with a new stuffed animal... And brought him on my trip. I have seen so many pictures of garden gnomes, rubber duckies, or something sentimental that people can't stand to part ways with and bring with them. So I thought, as I'll be travelling alone, there won't be many opportunities for me to take pictures of myself that aren't selfies, so I might as well put Bob in the pictures.
It turns out, he's an awesome pillow (I really can't stand the airplane neck pillows), as well as a very efficient ice breaker. The fact that he can sit up right without any help makes him ideal for pictures. Plus who doesn't love his goofy smile?

Loch Ness, Scotland

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Stonehenge, England

I've been trying to take pictures with him as often as possible, though sometimes I do forget. It does give me a good excuse to walk around Berlin and re-see the tourist sights that once you live here, you avoid at all costs. It has been a great ice-breaker and perfect excuse to really go out and explore.

For more pictures, make sure to follow Bob on Instagram!

Click here to follow Bob on Instagram!

The Mystery of the Missing Czech

For the last month, I've been dealing with this insane issue of a certified cheque that bounced... A certified cheque is guaranteed funds and so it's impossible for it to bounce. I called the banks over and over, who kept blaming each other, no one knew what happened, why it "bounced" or where it was. After a month of calling almost every day and even threatening to go to the police, my bank finally decided to refund me the amount, even if there is no proof that the problem was on their end, as we both believe it is the other bank who caused the problem.
Anyway, it's been a stressful adventure, and I've written a open for the occasion.

The Mystery of the Missing Czech

There once was a Czech,

A brave young man.

He soon became a soldier.

He wanted to serve his country,

He wanted to defend his land.

He grew impatient.

Tired of washing dishes,

Czech wanted to be a leader.

One day, he received an audience.

With the General, he spoke.

"I would like to be a leader,

I want to be a sergeant, sir."

He said, and the General laughed.

"A cocky young lad, you are!

First, a corporal you must be."

Czech, more impatient than ever,

Worked harder than the toughest,

Bravest and biggest sergeant.

He moved up quick,

Becoming the leader he knew he could be.

He was not satisfied.

Again, Czech spoke with the General.

"I need my certification,"

He proclaimed. The General nodded.

"So be it. Come see me at dawn."

Czech passed with flying colours.

He was now certified for war.

He packe his bags,

All his earthly possessions.

He left his country to defend it.

But Czech never returned.

No one knew what happened.

He made it to the battle front,

He came came to the base camp.

After that, he disappeared.

Stricken with grief,

The General searched far and wide,

On the battlefield, in the camp,

He searched the towns,

But Czech could not be found.

The enemy had not seen him,

The basecamp did not remember

No one seemed to know.

Czech disappeared into thin air,

Like a bird, he flew away.

That was the only explanation.

The General never saw him again,

His proud protégé, like a son he was.

"Come back to me," he cried.

But never again, was Czech seen.

The General, on the other hand,

Never ceased to search

For his missing Czech.

Retiring the Work Shoes

I just finished my last day of work today... I LEAVE IN 6 DAYS!

I've been working at the museum for 16 months and I worked at Beachcomber for over 6 months. It's been a crazy adventure, and my shoes are definitely the proof of that.

After clocking out today, it finally hit me. I'm leaving! I'm about to throw these shoes in the garbage and move on.... I know they're just shoes, but shoes have a way of marking certain milestones in our lives. They go and see everything you do, travel with you...

Maybe I'm just getting sentimental. Either way, good riddance!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Oh, my God. Star Wars! (no spoilers, I promise!)

I went to see the movie yesterday and I had a ridiculous smile on my face the entire time. It may not be as amazing as the original trilogy (nothing ever will be), but J.J. Abrams did a fantastic job on The Force Awakens. The movie parallels A New Hope and many objects and lines make appearances and cameos throughout the movie, which are subtle enough that people who have never seen Star Wars won't notice, or won't need to watch the original movies to understand the plot of this one, and the fans of the movies will pick up on.

The movie has a brand new storyline, but uses the perfect amount of technology and humour so you don't feel like the movie makers are showing off the new technology (aka the sleek mirror-ships in Episodes 1-3) and adding ridiculous characters like Jar Jar Binks.

Your heart skips a beat when you see Han Solo, Chewbacca and company appear on screen for the first time, bringing back all these characters and memories to surface. When I heard they were going to bring them back into this movie, at first I was like "yeah right, this is going to be like The Hobbit and it's going to be stupid," but they did a pretty great job at tying it all together, like J.J. Abrams did with Star Trek.

Final verdict? GO SEE STAR WARS!

Christmas Gift Guide for the Nerdy

Christmas is just around the corner and I know a lot of you will wait until the 23rd or 24th to do all your Christmas shopping, so here are a few tips for those who still have that nerdy friend they have no idea what to buy:

First of all, the ultimate place to find any kind of gift for the nerdy friend is ThinkGeek. You can find anything and everything! Like this adorable little R2D2 measuring cup set!

ThinkGeek

Then there's the jewelry... I found these two wonderful Harry Potter-inspired necklaces that could make a nice little gift for almost anyone! I mean, come on, who doesn't love Harry Potter?!

Etsy

Premium Boutique

Of course, Lotus Leggings have a few really cool pairs like these:

Lotus Leggings

Lotus Leggings

Of course I could mention all the super awesome new video games that just came out, like Fallout 4, but what about the good old fashioned board games?

ThinkGeek

Amazon

There you go! Here are just a few little ideas to get you started. Happy shopping!

Weird Child.

I was a weird child. Still am! I mean, most kids are pretty weird... but I definitely had some hilarious moments that we still laugh about at the dinner table and I'm sure will end up in a slideshow at my wedding. Here's a few strange things I have done or did as a child.

I was so proud that I had learned how to read, that I would read to my stuffed animals.... in my bathing suit.

One day, I was at Tim Horton's with my dad and I had just started to learn English. I was reading the menu and said a little too loud, "Beaver eggs?! That's disgusting!!" A few people looked around curiously. My dad looked up at the menu "Em, it says 'beverages'."

During one of our road trips to the Rocky Mountain, my sister and I were really disappointed that we were climbing mountains, as we thought that that's what "hiking" meant. So, we strapped on some of our own makeshift gear and started to climb.

Once or twice, we went to the beach and I would run into the water, play around for a while then come out and take my bathing suit off (Keep in mind, I was little back then) and then run back in the water. Finally, my dad asked why I took my bathing suit off, and I simply said "well, it's wet."

My parents always found the most random things for us to play with and when we went camping, one of those happened to be the Tupperware bins they used to do the dishes.

 I used to love eating snow. By the handful! One day, my dad asked me what snow tastes like and I said "my hand." So he asked me what my hand tasted like, and I said "skin."

There are so many more stories, so many weird things I used to do or say, but these are just a few of my favourites.


Do you have any stories of weird things you did as a child?

10 Random Facts About Me

I haven't done one of these in a really long time and I love lists, so I thought I would share some more random facts about me!

1. I get morbidly proud when I get purple toenails after a big race. It's a very common running "injury" and it's like a battle wound.
2. I have a box full of all the papers/notes/projects/handouts I have ever gotten or written that I refuse to throw out just in case I might ever need them again, even though... I'm 99% sure I won't.
3. I hate wearing heels. As much as I love how pretty they look, they destroy my feet! I have never gotten used to that. Plus I really suck at walking in heels...
4. I have a horrible Netlfix addiction. I have to follow through ever single TV show I start, even if I don't really like it. I torture myself through all these TV shows I don't even like anymore just because I have to finish it!
5. I have a little white oval chicken pox scar under my left boob.
6. I don't like wearing hats. It has nothing to do with messing up my hair, but they just disagree with me. Bandanas and headbands always fall off, toques are always too big or too small and fall off. I've given up!
7. Just like with hats, I'm not a jewelry person. It's not because they don't fit, but because I have never learned how to coordinate it. It's also because I work in environments where I can't wear jewelry, so wearing it on my way to work simply to take it off at work seems a little silly. So I just end up collecting necklace after necklace without ever wearing them.
8. If I wake up before 7am, I become a total morning person. After that? Don't even try to talk to me! I don't know what it is, if it's my body overcompensating, but it works! If only I wanted to wake up that early....
9. Of all things I could be self-conscious about, I don't like my forehead. I have deep frown lines and my hair always cowlicks in a way to expose it even more than I would like. I usually chop my forehead in half in most of my selfies.
10. I rarely ever wear green. It's my favourite colour, but I'm too picky on what shade I like when it comes to clothes, so I usually end up with blues, reds and blacks.

There you have it! Another list, ten more facts!

200th post!

I can't believe I have posted 200 posts already! I started this blog in 2013 and in 2 years, a lot has happened. I have learned so much from blogging, I have grown as a write and all these memories, these silly little things I wrote about are things I can look back on and remember. I'm so glad I started this blog, and I can't wait to keep on writing! I have so many exciting things happening in my life right now that I want to share, and so many things coming up that I will definitely keep blogging for a while still. Now here are some of my favourite posts!

University

Graduation

Fishing Poem

Ode to a Sugar Cube

Study Time

90 to 50

Travel

Deutschland

Wanderlust

Thailand Part 1: Bangkok

Thailand Part 2: Koh Phangan

Thailand Part 3: Koh Phi Phi

Thailand Part 4: Chiang Mai

Thailand Part 5: Khao Sok
Deutschland Part 1: Munich
Deutschland Part 2: Berlin and Leipzig

Running

WFPS Half-Marathon

Manitoba Marathon

WPS Half-Marathon 2015

Berlin Half-Marathon

WPS Half-Marathon 2014

Filmmaking

Half-Marathon Time Lapse

Night Run Time Lapse

PARTY!

Gerald Laroche documentary

Donuts!

The Silly Little Things

Horrible Bosses

Tinder Conversations

Wait, this is Harry Potter!

A Splash of Colour

Photography

Horrible Bosses

We've all had some pretty terrible bosses in our lifetimes... We've also all had some really great ones, but the best/funniest stories are the ones about the horrible bosses. So, today I thought I would share some examples of the few bosses or managers I've had over the years.

No Sick Days
I was working in a kitchen while I was very sick and was running back and forth to the bathroom to throw up the entire shift, so finally, I told my manager I couldn't come to work. His response? "Unless you're dying or in the hospital, you're coming to work." Needless to say, I didn't come to work. The next day, he refused to even look at me. At one point, I was standing next to him and he asked my coworker to "tell Emilie to go clean tables," even though I was standing closer to him than she was.


3 Cents
When I worked in retail, my boss was constantly looking over my shoulder and reviewing everything everyone did. The technology there was ancient. They used floppy disks to backup their daily sales and had to enter the price tags and barcode numbers by hand. So one day, I overcharged a customer 3 cents, and boy, did I hear about it. "This is coming out of your paycheque!" "What if we get complaints about stealing from our customers because of you!"



I Drink Too Much Water
At that same retail job, on slow days, I would stand around and talk with my coworker, as everyone else did at work. I don't know, maybe my boss just hated me in particular... but one day, she took me aside and told me that there had been complaints that I looked lost, like I didn't know what I was doing and that I go back to the till to drink water way too much....


A Question of Sanitation
One of my bosses never seemed to understand how to behave in a kitchen. For a restaurant owner who is so proud of his business, you would think that cleanliness would be a priority... But he would walk into the kitchen in sandals, stuff food in his mouth right off of the plates that were ready to go, then without washing his hands, he would touch more food... Oh and did I mention that he had this nasty, wet cough, and never covered his mouth?


So here are four stories of some not-so-great bosses I've had over the years.... There are so many more stories I could tell, but I think four is a good start.

Have you ever had a horrible boss? What kind of stories do you have?

10 Random Facts About Me

A year ago, I wrote a post about 10 random facts about me and I thought I would do it again! It's been  almost exactly a year since I wrote this, so it's definitely time for a new one!

1. My favourite animal is an elephant. The babies are adorable, they are so smart, and after being around them in Thailand, you can just feel how personality they all have.

2. I've written 3 novels. Technically two; one is a complete re-write of another, that I re-wrote from scratch with a lot of plot changes, and the other is a sort of memoir. None of these have ever been published nor will they ever be.

3. I'm a totally lightweight with beer, but vodka? Bring it. Three beers makes me tipsy... so does half a bottle of vodka.

4. "In a Galaxy Close to You." is the (English translation) name of my all-time favourite TV show. It's a show made in Quebec about a mission in space in 2038, to find a new planet to replace Earth and it's absolutely hilarious.

5. My favourite quote is and has always been "You don't have a soul. You are a soul, you have a body." -C.S. Lewis.

6. If I had to choose ONE religion.... it would be Buddhism. Ever since Thailand, I've been thinking a lot about it and if I had to pick one religion, this would be it.

7. Proud Geek. I love Star Wars and I'm proud of being a huge fan and wanting all the merchandise I can find (if only money wasn't an option...)

8. I bake, not cook. I do like cooking, but I much prefer baking. Cookies, cake, cupcakes, bring it on!

9. My iPod is a jumble of music. I have so much music on there, with lots of variety, from heavy metal to Taylor Swift to T-Pain to The Police. And I love all of it.

10. I have been on almost every continent. I only need to go to South America and Oceania and I'll have been on every continent!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!
This year, like almost every year, I made my own costume. Last year I found a DIY tutorial to make a bath loofah costume, and I decided to try it this year!

It's super simple! Here's a video on how to make it, as a link to another blog.

http://www.busythoughts.com/diy-loofah-halloween-costume

So far, I love this costume. It's simple, surprisingly warm and it makes me feel ridiculously girly!

What are you dressing up as this year? Do you usually make or buy your own costume?

Tinder conversations

This is probably the overstatement of the year.... (photo credit)

So... I have Tinder. Not because I'm looking for a random hook up, but just because I'm bored. Honestly, to me it's just a game. I like talking to people and that seemed like an easy way to do it.

I can definitely say I have met some straaaaange people on this app. I've also had some pretty funny conversations. So I thought I would share some of these conversations!

Him: Do you come with the elephant?
Me: Lol I wish!
Him: Where do you get one, and why did you not keep it?
Me: In Thailand, and because they're too big to bring back in my suitcase.
Him: I would have it fl-- elephants can fly, right?
Me: I think so yeah. This one was really shy though. Something about having little wings....
Him: Dang, that sucks so much. Had an elephant and it wouldn't fly you home...

***

Him: Show me your elbows!

***

Him: I'll give you a rundown of my big move: I invite you for drinks at whatever local dump appeals to both of us*, you agree enthusiastically. We meet up, I charm you with my wit, you charm me with your exposed cleavage, I suggest we leave the bar. We head to a park (how convenient and romantic.) and proceed to get just drunk enough that if we were too hook up, there,d be no inhibition. We then head to my place, because I cleverly manipulated you into choosing a bar close to my house (note the * in the third line) and I introduce you to my cat. You're impressed that I still live at home. I'm impressed that your clothes are still on, you must be special, not like those other whores. We then proceed to my basement couch where we make vague thrusting motions on each other till I finish, (you probably won't have the chance) then I call you a cab. (It'll be easy to get one since it's four in the morning). At this point we say goodbye, only for you to wake up the next morning slightly disappointed with yourself!

***

Him: What are you studying?
Me: German and Film
Him: Oh I don't like that.


Even though *most* guys on there are just plain weird, there have definitely been some exceptions. I actually met two guys from there and they are definitely not weirdos (at least not the bad kind, because let's face it, we are all weirdos.)

There's Beauty in Everything

Sometimes, you can look at the same thing every day and not see the beauty in it.

A couple of weeks ago, I went for a walk with a friend of mine with the sole purpose to take pictures of buildings. He's in an architecture class and this was his assignment. Downtown Winnipeg has some really cool buildings and façades so I went along with him and we took some pretty interesting pictures.
I used a Canon Powershot, which is a simple point-and-shoot type camera. You don't need a fancy DSLR to take some great pictures!

Blogmopolitan Quiz 2 and Vegetarianism.

Can you believe tomorrow is March 1st already?!

The lovely Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel made another Blogmopolitan Quiz and I really liked doing the first one, so here it goes!

Also, since it's the last day of February, I should update you all on my 30 Day Challenge: Going vegetarian!

For the most part, it went really well. At first, I was all grumpy because I couldn't eat anything and of course, my parents always forgot that I couldn't eat meat.. And towards the end, this week, I haven't been good at all. One, it's extremely cold outside and with my training, I really really need the protein and energy, which I haven't been getting. So that's that!