MY NEW JOB

I guess I should tell you more about my new job. I'm working for company called Penmex which focuses on direct marketing. It's very intense work with very long hours but progression within the company is very fast. 

I won't bore you with the specifics but basically it's a developing 6 months program where you start at the entry level, then progress to a team leader. Then you get promoted to assistant manager and the last stage is management where you open your own office wherever you want. 

Very demanding program, I do more or less 12 hours per day but I absolutely love it! I couldn't be happier. We start our day in so called motivation room where we practice our pitch, learn things and just get into the right mood for the day. Which means we listen to music very loudly and just have fun. There's so much optimism, enthusiasm in the office! 

But anyway. The past week I've been on a business trip in Galashiels (Scottish Boarders) with my mentor Kayleigh and three colleagues Zane, Ajmal and Lauren. We've been working on two events. The weather was amazing. I got sunburnt! 

We stayed in a little cottage in Jedburgh with spectacular views. I do like Scottish Boarders. It reminds me of Slovenia with all the hills and rivers. 

On Monday evening Ajmal had some trouble with his joggers. The elastic came out. I told him I can fix it but he didn't believe. In the end we agreed that if I fix it, he will let me drive his BMW. Of course I fixed it. I've done this before so many times. So Tuesday morning started amazing for me. I drove his BMW 1 series to our work place. I've never driven a BMW before, so I was very happy. And you know me ... I'm the most happy person on the planet when I get to drive a car I haven't driven yet. Of course I had to get photographs of me driving the BMW for the blog :)

Me in BMW 1 series

On Tuesday we met a guy who drove a Range Rover. We tried to do sales with him but he said no. We tried again next day and he still said no. But it was all fun. He wasn't annoyed or anything. The next day, on Thursday, Ajmal and I worked together and this guy passed us by. We chatted a little bit about something random and then I just asked if I can drive his Range Rover. Never in my life would I have thought that he would say yes. But he did!!!! Asking really doesn't hurt at all. Remember this. All you can get back is a no. And in my line of work I get many no's every day. Both Ajmal and I love range rovers. So, of course, Ajmal asked him as well. Ajmal drove it before me. He didn't even give me the chance to haha. But I was in heals anyway, so I had to change into flats. I don't really like driving in heals. We both did a circle around Galashiels in guy's car. Funny thing is we didn't even introduce ourselves. But of course we did while in the car. His name was Conrad, ex-military. The car is huge! I fell in love with it even more though. If that's possible. It's very easy to drive. It practically drives on its own. Of course I asked Conrad to take a photograph of me. 

It suits me, does it not? :)

Later that day we decided to go to Indian restaurant. Lauren was sick whole week, so she went back to Edinburgh that evening. She worried she wouldn't catch the bus, so Ajmal took her to Galashiels, while Kayleigh, Zane and I stayed at the house for few more minutes then headed to Galashiels as well. Zane had a glass of wine for dinner, which meant she couldn't drive. And I think you know where this is leading. She asked me to drive her Lexus. I really had one of my best days ever that Thursday! The Lexus was so much fun to drive. Twin turbo engine. So you can imagine that it's a very fun car to drive. I do love saloon cars :)

Me in Lexus

I had so much fun on the business trip. Ajmal and I were singing a lot while on the event. He was singing Ain't no sunshine by Bill Withers and I was singing Let it snow by Dean Martin. This is one of my favourite Christmas songs. And yes I know it's not Christmas, but who cares. It's a nice song :) When we came home from the event, two Chihuahua dogs were waiting for us. Zane brought them with her, because her partner went away so they would've been alone in the flat. They are so adorable dogs! Very hyper.

Left one is Princes Priscilla and the right one Scooby

I'll end with a very important news. My mum and sister are coming in two weeks!! Can't wait!

QUICK UPDATE

I know it has passed a lot of time since my last post. But to be honest, my last 2 weeks have been crazy. And when I say crazy I mean CRAZY. 

Firstly, I had the most amazing birthday ever. And I got so many nice presents! I got a DVD movie, photographs from Dublin from Anna and Jana, two nail polishes and homemade cake. As my birthday is always during Lent days and that means I don't eat any candy, chocolate or sweets, the cake was made out of oats, nuts, natural yogurt, banana and pineapple. Never had that before and it was very delicious! From Claire and Ellen I got a very nice handbag (totally my style) and a matching scarf. Family Coyne gave me a very nice perfume. Which was a great gift, because I was thinking of getting a new perfume anyway. And I love the smell!

The weekend after my birthday I went to Slovenia. From Friday to Monday. And it was awesome! So nice to see my family and friends again. And to sing the beautiful songs that are sung during Lent days! I enjoyed so much. Really missed that. As this is a quick update, I won't be going into too many details. However, Špela and Iztok got me a very beautiful watch with a matching bracelet. So happy about it! Sister got me new joggers (I really needed one and I asked from her to get me that as my birthday gift). Mum paid for half of the plane tickets :) Another awesome present. And Teja got my Jeremy Clarkson book (she knows me well) hehe. 

And now to go to the most important news. Some of you know already and some of you do not. I've decided to stay in Scotland for a little bit longer, which meant I had to start searching for jobs. I started applying for jobs in middle of March, had an interview the day before my departure to Slovenia, got into second stage of the interview the day after my arrival back to Scotland. And to finally get to the point ... I got the job!! :) I'm working for Penmex in direct marketing and I had to start immediately. Which meant I had to stop working as an au pair. And that also meant I had to find a flat/room for myself as soon as possible.

The family was really happy for me, excited that I got the job that quickly and were OK with me leaving so early. So I'm very happy about that. They were amazing. I'm really glad I chose them or that they chose me :) Had awesome 8 months working there.

But anyway I moved to Edinburgh one week ago. I now live with a Polish girl and soon a French girl will move in. And Polish girl - Aga is her name - has two cats. I'm surrounded with pets again! YAY 

I'll tell more about my job in the next post. But let me just say that I'm very happy with where I work. Even though I'm doing crazy hours. 

MY TOP FIVE OF THINGS THAT COME TO MY MIND: Part 2

I'll just go straight to my next top five.

Top 5 cars:

• Range Rover Sport: I guess everyone by now knows I love Range Rovers. Or how I call them - Rangies. I set my eyes on this car for the first time 10 years ago. The new, more modern look of the car came out in 2003 but you couldn't see many Rangies in Slovenia for couple years. Plus I was 13 years old at that time. So I bit too young to care about cars. I "blame" my love for cars on my first boyfriend who was a huge patrol head. And he put his enthusiasm on cars on me. But anyhow. Over the years many people mocked me how I can love this car. It's boxy, it's very expensive, it practically eats patrol (fuel consumption is very high). But that didn't matter to me. It looks amazing, it's big and I like boxy look in a car. It's also a proper SUV car. Mark my words when I say this. One day I'll own one! :)
• BMW 7 series: Yes, I like expensive, luxury cars. I don't know why, but I just do. I love how the back looks, how the front radiator looks. I like that it's very long and just looks very powerful. It looks magnificent!
• Jaguar XF: I really like sports saloon cars. I always liked saloon cars and not small cars, or people carrier cars or hatchbacks. Saloon cars are for me. And Jaguar XF just looks so hot. Especially in red.
• BMW 6 series Gran Coupe: I haven't seen this car on the streets yet, but I saw it for the first time on Top Gear. And it looks amazing. I never was a huge fan of BMW 6 series. It's a bit too sporty for my taste and I don't like only 3 door version. This one, however, is a 5 door version. I liked it immediately after seeing it. 
• Audi A5 Sportback: Another sports saloon car. This car is the cheapest one out of my top five. But even so it still costs over £23,000. So not a cheap car at all. 

Top 5 TV shows:

• Top Gear: Without a doubt the best TV show. Every time I watch it, I laugh so hard. Top Gear is definitely the best entertaining show ever made. I like Friends a lot, or Modern Family. But they will never make me laugh so hard that my belly will hurt. And they always lift my spirits up. I've seen all the episodes more than dozen times and they still can make me laugh. They are that good. And you don't even have to be a car enthusiast. Okay, it's about cars, but what makes it so funny are the presenters. They are hilarious. 
• Suits: A really good legal drama with men in suits. Couldn't ask for more. Plus the main character Harvey Specter is drop dead gorgeous :)
• House of cards: I started watching this show few weeks ago and it hooked me immediately. You have to love Kevin Spacey. He's amazing. And his wife in the show. Robin Wright. Both are really good actors. I will always remember Spacey from one of the most scariest movies for me - Se7en. He's amazing at playing villains it seems. Same as like Javier Bardem. No matter what they play, they are the best at playing the bad guys. I would recommend everyone to watch this show. Even if you don't like American politics much.
• Once upon a time: Most of the characters in the show are pretty good. Especially Captain Hook and Rumpelstiltskin. I just really like the concept of this show. All possible fairy tales incorporated in one show. 
• Downton Abbey:  I love British aristocratic culture in the beginning of 20th century. If I could go back in time, I would definitely go in that time. Or the same time, but in America, during Prohibition era/mafia time. 

Top 5 video games:

• GTA 4: GTA video games are my favourite ones. I never played many games, but everytime new GTA game comes out I'll definitely play it. The recent one, 5, is a very good game. Lots of things to do, nice story, nice missions etc. But I like the 4th one the most. The story was really good and the ending of the story changed depending on your choice. The same as in GTA 5. I can't wait for the new GTA game to come out!
• Mafia 1: Awesome story, awesome cars, awesome music. Because of this game I fell in love with Django Reinhardt's music. 
• Sims 2: I like how I could be creative at designing interior of the house and also house itself. I spent many hours deciding what sofa I want in my artificial living room. Was fun playing this game.
• Jazz Jackrabbit 2: I don't know how many of you remember this video game. It's quite old. It was released in 1998. And it is 2D. So yes, quite old. Sister and I argued a lot about who will play this game and who will have to wait. Nice memories! :)
• Hugo: Another video game from my childhood time. And this game was even on telly! You could call on the program and play it. Don't remember the specifics. Sometimes I wish I could still play this game.

Top 5 meals/food:

• Dunajski zrezek or Wiener Schnitzel: My favourite meal for years now. I always add lemon juice on and it's just yummy. I prepared this to Sarah and Daniel few times and they both loved it. Sarah often asks me when I will make this again :)
• Liver in cream sauce: I don't eat this very often, but when I do, it feels like my mouth is in heaven. My mum will cook this for lunch this weekend when I'm in Slovenia. Can't wait!
• Mashed potatoes: My favourite way to prepare potatoes. Last week I cooked it for lunch without anything else. Just potatoes :)
• Sweet cabbage: Cabbage is one of my favourite vegetables. I like it in any way. But this one is my favourite. Again I don't eat it often, my family (in SLO) doesn't like it that much. But maybe that's why I like it so much. Because I don't eat it often.
• Turkey balls with mozzarella: Mum will cook it this weekend as well! 

Top 5 future destinations:

• Istanbul: I want to go to this city for years now. As far as I can see from the pictures, it looks amazing. The hills, the sea, the mosques etc. Sister and I have agreed that we will go there together, hopefully sooner than later.
• Japan: Ever since I saw The last samurai film, I have wanted to go there. I really like Japanese culture, their buildings, Buda temples. Not to mention all the mountains and volcanos that they have. But going to Japan will cost me a lot. So it's going to be a while before I can travel there.
• Vietnam: Beautiful country, lots of things to see, the expenses aren't really high. As far as I could see on various shows, people are very nice. So I'm definitely going there soon.
• Seattle: I am not one of those people who want to go to USA. I'm just not that interested in this huge country. However, I do want to see Seattle. I am actually thinking of doing a road trip sometime in the future. Start in Chicago, then go to Toronto and through central Canada (I would like to see Canada), then end my trip in Seattle. I like cities that are near the sea and hills/mountains. I like that you have to use a ferry to go around Seattle. That will be fun to use.
• New Zealand: A country that is supposed to be similar to Slovenia. I could see lots of scenery in LOTR films and it looks spectacular. But again, going there will be very expensive. So hopefully I'll be able to go to New Zealand sometime in the future.

Now if I go on more personal things.

Top 5 things I cannot go/be without:

• Water bottle: I drink a lot of water. Like a lot. On average I drink around 3 litres per day. So every time I go out, I have to have water bottle in my handbag. It's a must!
• Earphones: I'm more or less addicted to earphones. They are my life saver in a way. I use them when I'm on the bus, when I go for my long walks, when flying somewhere. Can't imagine living without music and therefore earphones. 
• Book: As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently became a book worm. So every time I go to Edinburgh, I also take a book with me. I hardly ever read while on the move. But I sometimes have to wait for my friends or my bus back home, so the book is a nice distraction. 
• Mobile phone: Another thing I got pretty much addicted. And why? Because of music. I am fine without it, I don't have to constantly talk to friends on whatsapp or other messenger, I don't play many games on my phone. But I need it to listen to my music. I don't have an ipod. So yeah, I need my phone.
• High heel shoes: I am a sucker for high heels. Funny thing is, I don't even wear them that often. But I have to have them. If I had the money, I would have a lot more pairs than I do now.

Top 5 things I do when stressed:

• Driving: Driving relaxes me. I love to drive so much and I'm really happy that I get to drive while I'm here. I don't go driving often when I'm stressed though. Actually it depends on how stressed out I am. If a lot, then I'll go. If stressed but not a lot, I'll do other things. 
• Listening to movie soundtracks and/or classical music: Another thing that relaxes me. Most of movie soundtracks and classical music that I listen to are very peaceful and calm. So a really nice getaway.
• Reading: Yes, reading books relaxes me as well. It helps me escape the problems that I have in the real world. Books have a wonderful way of taking the reader into imaginary world.
• Complain to sister and/or friends: I guess everyone does that. I talk about the anger or anxiety or whatever feelings I have at that time to them. But problem is, it doesn't really relax me. OK, it's good that I let everything that troubles me out, and sister/friends can help me see things differently or try to help me. But I still have to relax myself. 
• Try to shut down from everyone: The best is to go into my room and do all the above things. 

Top 5 desires:

• Find a nice job and start a successful career: I graduated from media and communication studies last September. Now I need to do something with this degree. I'm leaving Scottish family in the end of June. Hopefully my future job will make me happy and that I'll surrounded with nice people at work. 
• Find a nice boyfriend and create a family: I think most of the girls want that. So I'll leave it at that.
• Drive Rangie: Yes, I really want to drive one. Like really want to. And I don't know anyone who owns it. So didn't have a chance yet. But hopefully some time in near future I will.
• Go on Hans Zimmer concert: Not much to say here. He does have concerts from time to time, so hopefully I'll be able to go. At least while I'm in UK. 
• Be happy with whatever I decide for my future: I am on a crossroad. I have made some tough decisions and I will have even more tough decisions soon. So however I decide, I just hope I'll be happy with the decision. Even if that means I might hurt someone. But I got to live my life, right?

Top 3 things/decisions I don't regret doing:

• Moving to Scotland: I was very scared when I decided to do au pair after my graduation. It was a bold move. Probably not something that would be common to me. I often play(ed) on the safe side. But two years ago, when I was repeating my 3rd year in university and when I struggled getting a student's job, I knew I will struggle even more with finding a job once I graduate. So I took matters in my hands and decided to do something with my life. I would be miserable at home. I wasn't particularly happy that year. While here I got to know myself better, I'm earning money, I met few wonderful friends, saw lots of new places etc. Moving to Scotland is definitely one of my best decisions I ever made.
• Learning how to play on piano: Thanks mum for that. Thanks for making me do it. I enjoyed learning piano for 5 years and struggled the last. And even though I don't play piano that often right now, I know I will play soon again. Learning how to play on piano has introduced me to classical music, which I adore. I know how to read musical notes, which makes learning new songs much easier. Plus I can see how good it is for the brain to play the piano. My granddad is going to be 88 years old next month and because he plays on piano every single day, his mental health is amazing for his age. I really should sit behind piano soon.
• Go on Mens Sonora audition: I never was really confident at singing solo. Always very nervous of what will other people think. But I always liked professional choirs. Probably because of my high school. I was very nervous when I attended the audition. But I got through and was accepted to the choir and I had so much fun in two years. I learned how to properly sing and let me tell you ... the conductor was very hard on me. I had to sing solo so many times. And thank God she was so tough with me. Even though I'm not in a professional choir at the moment, I'm 100% sure I'll join one very soon.

I'm struggling with finding another 2 things, so I'll end with 3. I hope you had fun reading this post. Next one will have the usual topic. A quick update of what I did in March. 

MY TOP FIVE OF THINGS THAT COME TO MY MIND: Part 1

Last Saturday night I couldn't fall asleep. I was out with friends whole day and when I came home I was very tired. But I just couldn't fall asleep. I was tossing and turning for around an hour and then just gave up. I was awake until 4 am. To occupy myself I took my book in hands and read, but my mind also wandered to my next topic in my blog. And I've decided to share a bit of me with you. 

So what I'll write about in this post is my top five of everything that comes to my mind. And I'll also try to explain why certain thing is on my top five list. Some listings are going to be the usual, common ones, for example my top films, songs, food etc. Other's will be slightly more personal. But more about these in next part, otherwise this is going to be a very long post.

I also have to say that most of things on any top five listing are in no particular order. So just because it's written first, it does not mean it's my no. 1. Unless, of course, I say otherwise. But mostly it's too hard to choose no. 1. 

So let's get started! 

Top 5 films:

• The Dark Knight: I cannot stress enough by telling you how much I love this film. For this film I can actually say it's my no. 1. I absolutely adore Joker. He's the perfect villain. Plain crazy without any good reason. He gave us two different reasons in the film about how he became like that, so audience cannot know which one is true. If any! He doesn't have any ulterior motive. Doesn't want money. Just likes creating chaos. Another reason why I love this movie is because of the soundtrack. Movie soundtracks are very important to me and they can basically make or break a film in my opinion. And Hans Zimmer is definitely the best!
• Inception: Yes, another Nolan film. I do like his films. Inception has a very difficult storyline. It throws the audience into action straight away. And for first 10 min or so you don't have a clue what's happening. I like the cast a lot. I've became Leonardo DiCaprio fan in the past few years. I tend to like his films. Then of course Ken Watanabe with whom I fell in love with in The last samurai. And spectacular French actress Marion Cottilard. I love her part in the film. I like that she's dangerous in a way. Of course Hans Zimmer did music for this film. So I love soundtrack again. 
• Despicable me: My favourite animated movie. The story is adorable, it makes you laugh many times, the minions are like the penguins from The Madagascar. Or like the squirrel from Ice Age. And the little girl with "It's so fluffy!" 
• Marley and me: I know it's a bit cheesy film and Owen Wilson isn't really that good actor, but I still really like the story. I fell in love with Marley immediately. Hard not to love a dog like that. It's just a really nice story about how important in someone's life a dog is, even when the dog is very disobedient. 
• The Matrix: I watched this film for the first time when I was 10 or 11. And I watched it without any subtitles. Slovene or English. And I remember very clearly asking my brother what Zion is. I thought Zion was the Matrix. I don't really know why I like the film. Maybe because it is so futuristic for that time. It takes a while to understand it and of course I then had my early teenage crush on Keanu Reeves. 

As some of you know I love classical music. So I'm going to devide top five songs into two categories: popular and classical music/songs. 

Top 5 popular songs:

• Wherever I may roam by Metallica: I started listening to Metallica because of my first boyfriend. He loved Metallica and many other metal groups. And he infected me with the same love. I love metal. But I have to say that I am not a huge fan of trash or heavy metal. And this song isn't a proper trash metal song. It's metal but the drums are not going to explode any time soon, nor is the beat very quick. This song is by far my favourite Metallica song.
• Affair by Hurts: Few months ago Teja sent me a link to one of their songs. I can't remember which one exactly. But I know I liked the song so much, that I ended up downloading their both albums. The song Affair hooked me completely. I also really like Unspoken, Evelyn, Silver Lining, Illuminated, Exile etc. 
• Sing for absolution by Muse: Muse is one of my favourite bands. I've been in UK for 7 months now and they just had a concert in Glasgow. But on a Monday. So couldn't go. I hated it! Why on Earth would they have a concert on a Monday?! And if yes, why not closer to me? Hopefully I'll get a chance to go on their concert, because I love them. They have so many awesome songs (Supremacy, Madness, Explorers, Bliss, Thoughts of a Dying Atheist, Exogenesis songs, Uprising etc.). And Matthew Bellamy is in my opinion 21st century's Freddie Mercury. Amazing voice with a wide vocal range. 
• Falling by The Civil Wars: Two weeks ago I read a book that constantly mentioned a musical duo called The Civil Wars. I went on YouTube, listened to the songs they mentioned and fell in love with the duo. I did the same as with Hurts then. Downloaded both their albums and since then I listen to them all the time. I would recommend you to listen to Poison & Wine, Barton Hollow, Dance me to the end of love, I had me a girl etc.
• Way to fall by Starsailor: I'm just going to say one thing - this song can make me cry even when I'm in a good mood. It has that strong effect on me.

Top 5 classical songs/pieces:

• Adagio in G minor by Albinoni: A very sad, breath-taking piece. I don't want to sound morbid, but I want this piece to be played on my funeral instead of a silly speech about my life. It is definitely my no. 1 in classical music. 
• Concerto in D minor after Alessandro Marcello, Bach: I heard about this piece for the first time while reading Fifty shades of Grey. In the book it is described as a very sad, emotional classical piece. And as some of you know, I love sad classical pieces. So I had to listen to it. And when I did, I got goose bumps and got tears in my eyes. Another beautiful piece. 
• Lacrimosa by Mozart: Lacrimosa is a part in the Requiem mass and I really hope one day I'll sing it in a choir. 
• Prelude Op. 28 No. 2 by Chopin: Another piece mentioned in Fifty shades of Grey and is again breath-taking. I don't know why, but I just get so much more from sad songs than from happy ones. But don't you worry. There's one (yes just one) song on my top five that is actually quite happy.
• Emperor Waltz by Strauss: I'll never forget asking my mum to play me this piece on our piano when I was a child. I loved the piece back then and I still love it. I'm a Strauss fan.

Top 5 songs sung in church: (they will all be written in Slovene because I don't know English version of their titles. Also most of you won't know these songs. Unless you sing in Sora's parish choir) 

• Pesem žalno: This song is sung during Lent days, which means it is in minor. Therefore it has a sad overtone. I love this song very much, but it also annoys me a little bit. In the last two tacts notes for soprano are very high and I cannot sing very high. So it annoys me that I can't sing one of the best parts of the song. 
• Na Golgoto: Another song for Lent days and it is again sad. But that's just me. I like sad songs. And this one I can sing without getting annoyed. I actually get quite emotional at the first two lines. 
• Zahvaljujemo se: finally a song that's not sad :) I like the beginning of the song and the, in a way, low notes for soprano in the middle. And the ending is really good, because it's a bit messy if I can say that. 
• Otrok v Božični noči: One of the few Christmas songs that I actually like. I'm not a fan of Christmas church songs. But this one is really nice and it has a very nice melody. I was very happy to sing it when I came home for Christmas. I'm also very happy I'll be able to sing both Lent songs that I mentioned earlier in 8 days! :)
• Sveto mesto Nazareško: A very nice Mary's song that is only sung in May. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Because we normally only sing it once a year. On the second part it gets quite high for soprano, which means I go quiet for two or three notes. But it's still my favourite Mary's song.

Top 5 movie soundtracks:

• Time in Inception: Hans Zimmer song and I just love it. I like that it starts quietly, it's very melodic. And by each passing moment we can hear more and more. It gets louder as well. It's not a sad song, but for me it's very gentle, passionate song. 
• A small measure of piece in The last samurai: Another Hans Zimmer creation. I remember almost two years ago I had food poisoning. I kept vomiting and I didn't know what was wrong with me. Kept trying to fall asleep and calm down and the thing that helped me was listening to The last samurai soundtrack. Especially this song. This song can really calm me down. And also make me cry. And I don't even need to be sad!
• Watch the world burn in The dark knight: This song is in the background when Joker burns the money he got from mafia. That's what money means to him. Nothing. In a way it's similar to song Time because it starts as slow and with low tones but after two minutes the violins get more important and they bring the melody forward. But the whole sound is still heavy. And the end is very sudden. You can feel the struggle the violins make. This is again Hans Zimmer song. Told you I love him. And no, this song does not make me cry :)
• StarWaves in Oblivion: Finally a non-Zimmer song. The band who created soundtrack for this film is a band called M83. Very electronic sound and it reminds me of Muse in a way. So no wonder I like the song. And most of the soundtrack. For two minutes it leads you towards two high points of the song. And, I don't know. I just get goose bumps.
• Evenstar in Lord of the rings - The two towers: This is the only movie soundtrack where there's actually someone singing. The performer is Isabel Bayrakdarian and she has a spectacular voice. I wish my voice was like hers. Another peaceful song with a deep meaning.

Top 5 books:

• Ender's game by Orson Scott Card: For me this book is very psychological. Author constantly talks about what's in Ender's (a six year old boy) mind. He always explains why he does certain thing. Everything has a purpose. A huge twist happens in the end of the book that throws the reader off his/her bottom. And that's why I like this book so much. It's definitely one of my favourites. Plus I like sci-fi. 
• The Godfather by Mario Puzo: I don't have much to say here, besides I couldn't stop reading this book. I knew the story before I read the book due to watching the film. There were some differences though. I like the mafia topic. I remember playing a video game called Mafia 13 years ago and I liked the relationship between "brugliones" and "dons". I liked this book so much that I ended up reading most of his books. I loved the book The last don. I actually have to read this book again soon!
• Edge of never by J. A. Redmerski: Do you remember I mentioned the book that constantly talked about The Civil Wars? Well this is the name of the book. A powerful love story between young adults who find themselves on a road trip. The ending was so powerful and so shocking I ended up crying very much. No other book made me like this before. Of course I got tears, but in this book I properly cried. 
• Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling: I can't decide which one is the best. Maybe the last one. But you have to read all the books to understand the last one. So what makes the last one the so good, is because of the whole storyline in previous books. But anyway, I like the story very much. Sometimes I wish I lived in a world with wizards and witches. In some way it would just make it so much better. Cleaning and tidying your house by just a swing of the wand, dead (important) people on picture frames and you can actually speak to them. Or flying. That would've been amazing. And if I remember correctly Harry Potter books were the first ones that I read for fun and not because I had to. So they have a big value in my life when it comes to reading.
• Fifty shades trilogy by E. L. James: I don't care what people say about these books, but I can honestly say I love all three books. The second and third are better than the first one though. And no, I don't like the books because of all the naughty things the main characters do. I love it because of the strong relationship they have. I just love their story. Simple as that. They both have to compromise a lot in order to have a relationship. And that's what all relationships are about. Compromise. 

This is it for this post. If you have any suggestions what should I write about in next post, which top five, please let me know and I'll include them! :) 

SISTER'S VISIT: Part three

Tjaša and I agreed to go to Edinburgh on Monday, explore the city a bit more and then go shopping. We wanted to go in late morning so we would have enough time to go to the museum and then shopping, but I had to stay in the house for few more hours because of some packaging being picked up. 

That's why we had a lazy morning. Tjaša was writing her travel diary, while I did some things on my lap top and just relaxed for a little while. We were both actually happy doing nothing. Few minutes to 1 o'clock in the afternoon we took the bus towards Edinburgh. Then we walked pass all the shops on Princes Street and ended up at Old Calton Cemetery. Then we walked across North Bridge, found a nice coffee place on Royal Mile and warmed up. It was cloudy and very windy. It was also snowing for few minutes few times. So we needed to warm ourselves up. After coffee we went to the castle to see the view of the city. And the view really was nice. 

The view of Old town from Old Calton Cemetery

Clock belongs to The Balmoral hotel

View of Calton hill

This photograph of my sister reminds me of Ivana Kobilca's painting called Kofetarica 

Edinburgh Castle at the top

The view from the castle

The view from the castle

The view from the castle

After walking around the city we finally went shopping. We didn't even bother with going to all the shops. Tjaša only wanted to go to Primark. We were there for almost three hours and she bought many things. If I remember correctly she bought 14 things that in sum cost 40 pounds. I didn't buy as much, just three things. A dress, a jumper and a skarf. We were both very happy with what we bought. Especially Tjaša :)

For dinner we went to Indian restaurant in South Queensferry. We were both enjoying dinner very much. The portions are quite big, so we shared one. We ordered Chicken Manchurian, Bombay aloo and Peshwari naan. I absolutely love peshwari naan. After dinner we walked to the house and the weather was toying with us. There was a huge snow storm. We walked for 15 minutes and when we reached the house, we were totally white. Snow was so sticky that it didn't go off that easily when we tried to get it off while walking.

Before bed time we watched a French movie called Le dernier vol with my two favourite French actors, but I didn't like it at all. I was actually struggling to stay awake the whole time. It was just 100 minutes long so that was good. 

Tuesday was Tjaša's last whole day in Scotland. And all we planned to do was relax :) We've been up and about every day since she came here. I had to do some chores around the house (laundry, ironing) and later on do homework with Daniel. We were deciding about going out for a walk but the weather wasn't really nice. It was still very windy and at times rainy and/or snowy. So we more or less stayed in. We just drove to the bridges so she would see them one more time.

For our last dinner Desmond cooked traditional Scottish meal. Haggis, mashed potatoes and mashed turnip. It was the first time for both to try haggis. And it reminds me of Slovenian version called krvavica. It was really good. Liked it very much. Tjaša did as well. After dinner we chatted for a while longer, then went to sleep. We started watching a movie but ended up just going to bed. 

Her flight on Wednesday was at 10.40 so we left my house a bit after 9 o'clock. I drove her to the airport and we said our goodbyes. It was really nice having her here for whole week, showing her places and just showing her my life in Scotland. 

In less than two weeks I'm going to Slovenia for a long weekend and I really can't wait!

SISTER'S VISIT: Part two

This post will be about our trip to Glasgow. Which means I'll write about three days. For more easy understanding, I'll divide this post in three chapters: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Be prepared for a long read! :)

FRIDAY

Friday morning started a bit differently for Tjaša. I told her she should get up in time for us to drive Daniel to school, so that we would then go to Tesco straight away. As it was Friday during Lent days (for Slovenians "post") we were a bit limited with what to buy and what to eat for lunch later on. I've decided to fast all sweets, candy and chocolate so we bought apples and grapes for our snack. Tjaša of course still had Maltesers and Hulla Hoops from the day before. When we came back to the house, we started packing our clothes and toiletries and slowly getting ready for our weekend in Glasgow. 

At first we planned to find a cheap B&B or hostel but there were no cheap ones. So we then decided to try something both of us haven't tried before. Couchsurfing. I know most of people have (at first) bad opinion about it. And I can't understand why. The percentage of bad people, who would harm you, is much lower to people who are good. Really can't understand why couchsurfing has a bad ring to it. When Jana and I went to London we actually did a very similar thing. Airb&b is a site where you can rent a room from local hosts. And couchsurfing is the same thing. The only difference, which is a bit difference, is in price. Couchsurfing is for free. So why does paying money for accommodation make us feel safer? 

I am very happy with our decision. We sent message to many hosts in Glasgow, hoping someone will say yes. Most of them didn't reply, one said he can't, because he will be away that weekend and then we got a yes. A 22 year old Brazilian guy named Caio said he can host us. He's studying pharmacy in one of Glasgow's universities. He lives in a student accommodation but was more than willing to give us space in his room. But more about him later on.

At 11 o'clock we took the bus to Edinburgh. It was Tjaša's first time seeing the city and she loved it. All the old buildings, the castle, the parks etc. It's hard not to like the city. We went off the bus at Princes Street, passed few stores and then went into Primark so she could get a quick glimpse on what the store's offering. We didn't plan on shopping until Sunday or Monday. Afterwards we went to Costa for coffee and chat. We chatted for like an hour at least. Topics were various. About the city, about my life here, about what Tjaša should buy in Primark, about her and mum's visit in May and what should we do etc. The weather wasn't that great. It was very windy, which made it cold. So that's one of the reasons why we stayed in Costa for so long. Close to 2 o'clock in the afternoon we headed towards Princes Street Gardens, then to Royal Mile and Grassmarket. At 3 o'clock we went to the bus station where the bus to Glasgow would depart.

Scots monument and below Princes Street Gardens

I in Princes Street Gardens

Royal Mile - this road leads to the castle

The other side of Royal Mile

Interesting name for a club :)

View of Edinburgh Castle in Grassmarket

At 15.15 our bus left the station. Due to rush hour we needed a bit longer to reach Buchanan bus station in Glasgow. We needed almost two hours. We then went to Sauchiehall Street which is very similar to Princes Street. Tons of stores there. More than in Edinburgh. We went to Primark of course where Tjaša bought two things: jeans and a semi-formal shirt. Then it was finally time to get something to eat. Due to Friday and no meat day during Lent days, we had a bit of problem finding a place to eat. There are mostly fast food shops on that street. But we eventually managed to find a nice Italian restaurant. We shared pizza margherita. Was a bit small portion though. However the ambience was really nice. Live music - a guy was playing music from 1920/30s on his guitar. And some of you probably know that I love music from that time. He played Django Reinhardt's songs! Plus, I must not forget to mention, one of the waiters who served us was really handsome. So we were both very happy with our choice to go to this restaurant. 

After our dinner we met with Caio who was so nice to meet us at the entry to Primark. I was in Glasgow only once before this time and even then I just went to shops. So I didn't know much of the city. He offered to pick us up actually. After typical Brazilian greeting - kiss on a cheek, we headed towards his place. He lives approximately 10 min walk away from that shopping street/bus station. So perfect location. Immediately Tjaša and I saw he's very friendly and a very nice guy. We chatted about all sorts of things during our walk. He informed us that there's a birthday party going on in his flat at the moment and there will be another birthday party the next day but one floor above us. To be honest we were slightly worried about staying in a room, which meant it would be very loud etc., but we were worried for nothing. It wasn't really loud and the party stopped at around 2 in the morning. When we reached his flat, he told us we can sleep in his room, while he will sleep at his friends' place. If that's not nice, I don't know what is! He then left us, while we relaxed a little bit and then headed out. We ended up in a bar called Yates. Was nice there. Only problem was or is that all bars close at midnight in Scotland. Probably in whole UK actually. And nightclubs are open only until 3 in the morning. That's very different from Slovenia. So at midnight they turned the bright lights on, turned off the music and informed us we need to leave the premises as soon as possible. 

Caio

When we reached Caio's place, we met with few of his friends. He told us that mostly Brazilians live in this building. Was very surprised to hear that there are so many Brazilians studying in Glasgow. We chatted for a bit, then they left the room to us. But very soon a guy came in, very drunk, but very funny and amusing. He entertained us for a little while, then left. At around 2 o'clock in the morning we were quite tired so we went to sleep even though the party was still on. Caio's bed is a single bed, so we decided that I'll sleep on his bed that night and Tjaša on the floor (there were few pillows she could use and also a sleeping bag) and the next night we would change the positions. She however woke up in the middle of the night with very sore body and ended up on my bed. But it was okay. I didn't push or kick her out of the bed unknowingly during the night nor did she fall on her own. 

SATURDAY

We started our Saturday morning quite late. Woke up at 9 and left the place at 10. The plan at first was to go to a little town called Ayr for the day. We would have to take a bus and drive approximately one hour to reach the destination. But the weather forecast wasn't very good. It was supposed to rain heavily in the afternoon. So in the end we decided to stay in Glasgow and see what the biggest city in Scotland offers. The first thing we saw was Glasgow Cathedral. This cathedral was built before the Reformation from the late 12th century and was styled in Gothic architecture. Behind the cathedral is a very nice Necropolis, which is a Victorian cemetery. It is stretched through whole hill. 

Glasgow Cathedral

Necropolis

Stained glass inside the cathedral

The altar

Twelve apostles and The last supper

Forgot to whom this sword belonged to

The view of the cathedral from Necropolis

Necropolis 

The view of the city from Necropolis 

The view of the city from Necropolis 

The view of the city from Necropolis

Tjaša 

It was very windy on the top of the Necropolis so we didn't stay there long. It was then time for us to grab something to eat. I suggested to eat at Costa. We headed back to Sauchiehall Street, searched for Costa shop and eventually found one. I loved where this shop was situated. In a library! I've just recently, well 5 months ago, become a book worm :) So I loved it there. We both ordered latte, Tjaša small, I medium. For lunch she had toast with ham and cheese, while I had panini with same ingredients. We stayed there for at least an hour. Just relaxing in a very nice place and deciding where to go next. We decided to go to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. 

A very nice car we came across while walking

Costa shop in the library

We were both happy to find this book :)

Tesla - never seen this car on the streets before

Walking towards the museum and of course getting lost for a little bit

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon we finally reached the museum. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Musuem is the most popular free-to-enter visitor attraction in Scotland and the most visited museum in UK outside London. It was very crowded inside. One of the main paintings that visitors want to see is Salvador Dali's Christ of Saint John of the Cross. Unfortunately we didn't take a photograph of it. It was too dark and you're not suppose to use flash in museums. We however took photographs of other, very nice paintings. 

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

University of Glasgow

Tjaša trying to interpret the meaning of a painting

This is something Daniel would like to see. He loves dinosaurs

Tjaša recently got fascinated with deers

Tjaša and I played a game while looking at paintings. We had to choose which one of the paintings would be above our beds. I chose this one (painter is Charles Dixon)

We both really liked how this old man's face looks very realistic. Painter is James Guthrie

At 5 o'clock we were more or less thrown out. The museum closes at that time. Two hours weren't enough for us to be honest. There were still rooms that we didn't see. So that was a shame. And when we came out we saw it started to rain. Of course we didn't take umbrellas with us. It's kind of pointless to have one in Scotland anyway. It is often windy which means your umbrella will bend or break while using it. And it often rains from a side, which means umbrella doesn't cover much. Only problem was we would be really wet until reaching Sauchiehall Street if we walked. So we took the bus instead. And it was pricey! 2.1 pounds. In Edinburgh and in London city buses cost 1.5 pounds. 

We went shopping for a little bit, I wanted to show her Urban Outfitter store, Forever 21, Fat Face etc. The prices in Forever 21 are hilarious. To be more specific, British Pound to Euro rate is hilarious. 

Rate between pounds and euros is 1 British pound equals 1.39 euros, which means this shirt is suppose to cost 20.81 euros and not 16.50. We of course checked other price tags and it's more or less the same with every clothing. I wonder who made this price tags. 

For dinner we decided to go to Nando's. Or I decided we should go there. I talked so much about Nando's to my family that I had to take her. While we were walking to the restaurant, a disaster happened. Water came in my boots. In both! The shoe sole broke or something. Clearly they were cheap when I bought them. But I had them in Slovenia whole time and I walked on wet roads there, but water didn't come through. In Nando's we both ordered grilled chicken burger with chips and then added my favourite sauce - lemon & herb. She really liked it. She also liked the interior design of the restaurant. All Nando's have a unique design. After our dinner we thought of staying there and go to a pub so we wouldn't walk back and forth but eventually decided to just go back to Caio's place. We could rest a bit, plus I would warm up my feet and change socks. Tjaša was writing her travel diary while I was going through Caio's book Scotland - Lonely Planet. For a while we were relaxing and then Caio came home. He went hiking for whole day. He was there with his good (Scottish) friend Gary. Gary told us his best friend is a Slovenian guy who lives in Maribor. Who would have thought :) We invited both out for drinks and Caio was happy to say yes, while Gary had to go home. Tjaša wanted to try proper Scottish Ale, so Caio took us to a recently opened pub. It was a nice place, quite modern and you could see their destillery through glass floor windows. I ordered a glass of white wine and the waiter looked at me weirldy. Like why am I ordering wine and not beer. Everyone in the pub was drinking beer, true, but I just don't like beer at all. He even had to ask his colleague where they store Chardonnay! We stayed there until the pub closed and then went back to his place. He again gave us his room for the night. He slept at friends' place again. So nice of him. Tjaša and I decided we'll both sleep on bed that night. The only difference was she slept closer to the wall. But I didn't fall :)

Tjaša writing her travel diary on Caio's bed

A waiter took a photograph of all of us in the pub

SUNDAY

We agreed with Caio to meet at the entry of The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on late morning and then go for coffee. Our bus back to Edinburgh was due at 13.15. We were all quite tired and sleepy because of the busy weekend we all had. So we had a sleepy, morning conversation. I remembered at some point we talked about different measure rates. How much is one gallon to litre, how much is one foot in centimetres etc. Funny topic! But we are all getting used to British measurements. When an hour passed we said our goodbyes. He then went back home, while we walked up and down the street, went to Tesco to buy something for snack and then went to bus station. Of course my feet were all wet again! Sister and I had a very nice time in Glasgow and are both very happy to have stayed with Caio.

Sauchiehall Street

Sauchiehall Street

Interesting clock

Tjaša enjoying the sun

During our trip back to Edinburgh, Tjaša started to feel sick. Closer we got to Edinburgh, worse she left. We planned to go off at the bus station but ended up leaving the bus on the last bus stop on Queensferry Road so she could get some fresh air. The weather was nice. Sunny, quite warm and not that much wind. We were suppose to meet with Ellen for lunch and I was starving by the time we met. We went to Biblos. Ellen and I went there one time before and we liked it. So I thought we could go again. I was the only one eating though. Tjaša felt too sick and Ellen had lunch not that long ago. I ordered chicken, guacamole and tomato panini with chips. It was delicious! 

It was a bit odd to see Tjaša like this. She's normally very chatty. Especially when meeting new people. But because she wasn't feeling well, we decided to cut our encounter short. Tjaša and I were also suppose to meet with Jana for few minutes before she had to go home. And I wanted to give her birthday present that I bought for her. We've both been busy the past couple of weekends that we didn't see each other since London. And her birthday was on 19th of February! But we'll meet very soon. Planning to go out on 21st and then staying at her place for the night. Can't wait! 

When we reached my home, Tjaša soon went to my room to relax, while I spoke to family Coyne about our trip and what's our plan for the next two days. After an hour or two we skyped with mum and then started watching a movie. We watched Last samurai. She hasn't seen it yet, while I've seen it many times. But still it's one of my favourite movies and music soundtrack is just breath-taking. She liked the movie. Even though Tom Cruise is starring :) Then we went to sleep. I think before 10 pm. So quite early.

And finally this is the end of this post. I hope I didn't take too much of your time to go through whole summary of our Glasgow trip :)