Read

I started a new book ages ago and I am only halfway through it. This one is really difficult and full of unfamiliar words. I normally read before bed and I am too lazy to look the words up, so I guess I hardly learn anything this way. I can still follow the story though.

Ich habe ein neues Buch schon lange angefangen, und ich habe nur das halbe gelesen. Es ist wirklich schwer zu lesen und enthält viele unbekannte Wörter. Normalerweise lese ich bevor ich einschlafe, und ich bin zu faul, die neuen Wörter nachzuschauen. Darum schätze ich, dass ich auf diese Weise kaum etwas Neues lernen würde. Trotzdem kann ich die Geschichte verstehen.

Well, I know my German is not perfect so please be kind if you find any errors. I think this might be a good way to help me practise writing, though I think my German sounds more formal than it should be.

Na ja, Ich weiss doch, dass mein Deutsch nicht perfekt ist, also seid bitte nett, wenn ihr Fehler herausfindet. Ich denke, dass ich auf diese Weise Schreiben üben kann, obwohl mein Deutsch sehr förmlich klingt als es sollte.

I feel obliged to make a new year’s post, for some reason! Let’s start it off with a new year dolly photo: 😀

Parsimony's new year cheer

I didn’t attend the fireworks display or watch it on TV. I just sat back and listened to one of my Agatha Raisin audio books. That Agatha character really makes me laugh. I need to get my hands on the latest book, Hiss and Hers by MC Beaton.

This morning, I picked up my sister from the airport — she had been in Malaysia for the past three weeks. It’s nice to have someone in the house again. She brought back a few goodies for me, some of them were from Hong Kong too. One of them is the doll’s shoes (shown above). It smells like fresh leather. The other things included a set of lucky figures, the Fook Luk Sau, empty red envelopes for Chinese New Year and some Chinese doll clothes. Why I have an obsession with Chinese things right now, I don’t know.

I hope 2013 will be a good year. My goals were already listed in 13 Goals for 2013, and I think I’ll take them quite seriously. Oh, except for ‘going swimming once a month’. I doubt I will stick to it. My cozzie will just be unused. I will stick to the ‘no pets’ goal like glue. We probably won’t afford vet bills with my bad spending habits any how. 😀

 

I saw this post on my friend, Juanita’s blog, and decided to play too! The idea originally came from here.

Envy Seven things you lack and covet
Height
A voluptuous bosom
A classic beautiful face
Drawing and painting skills
Musical talent
Cooking skills
Be allergy-free

Sloth Seven things that you neglect to do
Keep in touch with people
Donating to charities
Be thankful
Clearing out old stuff
Backing up my important data
Go swimming
Learn German properly

Greed Seven worldly material desires
Owning a big home
A whole boatload of Kenner Blythes
Designer bags
Prestigious, powerful, but fuel-efficient car
A new-model DSLR
New mobile phone
Kiln

Pride Seven great things in your life
Husband
Loving family
No debt
Lots of material possessions
I “work” when I feel like it
Never hungry
Cherished childhood toys/relics

GluttonySeven guilty pleasures
Online shopping
Doll photography
Flickr
Daily caramel latte
Savoury snacks
Chocolate
TV shows/movies

Lust Seven things you love about love
Someone to confide in
Laughs
Support
Good company
Fun outings
I’m never fat or ugly
Someone to get rid of that insect

Wrath Seven things that make you angry 
Seeing forests/jungles cut away for needless development
Whaling
Inhumane treatment of animals
Religious pontification
Cigarette smoke and people who smoke because it’s “cool”
Singing and dancing competitions on TV
Bad grammar (“There’s two ways”, “Your welcome”, “His sitting over there”)

Inspired by my friend Juanita and her recent blog post, I decided to play, too!

Early 2010, I wanted to:

  • Get a job
  • Continue German class

End of 2010, I have done neither!! I didn’t like learning German in Switzerland, maybe because of the lousy school I attended for one session. The other expensive school was always intimidating. They boasted to mainly have university graduates and bilinguals as students. They made me take a placement test. Their class “entry points” were few and far between. I would plan to start the class, but never did once the time came. As for jobs, we all know that it’s almost impossible to get employment overseas without having the right visa. I was also under-qualified, as everyone else had Masters degrees. I also don’t enjoy doing something I’m not interested in.

Plans for December 2010 and early 2011:

  • Become a full time, self-proclaimed artisan
  • Register my jewellery home business
  • Continue once-a-week German class at the Goethe Institute, at my own leisure (there’s no rush any more, is there?)
  • Take a simple silver smithing short course in December at Monash
  • Take more detailed metal smithing courses at NMIT in February
  • Sell at Rose St. Artists Market, Fitzroy
  • Earn money

We’ll see how many goals I fulfil.