Well, hello there.

So things have been crazy for me, one more month left of university for the year and the US study tour happening in two months! Classes have gotten absolutely fascinating, and I have my ice skating exam in a couple of days (to pass to the next level!), so things have been very exciting. I also happened to win a double pass to see The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones thanks to Dymocks's recent competition! 

I've resigned from waitressing and I start my new job - at a movie theatre! - within the next week. I'm really looking forward to it. More information soon.

Musically speaking, I finally listened to Elbow's Dead In the Boot, the B-side compilation album. I'd listened to the majority of Elbow's discography while abroad, so listening to the various B-sides from those other albums at home seemed fitting. My pick would have to be 'McGreggor', simply for that slow, thumping rhythm setting the atmosphere. I can remember writing an essay with it playing in the background and feeling more inspired. 

I started listening to Stars, starting with Set Yourself On Fire and continuing with In Our Bedroom After The War. The absolute favourite so far is still going to be 'Your Ex-Lover Is Dead', but other favourites include 'Reunion', 'What I'm Trying to Say', 'The Big Fight', 'Take Me to the Riot', 'My Favourite Book', 'Midnight Coward' and 'Personal'.

I guess the concept of 'Your Ex-Lover Is Dead' is such an appealing concept to me - I mean, isn't it for anyone who's gone through a messy break up? That agony of not being able to move on, especially if you're the one wronged? Not to mention the first lines, "When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire", with the four last words referring to the album title.

That part seems to yell 'pyromaniac', but I can interpret that as self-improvement. You have to destroy parts of yourself for the sake of rebuilding and re-creation, right? Destruction as a form of creation. And often times if it's not for the destruction, you often don't find the better situation for yourself, am I right?

Not to mention the last verse of the song.

There's one thing I want to say, so I'll be brave

You were what I wanted, I gave what I gave

I'm not sorry I met you

I'm not sorry it's over

I'm not sorry there's nothing to save

I'm not sorry there's nothing to save

That process of self-recovery is so incredibly important, but being able to say 'I'm not sorry there's nothing to save' indicates the final level of growth needed to move on with life. Again, while the experience itself may have been terrible, it can lead to new and positive things, and that can be the sole reason why somebody may not regret a relationship.

 

Coldplay also released recently their new single for the next Hunger Games film, called 'Atlas'. This song feels more like their earlier stuff, which I'm a bigger fan of than their more recent stuff. It's hopeful, it's contemplative, and it carries a message of care. Not to mention, the lyric video is absolutely stunning.

 

This seems to be a music heavy blog post, stay tuned for more work and travel related posts!

Twenty-One.

So it was my birthday -- in a foreign country, continuing a pattern started last year in Phuket. This time it was Sweden, and I was interested to see how things would unfold. I had a pre party a couple of days before, and we ended up going out, the usual adventures that happens when you're on exchange with a bunch of fantastic people.

The (Tues)day itself was pretty quiet in comparison. I woke and had three separate Skype dates with home before going grocery shopping and looking around stores. Nothing to really say about groceries that's worth mentioning... but I did get a couple of phone calls. Local ones, asking about my address and if I will be home for the 'delivery'. My questions were answered when the 'delivery' occurred... it turned out to be courtesy of my friend Nicola back home in Australia!

And also got an extra something from my friend Marion here in Sweden.

It wasn't a huge affair, the day itself....but then again, that's never really been my style to begin with. That's something I've thought about over the years and come to accept; I've never been able to get my entire family and friends in the one room together.

And I'm okay with that. Really. That seems to be part of my nomadic nature, and I'm embracing it.

This weekend I'm squeezing in a quick trip to Warsaw, Poland. We'll be taking a day out to visit Kraków (and Auschwitz) as well as sightseeing in Warsaw. It looks like my predicted three weeks in Örebro just didn't stick as I thought they would. But hey, I'm not objecting here!

I'm also extremely excited to London next month; I've already started making my list, like I did for Paris. I'll have four whole days for sightseeing, and I can hardly believe that this is becoming a reality.

I'm off to live this whirlwind life that I've been given -- and I've accepted, and spun as... my own.

Adjusting.

So I have been VERY busy with my new life here in Örebro. Basic human things such as groceries and socialising can be interesting when you don't speak the dominant language. However, everyone I've spoken to speaks excellent English. 

Here is a collection of videos that I've made. I may have crossed into vlogging.

Stockholm Central.

Room Tour (1 of 2)

Random Swedish Life.

Swedish Accordion Man.

Swedish Grocery Shopping, Part 1

Living.

So all I've really been doing lately is going through homework. I've only just yesterday found a new spark of inspiration to keep going through.

Also I've been doing more lady like things like shoes and make up.

I've been diving into Torchwood, and my favourite character would have to be Ianto. I've loved how his role has slowly expanded from being the tea boy to his being included in field work. Also his buying a wedding dress for Gwen in 'Something Borrowed'. As I saw that first scene I laughed at the idea; then the actual scene popped up and I was a happy fangirl.

My hard drive has been corrupted; I'm the trembling survivor of a formatted hard drive. About a year or so of files and data... gone. Even my computer techy cousin Andrew couldn't recover any files. Thankfully the hard drive was for archival purposes; anything recent I've been working on was not lost.

Of course the fangirl in me is reacting something like:

because I've lost all these TV shows. But then I think, oh well. I just remember one little thing.

This post is awfully Tumblr-like too.

Maybe we'll fly the night away...girl...

Did you miss me?

I've started Torchwood. I think the thing that will stick with me was when I got my complete boxed set in the mail. It brightened my day, it was well packaged, and it was timely! I'm still waiting on something else to come and it's been about a week already.

Ed Sheeran this weekend! I'm very excited. You have no idea.

My TV Studio Production class is currently working on the minor project...presenting the news! I've since found a role and feel a little more like I know what I'm doing. Plus thinking of bogus news is kind of fun.

This made me absolutely fangirl.

And yeah, I've been living really. Essays. Blogging (academically, mainly). I've actually gotten quite a bit of good feedback - and I think it's something to do with my established confidence in the blogging universe.

http://justnerdgirlproblems.tumblr.com

Don't blink.

I learned to eat my dinner left handed.
Choking on a potato didn't stop me.

Chad Sugg reply on twitter.