Decisions, decisions.

This week we have had the dreaded news that in September, I must leave La France before my working holiday visa expires. Without us being married, or having a kid, it means nothing to be a partner of a frenchman here. I understand the reasons behind it being so strict but it just sucks for us. The prefecture was full with people wanting to live in France and I soon realised that it is like that every day, in every city in France. I am not unique. Except for me, it’s because my partner is French and we were hoping to stay here for another few years. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

thoughts...?

So… plan B? I have been thinking for a loooooong time about my future ‘career’. I have studied psychology previously for 3 years (bachelor degree) but have not used it since and wouldn’t be able to without further studies (and have not been sure that it’s the route I want to take). But I am now thinking more and more about going back to study to be a nurse. Yes, an infirmiere. I’ve been googling and researching my little heart out, trying to find out the ‘ins and outs’ of nursing school and thereafter, being a nurse.

My mum was a nurse in a rest home and I remember going there when I was little and talking to the old people and liking this environment (one of helping people feel comfortable). When a person close to me was sick, we spent A LOT of time in hospitals for her treatment and I will never forget the lovely nurses who really cared and helped her. The ones that you can feel are in the job because they care.

The thing is… and something which I have been craving (and missing) in my career is that… I want to help people (and always have been like that), even if that means I have to deal with poo, vomit and blood on a daily basis (at least I’m still helping someone). I have been doing office jobs for the past 5 years (during my temping, I worked in at least 6 different offices) where I haven’t felt content or like I’m making any positive difference to this world. And I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life. So it means going back to study for another 3 years to nursing school, with a lot of hard work and dedication. Am I ready?

After telling a close friend last night about this plan (this particular friend being very honest… blunt at times!), he called it how he saw it. He said that because I am such a free spirit, he was a bit worried about if I would be okay to settle down for the next 3-5 years. Well, I guess I will have to sometime (I can’t be fluttering between countries forever…) and I won’t know until I try.

Unfortunately, I have found there are a multitude of burnt out nurses online who are intent on telling their stories to the world in such a negative fashion. This can be a little offputting but at the same time, I have to remember that there are people in EVERY profession who complain about lack of pay, lack of appreciation, bla bla bla. So while I understand these individual’s struggles, I don’t think it is reflective of the entire profession. And life is what you make it. And of course, there are many opportunities in nursing to branch out into if one particular field is not the right one for me.

So anyone out there, any advice for a potential nurse?

Merci beaucoup.

what i am grateful for today…

a photo by moi.

• my family & my friends (and them being safe & healthy)
• music… sweet music
• the taste of feijoas
• the scent of my favourite perfume (kenzo)
• being intrigued by foreign films
• the feeling of sunshine (never underestimate the power of warmth)
• singing loudly on my own (highly enjoyable)
• a good sauvignon blanc (oyster bay being one of them)
• my dogs (unconditional love)
• finding the last bit of leftovers in the fridge, and eating it for breakfast. (bonus)
• my thirst for knowledge, life long learning
• positive people in my life
• the boy i share so much with
• the contrast of bright purple against lime green in our bathroom
• the laughter of a child (can break any bad mood)
• getting enough sleep (a rarity for me)

My list could be endless but here’s how I am feeling today. We can all be terrible creatures when it comes to taking things in our lives for granted. The thing that I find bizarre is that we often hear of inspiring people who are faced with life-threatening illnesses who suddenly begin living life to the full. Why does it sometimes take our life to be shortened for us to finally carry out all of our life’s wishes and desires - whether it be skydiving, travelling the globe, or riding in a helicopter. Shouldn’t we all be living life like this anyway? How can we be so sure that we are going to live longer than the next person?

They say life is precious. But how often do we remind ourselves?

I mean, really.

What have you always wanted to do?

I have a few things on my list.

I have never been to a wedding. Ever.

But a funny memory came back to me just today. On one of my trips around Europe (and while spending many hours sharing public transportation), a girl I met was telling me about the few weddings she had been to. She started laughing in sheer horror when she told me of one particular wedding she went to where the bride and groom had hired midgets who were spraypainted gold and were dressed as cherubs and were serving food to the guests. Can you get any more trashy? We laughed at how ridiculous it was and whether there was a market out there for this. But more importantly, wouldn’t this be some sort of human rights violation spraypainting people gold? It’s just so wrong.

On typing in “tacky weddings” into googlemac, I came across tackyweddings. I present to you all things heinous, trashy and hilarious at weddings. Entertaining if you are suffering a bout of boredom at work or the like. I especially love the couple who dressed up as Shrek and Princess Fiona for their wedding - it’s so bad that its good.

Have you got any tacky wedding stories?

Come on, do spill.

Well what a week I am having.

• I (luckily) noticed upon checking my bank balance that there were quite a few questionable transactions on my credit card statement and was shocked to find that someone from Miami, Florida has hacked into my credit card and stolen a grand total of $1700 over the past month. Arrrrrgh. FRAUD!
• I am officially low in iron (which explains so much about my tiredness in recent months) and learned that my particular blood type is less than 3% of the population. The flip side is that in an emergency situation, I am a universal receiver (can receive any blood) but can only donate my blood to the same blood type. So, hey, good to know these things.
• My wee pooch Georgia decided to sneak off with and scoff down half a pot of Nutella and half a loaf of bread that was within reach. She really regretted it when she spent the whole day bloated, lying around like a beached whale.
• I’ve been catching up with friends and family before we go. And I’ve started thinking about packing. I am very much a last minute person (always have been, with exams and everything too). I love the last minute adrenalin.
• It is now LESS than a week until we leave my home, New Zealand, and not sure when I’ll be back again. My visa allows me to be living overseas for the next 15 months, so it will likely be my third christmas on the other side of the globe. It is always a bitter sweet feeling leaving - excited for a new chapter but also sad to leave my family, friends (and my dogs) behind. And especially because New Zealand is so far away - from everything.

But my philosophy in life is that it takes one door to close for another one to open… …and it’s verrrrrrrrry exciting!

Come on, admit it. We are all guilty of it (aren’t we?). Laughing at funny town/place names with rude or dirty names. One of the many quirky little things about travelling. Obviously, these words don’t have these naughty connotations in their own language, but in our language, it’s hilarious.

Here are my 5 top funny place names:

1. Hell, in Norway. Currently a population of 352 in Hell. Phew.
2. Condom, in France. For those of you who know French, it is interesting to note that the town is located on the river Baise… need I say more?
3. Bell End, in England. This teeny tiny place in Worcestershire consists largely of the Bell Inn pub and a couple of houses. So there are very few residents to suffer the shame of living in Bell End.
4. Fucking, in Austria. Named after a guy called Focko, meaning ‘(place of) Focko’s people’. Due to the commonly stolen road sign, a vote was held on changing the village’s name, but the residents voted against doing so. Thank goodness they did.
5. And last of all, one from my very own country, New Zealand. One of the longest place name in the world, and it is ridiculously long and hard to pronounce. So for me (someone who can pronounce Maori words), it is freakin hilarious to hear visitors try to pronounce this name all in one go. Give it a try! The town name is Taumata-whakatangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-haumai-tawhiti-ure-haea-turi-pukaka-piki-maunga-horo-nuku-pokai-whenua-ki-tana-tahu, which has 105 letters and means The hill of the flute playing by Tamatea — who was blown hither from afar, had a circumcised penis, grazed his knees climbing mountains, fell on the earth, and encircled the land — to his beloved. Right.

When a friend and I were travelling through Europe last year, we were often making each other stand in front of funny names for a photo. Here are a few treasures from our collection of me and Alley. These were taken in Germany, Scotland and Austria.

Feel free to share any others youve seen on your travels…

When it comes to fashion, I am all about buying vintage, finding bargains and cheap accessories. You will not find a whole wardrobe of designer labels in my wardrobe as I am by no means a label basher (unless I scored it from a second hand store for $10). Certain labels don’t really interest me, the colour/fabric/look/funk factor does.

There is one particular style which I am loving right now.

Think pin up girls from the golden age. 1940’s. 1950’s. These lovely ladies below…

Rita Hayworth. Bettie Page. Marilyn Monroe.

Now, let’s step forward a few years to 2009.

Well as we know, fashion goes around in circles, and this pin up girl ‘look ‘has been revamped into rockabilly/vintage style.

Modern day pin up girls would be along the lines of Dita Von Teese (burlesque dancer), Amy Winehouse (minus the booze problem & drug addiction), Dayna Delux (green-eyed and red-haired model) and some might even say Anna Nicole Smith (ugh!).

So what are the attributes of a modern day pin up? Seems to me its the same seductive eyes, red lips, lengthy lashes,  and peek-a-boo hairstyle; but with an added extra thanks to the new millenium… tattoos (and plenty of em).

Keeping the spirit alive of pin up girls are these ladies from pinupgirlclothing.com …

While being at home, I have been subjected to watching American Idol. Alot of it is cringe-worthy but there was one particular girl who caught my eye. Her name was Emily Wynn Hughes. She is around my age, and is definitely of this ‘new’ vintage pin up style. I love her uniqueness, style, even though she didnt fit into the american idol box. As suspected, Emily did not last long on American Idol. I knew the tweenies would be too scared. And shes not a cute pretty pop boy.

Here’s some pics of her (yes I know, I am THE collage-making queen today!)

Back in my teenage years, I was slightly obsessed with Marilyn Monroe. Every birthday and christmas, I would open gifts full of Marilyn Monroe styled gifts. I watched her old movies. I read books on the whole conspiracy theory on her death (I have my own theory but that’s a different story). To me, she was the epitomy of beauty, sensuality and elegance and loved her look.

I think that’s why I look this look (even though its a more updated one keeping with the times). I know it’s not everyone’s cuppa tea, but what do you think?

Here are my two little babies who enjoy licking my face any chance they get and endlessly running in the fields. When I was away in Europe for a year I missed these two. So much so, that I did dog walking in Edinburgh to fuel my doggie love. One of them was a tiny wee dog that the owner insisted on wearing a coat - the amount of awful comments I got walking down the street (which I could HEAR) about how ridiculous a coat was. Yes, I know, not my choice people.

The French boy took some lovely photos this week (below) of these monkeys. These dogs are like chalk and cheese. Asha is so gentle and caring with a soft personality (she thinks shes more human than dog sometimes) so this photo says it all really. Georgia  has just two things on her mind all times - crumbs (in case anybody happens to drop food) and play. She loves being chased and jumps like a rabbit. Freakin hilarious.

You know what I love about dogs? Unconditional love. It’s just the best.

I was having a looksie through the apartment and job ads on Los Angeles craigslist (kind of the American equivalent to gumtree for you UK peeps) when I came across these live ads below.

You would never ever get away with this in New Zealand (or many other countries for that matter I am sure). If someone advertised a job for “black people” only, or “smart beautiful women”, there would be an uproar! Imagine it.

• VIRGINS AND VIXENS WANTED!!!
• Do You Have Hot, Sex Lips, We Want You$$$$
• ~~~NOW HIRING BLACK PROMOTORS FOR WEEKLY HIP HOP/SPECIAL EVENTS!!~~
• EMPLOYMENT AGENCY SEEKING SMART BEAUTIFUL WOMEN
• Hit REALITY TV Show looking for nerds/geeks

By the way, I think it is important to mention that the advert for the “EMPLOYMENT AGENCY SEEKING SMART BEAUTIFUL WOMEN” clearly states that to be accepted to this recruitment agency for administration work in offices (as ‘eye candy assistants’), you must send them one head shot photo and two full body shots of yourself AND your accurate measurements (specifically states bust-waist-hips). No joke. Apparently “ugly women” or those less fortunate in the boob department need not apply.

Does anyone else think it’s crazy that they can advertise for these?

I don’t know if I am being unnecessarily worried about this so please tell me if I am

You see, my name is Pip. Which is fine in English - sometimes with my kiwi accent, it can be confused with Pat, Pap or Pak, especially when I was living in Scotland for the last year. I can deal with that.

On the other hand, the Frenchies pronounce my name as ‘Pipe’ and this is how all of the French Boy’s friends spell my name when asking how I am in emails etc.

Well apparently the word Pipe has two meanings in the French language. A pipe (as in English, which you smoke, nothing sinister here) but it also means… well… something that a female does to a man. I feel a bit R18 writing it but I am sure you can guess (especially if you know le Français). So I am now a walking talking BJ.

I am moving to France in September and will be introducing myself to French people. After talking to the French boy about this, he assures me that they will only have a wee giggle when they first hear my name but then they will get used to it (oh great!).

I am thinking of changing my name for my time in France.

Any ideas?