On the sixth day of Christmas

On the sixth day is Christmas

My true love sent to me:

Six geese a-laying...

...and on the sixth day of Christmas I apologize for missing yesterday's post and wish you all the happiest of years! May 2013 bring you what you need.

This year, rather than spend a couple of hours typing all my best wishes to my dear friends, family and colleagues, I will enjoy an afternoon with my favorite person in the world. Go turn the wii on, sister!

To all those special people in my life, all the best!!! 2013 already sounds thrilling doesn't it? So many plans ahead, and sooooo many resolutions soon to come!

Now I need to get ready for the big night!

Joy and success to you all!!

Such is Life

On the fourth day of Christmas

On the fourth day of Christmas

my true love sent to me:

Four calling birds

And, as anticipated... I am bringing you my favorite iPad App of all time: Paper 53.

It is free with limited access to its features, but it is more than enough to get a good idea of what it is about. After that you may end up spending 5,99 Eur for the basic pack plus 1,79 Eur for the color pallet. After that... Imagination unleashed. Paint, sketch, write, color... Unlimited possibilities.

It offers five different tools (see the pic below) and seven basic colors which can be turned in any color imaginable. I LOVE IT! Best 7,78 Eur best spent ever (not like that time I spent 7,99 Eur buying an ebook I already had in hard cover cause I mistook it with another...)


I used Nostalgio to make these collages btw, as every other collages I post here (also very recommendable).

And this is my magna opus so far... I wanted to make these oranges, but my laptop cannot keep the original iPad colors (humpf), so they will have to be two very round tomatoes...

Aren't they cute!

By popular request (in my democracy of two people), I am also sharing the full version of the forest shown above:

But it is the fourth day of Christmas and I should give you two more calling birds (apps, sorry).

So I got the artistic side of SiL, and now the fun:

One is free and provides endless fun at parties and other gatherings, the other quite expensive, but totally worth it if it allows you to watch Doctor Who and Torchwood on your way to work...

By the way, I wrote the first draft of this post in the Blogger app for iPad, and it was ok until I tried to integrate the pics in the post... Not sure whether the app would go in my recommendations list.

Please Blogger people, keep working on it. Thanks.

Hope you find this interesting!! Enjoy!

Such is Life

P.D.: Blogger app rocks, it was me that did not understand it while writing... Still needs improvement though.

On the third day of Christmas

On the third day of Christmas

my true love sent to me:

Three French hens

... So much poultry I do not know what the poor girl did with all the birds her true love sent her for Christmas that year.

Oh, third day of Christmas... 

On the third day of Christmas

Such is Life sent you:

fastart!

My first attempt at fastart was mistaken by an apple or an orange, not very sure, so I hope this one is clearly unmistakably, a Christmas tree:

Date: December 26th.
Time of execution: 9 minutes.
Tools: MagicSketchpad - Brush on canvas.
Location: Dentist waiting room. Madrid

 

Enjoy!

Such is Life

On the second day of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas 

my true love sent to me:

Two Turtle Doves

and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Second day of Christmas...

I feel inclined to post again!

Yesterday I gave you one webcomic today... Two videos!! Just because I am that generous.

As usual, surfing the net searching for fun stuff to show you I came across this video, and guess what? It turns out there are more that one or two Lego Star Wars Christmas Specials in Youtube!

This first video is the special for 2012, but there are many many more!
 

The second video... I am not sure whether I want to show you or not, I am torn between... No I am... This is confusing, I am not sure whether I like this video or not cause I am totally in shock and did not know it existed!

Baby Chewbacca is somewhat disturbing. 

I take no responsibility if your respect for the Star Wars Universe diminishes after watching this.
I am still trying to get over it.

Such is Life.

On the first day of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas

my true love sent to me:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

After the Advent Calendar fiasco all that I can do is wish you a very merry and extraordinary Christmas!!

Of course I could also say I may try to compensate you for the dreadful lack of attention paid to the blog in the last few weeks but it would be a bit of a lie. Master Yoda says "do or do not, but do not try", so i will stay with the "do not" part. Better surprise you with a post than disappoint you with the lack of one!

Oh, the holidays, what a magnificent time. I still remember that not so long ago, Christmas meant exams, exams, exams, and study, study, study (and my mother repeating that word non-stop). At that time I looked for any excuse not to study, and in that search for excuses I found web comics!

Boy, some of the things I found were awesome, but with time, some of the ones I followed finished, and some others started to bore me (specially considering I finished my studies more than three years ago and I have not had the need to waste my time since then - not that I had that time to waste either-)

So on the first day of Christmas I give you the only web comic that has kept my attention and faith for the last four years:

http://thedreamercomic.com/index.php

Adventure, Romance, War.

Lora Innes is a genius.

Enjoy the read! Enjoy your holidays!

I may or may not be back tomorrow...

Such is Life.

SiL's Advent Calendar Day 5, 7&8

I got the missing picture! and it looks sooooo cute it deserves a larger format:

5 is one of my favourite bags, with all the reindeer, and then the snowstorm behind and the lights :)

It is a shame that I did not get 7 and 8 (ehem ehem). Sis you owe me two pictures.

To compensate the lack of pics for days 7 and 8 I am posting this two videos.

This is old, but it wonderful:

and this is new and supercute:

So many reasons for the season this year!

Such is Life!

SiL's Advent Calendar Days 3-6 TV Edition

And the work week starts and my purpose goes to hell with it...

Days 3 to 6 come with a gap, so I hope my sis is cooperative and sends the missing picture.

 Now that I see this pictures I realize this looks like some simple crafting work, but by the time I had done gift bags 1-6 I was exhausted!

So to fill up this four day gap I decided it might be a good idea to go back to one of my classic posts! TV goodness yay!

2012 has brought me four fantastic discoveries which I am more than happy to share with you, they are freaky, they are girly and they are awesome!!

So I am taking this opportunity to thank Anuska for suggesting some of this, for making me keep my faith in David Tennant (who proved better than Matt Smith despite the powerful tandem he makes with Amy Pond)...

And here you have the shows that have made me rethink my TV shows ranking:


5.- Here comes a silly family show that kept me stuck to the screen during the first season (still have not had time to watch season 2), but that Beauty and the Beast episode was plain awesome:

4.- It is dark and disturbing, and the characters are all emotionally crippled and wrong, but what a show. Thanks to my iPad I am learning to love BBC shows, and this has to be one of its best shows of late. John Luther you rock.

3.- Moving on from one Belle to other belles, I love the southern groove of this show, and the boy next door (you just have to love him). Nice clothes, nice music, the right amount of drama, and a Gilmorish aftertaste. Hart of Dixie is one show for bad days.

2.- And now for the top two! Outside the government, beyond the police... Torchwood has caught me. And season three was one of those that keeps you watching until 2 am and you don't care.

1.- Finally, a classic of old, a show that reinvents itself every few seasons, I could say sooooo many things about it, about that blue box... All I will say is this: Trust him, he is the Doctor.

Any shows for 2013 you may want to share?

I am thirsty for ideas!!

Such is Life.

PS: I am decorating my Christmas tree on Saturday and I feel giddy, Sis!!

SiL's Advent Calendar Day 2

Day 2 comes accompanied by this cuteness of a picture, also with the though that I just got my fit in the biggest puddle of mud that ever existed.

Now I have to post everyday. Again.

So this is going to work like a post-athon, only I hope my sister will collaborate this time and send me a picture of each day's little gift (at least the good ones ;P).

In addition, I promise to post something fun too.

You may or may not remember this post: 21 days for Christmas from last year, well, this year I am going for something different...

Now that I am a proud owner of the best place ever (and not because I say it) this year I went for home decor instead of Christmas lights, which would not please my neighbours at all.

In my permanent search for inspiration I found this video. Judging is all up to you.

Yeah it's nine minutes long, but you get it by the second minute.

Oh so inspiring.

Merry second day of advent!

Such is Life!

SiL's Advent Calendar Day 1 (in colab with Sister)

The downside of being so excited about Christmas this year is that I have had to wait almost a month to show you this:

The 2012 supercrafted awesomestest Advent Calendar!!

Not to be enjoyed by me, because I am such a good sister.

Just between my first and second visit to Stockholm I decided to make my own advent calendar for my sister and her boyfriend. So I bought all the materials and started working on it. And it was a looooooong process, washitape and stamps, twine and numbers and... Oh sh*t, 22 gifts to include in it.

22 and I am broke, still paying for my bed, the living room and now my super awesome blinds made to measure blinds.

Day 1: A crippled cow.

It is not my fault that it lost a horn, and by the time I realised it was too late to fix it!

So friggin excited about Christmas I have managed to get all my family to tape a videoclip, just as the Kesler family, only with a lot more sense of humour and a lot less self conciousness.

I don't know if I am infringing any intellectual property rights if I post their video, so check it up yourselves in Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISJvrOezu3Q

 You will never get to see the result of my first incursion at video directing, and video producing, but I guarantee that those who see it love it!

More to come tomorrow if my sister is nice enough to send me a picture!!

Deck the halls! Better watch out!

Christmas in Such is Life!

If I had less common sense and more money... (II)

Here I am decorating my new place with slight touches of special stuff like washi tape and origami paper... But what if I did things my way and went big with my freaky inner self?

I felt quite identified with this picture while searching the net for some cool pictures to show you:

Only in my case it should also say the Death Star, Winterfell, Alagaësia and Gallifrey.

So today we are going Star Wars style :

What I like most about this pictures is that I could totally buy these and not get bored at all (well maybe the carpet). These look perfectly nice to me, and actually they create a coherent yet not tiresome atmosphere:

Again I may have to settle with something else if I don't want to scare the hell out of family and friends, my mom in particular.

I thought Mr. Wonderful had the best mugs on earth but I was mistaken. These are the coolest mugs on Earth, and the galaxy:

As my friend Agnes says... Freak and proud.

May the blog be with you.

Such us Life

Postcards to Stockholm: Crafting your countdown

Dear sis,

Second visit just a few days away, I can't wait to see you. I can't wait to see you after that too, in fact, I may be more exited for Christmas this year than I have been in ages, cause you'll be coming home! So I have already started planning something special to make this year's Christmas countdown even more awesome.

Here's a sneak peak:

 Thanks to Holamama for the inspiration. I can't wait till Friday to finish it.

I wonder though how on Earth are you going to resist until December 1 to discover your surprise craft. No cheating allowed or I am not playing wii with you.

And I'll know if you cheat. Beware.

Love,

M.

If I had less common sense and more money... (I)

My place would look like this:

It dawned on me today at work (public holiday? what is that?) I opened the intranet and strange enough, there it was: a Tardis bookshelf. Best thing I've ever seen. It is weird enough that our server is called Rivendel and our remote access Tirion, but what is the Tardis doing there?

And then I started thinking, if I had less common sense and more money I would totally get one of these. 

 How cool is that Tardis bookshelf? Am I the only one to identify the seven books on the left of the top shelf?

Tardis blue has to be the best shade of blue that ever existed.

The lack of bookshelf and super posh place in London with that door has made me settle for the third best (and more adjusted to my possibilities) thing: I need that Tardis tea pot. God bless the Internet for the infinite amount of silly stuff that is sold online.

And from there I found these in the BBC official online store:

 Special collection to celebrate Doctor Who's Anniversary, sold from November 30, 2012. I can't wait to have those tea towels. Should I get the mugs and the teapot too? Is it ok if I get this and the other teapot too? Can that cushion look nice in my bed?

I may have to give this a thought, but I am getting something of this Doctor Who stuff for sure. Maybe I should leave the home decor aside and get this:

I still remember my Cathaye, my Aussie roommate at Penn (hey there!) telling me how super awesome Doctor Who is, that I should watch it. Well, it took me four years but I finally did. And I keep kicking my self for not discovering it before.

Quite a lot of new stuff coming to SiL, this is the beginning of a new post-wave.

Trust me, I'm the blogger.

Such is Life. 

Postcards to Stockhom: The importance of... opposable thumbs

Dear Sis,

Yay! for blog posts categorised under "Daily life catastrophes and other stories" yay!

Second weekend spent at my place and second catastrophe. I don't want to but can't help thinking that my own apartment hates me to pieces.

First weekend there cost me four days of physiotherapy. Second weekend almost cost me that distinctive human feature not valued enough: Opposable thumbs.

I sliced half my left thumb's phalanx and it was like being part of a Tarantino movie.

It was all going nice and smooth on Sunday morning and I was about to try my new toaster when it all happened. A false movement and I had enough blood on the counter to feed the whole cast of  Twilight.

I kept calm for enough time to get some ice on my finger, put my coat on and go straight to my mom's in my PJs. Once there... I cried, almost lost consciousness and let mom take care of me like a baby. Living within a five minute walk from your mom can save your life.

My thumb has been rendered useless for a while it seems... so now, completely normal and effortless actions become a trial and I require assistance for simple stuff like:

1 - Washing my hair.
2 - Opening a packet of M&Ms...
3 - Squeezing the toothpaste.
4 - Zipping my jeans.
5 - Collecting the parking ticket from the machine while driving (most painful so far).
6 - Adding sugar to my coffe.
7 - Combing my hair (is if had hair to be combed actually).
8 - Typing on my Bb.
9 - Snapping my fingers (don't really want to imagine that right now).
10 - Piloting the Tardis, the Millenuim Falcon and the Enteprise.

So here I am, dirty hair, dirty teeth, uncombed hair (not unzipped jeans, not that) loving all this complaining.

I am not uploading pictures this time for your own sake. No need to thank me.

Love,

M

Halloween. Fastart!

Date: October 14th.
Time of execution: 4 minutes.
Tools: MagicSketchpad - Charcoal on blackboard.
Location: Arlanda Airport. Stockholm

Is this a new blog section?

We'll see...

Such is Life!

In the mood for...

Christmas! In mid October, I know, I know what you are thinking, no need to say it.

Halloween is not here and I already feel all christmasy. Maybe the last order I made to one of my new online shops helps in this...

I have the cutest crafting project in mind. I'll let you know about it soon enough. In the meantime here's a pic of what is going to come.

Stockholm won't know what hit it on November 9th when the project is revealed!!!

Muahahahahaha (in a Halloweeny tone).

Such is Life

PS: YES, I went to Stockholm and NO, I have not posted about it yet. That goes to the to-do list.

Postcards to Stockholm: 3, 2, 1...

Dear Sis,

I am coming!! Three more days and you'll have me there, going absolutely crazy in each and every single design store we walk by. In the meantime, check my super lovely October calendar!

 You may already know, but I'll tell you again just in case you forgot, my neck is killing me, and oh how I suffer. I can't wait to see you and complain in person. In fact, just as this post is being published I am on my way to the physiotherapist to try and fix me in time to resist the Stockholm shopping madness that I plan to bring on your sorry self.

Start tidying up, clean the dirty dishes and get the couch ready because my next post won't be a Postcards to...  but a Postcards from...

Love,

M.

Postcards to Stockholm: 11 and counting

Dear Sis,

11 and counting (backwards).

 

Love,
M

P.S.: Yes, that is washi tape in our calendar.
P.S.2: October's pics are the best!

What about second breakfast? (The SiL archives vol. II)

What about second breakfast? Well, I'll tell you what happened to second breakfast. I was planning on a supercool post on the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and all this Tolkien awesomeness and work got on the way. Work and then Ikea (but that is another story *note to self, post about your weekend in Ikea*)...

I was soooo late for second breakfast that I don't even see the point of posting this but...

I am posting this as part of the SiL Archives:

September 21st, 2012: WHAT ABOUT SECOND BREAKFAST?

That's exactly what I thought yesterday at work...

What about second breakfast?

I suggested some of my friends to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Hobbit by having second breakfast at 11:00 am, and no one wanted to celebrate with me. How devastating that no one around me understands the magnificenticly amazing moment I lived yesterday at 11:00am.

75 years of the publication of the book that preceeded the Lord of the Rings...

And I celebrated by having a cup of vanilla tea while typing incessantly in front of my computer's gigantic screen. How celebratory... (*irony*).

You know what? that tea tasted special no matter what you say or how freak you think I am.

But tea seemed insufficient to celebrate, no matter how much intent I put to it. Soooooo I went online and discovered:

http://www.hobbitsecondbreakfast.com/ of course there had to be something special online, yay!!

And I found a lovely craft that decorated my parent's place all of last weekend (yes I have started calling it my parent's place cause mine now looks like a home and not a warehouse!).

I had to trick a coleague into  printing it, and then I was almost late for dinner on friday, cut, cut, cut, washi-tape, washi-tape, washi-tape, baker's twine, baker's twine and more baker's twine and it was done! Easiest craft ever... May it was not intended for adults which explains (a) how easy it was and (b) this note that appeared on the first page:






I promise I was extremely careful with the scissors.

And I am keeping it, of course. By September 21st next year it will be decorating my super huge grey wall, right on top of the humongous TV I intend to get as soon as I pay all my debts (that may be sometime by September 21st next year too...)

Have a nice week. Short and amusing, with enough work to keep you busy but no so much that you can't have your lunch break and get to the office one day and don't get out until the next. Those are the really good weeks (I miss them).

Such is Life.

Postcards to Stockholm: Cost Efficiency

Dear Sis,

I am on top of my game! Still cutting expenses and doing awesome.

Yesterday, instead of buying my traditional €26.40 Ordning & Reda notebook I went to Portico and got a cheaper one (€2.25!!!!).

Felt so proud of my savings I celebrated by getting a set of rubber stamps and a set of stickers.

Total price: €23.25

Total savings: €3.15

That's what I call cost efficiency.

Bring it on!

Love,

M


P.S.: Coming soon Such is Life celebrates 75 years of the Hobbit.

Postcards to Stockholm: Expense policy

Dear Sis,

Yesterday was the first day of my new zero expense policy.

1.- Went to work by bus (bus ticket not paid by me). Total expense: €0 (Plus watching my new favourite TV show of the moment while at the bus. Priceless)

2.- Went home for lunch (bus ticket and meal not paid by me). Total expense: €0

3.- Got mom to give me a lift after a short nap (gas not paid by me). Total expense: €0

4.- Bought a coke at the office (that I paid): €0.5

5.- Got a lift home at night (gas not paid by me): €0

TOTAL EXPENSES: €0.5

If I can keep this going for the next ten years my mortgage will pay itself (or I may feel less guilty next time I buy washi tape).

Love,

M

PS: I encouraged mom to watch Once Upon a Time the other day, she likes it! New season airs September 30th, just FYI.

Postcards to Stockholm: Bankrupcy

Dear Sis,

I just found out VIPS is selling washi-tape. Thank God they only sell 5 different models... I left one for the next time I feel blue.

I suspect the bank will soon seize my apartment...

Love,
M

My dear dear friends...

... PLEASE DON'T DESTROY MY BRAND NEW PLACE (pretty please)

I have hopes that you will find it mighty uncomfortable and may choose not to stay long ;P but in the meantime, please follow these simple rules:

- Do not bring water or paint balloons.
- Do not step on dog poop before coming in.

I have decided to officially launch my new apartment and future home amongst my closest friends, and I am having second thoughts, cold feet and even bloody ears.

Not that I don't love my friends and trust they will behave as they should, but no one can guarantee any of them will turn up with an african elephant to the dinner or with the whole cirque du soleil who will use my bed as platform and my walls as canvas.

I may be going way too far with this, but one can never be too sure. I hope this dinner does not end in a ten worst things post, but if that is the case, you will all hear about it.

Enough of this!

My dear girls and boy, welcome to my humble and emptyish place, come in and make yourselves comfortable in the only sofa, sit cozily on the floor, squeeze the non-existent cushions and of course, feel at home.

Invitation details for those involved will come shortly via Facebook.

Such is Life

Postcards to Stockholm: Diet

Dear Sis,

I am back at the office for good, hump! Summer is over and now I have to go back to normal (solita sin ti). I got on the lift today alone, just my bag and I, a lift prepared for 13 passengers and 1000 kg weight, and guess what... it politely said: "Overload, could one person please get off?".

I am on a severe diet as of now.

Love,
M

P.S.: Quality of picture severely reduced by the fact that I didn't want anyone to see me taking a picture with my bb at work. I have a reputation to maintain.

Postcards to Stockholm - Filling the void

Dear Sis,

I am desperate to fill the void you've left in my daily life, I have tried buying furniture, going to museums, pampering up and nothing could help me get over this sister depravation.

But maybe, maybe there is something that can help me...

17 different washi tapes and three rubber stamps don't seem enough. I may have to go over there to check if all those shops you announce are as good as you say.

Things are changing dramatically since you left, el Hormiguero has a new ant, and I hate it! Its name is Petancas and is the roomate of Trancas and Barrancas. I leave you a video here so that you can judge for yourself, but I feel you will think the same as I do. Why do good things have to change? Maybe they are also trying to fill a void, I may have to suggest that they washi-tape the original ants and maybe then they get rid of the new one...

Love,
M

P.S.: Last night the Godfather part I and II was on TV, I could have watched 6 hours of non-stop bloodbath, instead I may have watched iMTV, the new season of 16 and Pregnant is dramatic.

Postcards to Stockholm - Manicure

Dear Sis,

How was your day? I have a few days of holidays left yet, so I am taking things easy.

Today I got a manicure for Saturday's wedding. If my hair is going to look like a rat's, I should draw the attention somewhere else to avoid humiliation. I think they did a terrific job, don't you agree?

Love,
M