This post was originally titled ‘Music videos (and songs) that make you laugh’, but it evolved to be more about old videos from the 90s of songs I really loved back then. It began with me not being able to get a song out of my head, one that’s only a couple of years old, to somehow ending up in the early 90s…

I haven’t been able to get this song out of my head for a couple of days. Every time I hear it or see this video I collapse into laughter. There is also Tutti Frutti Summer Love.

Not the funniest video but The Ketchup Song always gives me a giggle, probably because I actually really liked it when it came out. Haha!

Anyone remember This Is How We Party by S.O.A.P? This is from 10 years ago, and I have to say it seems really innocent compared to how music sounds and what the videos are like nowadays.

This is ‘Rough Enough’ by Popsie, a European girl band from the late ’90s. I got their album in the summer of ’98 and spent a significantly large amount of time in my room dancing to it. I believe this was their first single, called ‘Single’. I really loved them. That was the summer of Popsie and Aaron Carter.

Billie, better known as Billie Piper, the one who was on Doctor Who, had quite the pop career ten years ago. This particular song was one I liked a lot back then.

Going back earlier to TLC with their video for ‘Creep’. I made my mum make satin pjs for me because of this video! I was probably 7 or 8 at the time. Except mine had quarter-moons with smiling faces for buttons.

Usher! I didn’t really like him all that much when I was younger, but I totally like this song now. Or I have this thing where I hated a song when it came out but like it now purely because it reminds me of the time back when it was released.

Ok, I should probably stop now before I spent all night doing this. By stop, I mean stop posting links. I probably will keep looking all night…

Note: I wrote this yesterday but forgot to publish it to the blog, so you’re getting it now.

I’m feeling decidedly unmotivated today, which presents problems as I need to finish packing my belongings up this weekend and want to help my mum with stuff as well. We move on the 19th so it would be better to get as much done this weekend instead of leaving it to the last minute, which I’m prone to doing with most things.

I hate getting into these slumps of no motivation, for obvious reasons. It’s not at all fun, that’s for sure, but I just can’t be bothered. I’m tired, my neck is a bit sore and causing headaches, it’s hot. I don’t want to do anything! It’s so annoying. It’s like my default mood is “blah” instead of happy. I’m existing, not living, which sucks.

At least it’s fixable though, by making myself do stuff, and I tend to feel more lively and motivated when I’m in Auckland, which is where I’m moving to.

Speaking of which, it occurred to me recently that anyone following this blog might be confused about the move, so here is a brief explanation:

I was born in Auckland, skip to age 12 and my family moves to Gisborne. Over the last 8 years I’ve spent lots of time in Auckland as we’d go there several times a year. In September 2007 I moved to Auckland and stayed there until March of this year, when I came back down for a holiday. After that my situation in Auckland changed and I decided to come back down to Gisborne for the rest of the year, until the move back to Auckland. Incidentally I have probably spent more time in Auckland this second half of the year than I had anticipated, because my mum and I have been back and forth for various reasons and we spent about 2 months there, from July to October, when my eldest sister gave birth. So, next week we finally move, or I do as Mum will come back here for a bit as my dad still has a month of work left. The End!

After over a month of having a boring “Closed down” message on the index page, I finally fancied prettybloomers.com up as a “proper” collective.

I also gave Mer de Noms a new design, featuring a great photograph of Saint Petersburg by Leo Pan. I spent some time looking at stock images of Russia this afternoon and have decided it’s now one of my favourite countries.

Yes, I fully admit that Paullina Simons’ The Bronze Horseman trilogy has had a major influence in my new found love for Russia. I am completely obsessed with those books and don’t mind who knows or how nuts people may think I am.

1. Choose a writer you like.
2. Using resources such as Wikipedia, the author’s website, whatever you can find, make a list of interesting facts about the author.
3. Post your fun facts list in your blog, maybe with a photo of the writer, a collage of his or her books, whatever you want.
4. Come sign the Mr Linky here with the url to your fun facts post.
5. As you run into (or deliberately seek out) other Weekly Geeks’ lists, add links to your post for authors you like or authors you think your readers are interested in.

I’m gonna do this on Paullina Simons, since I’ve talked about her books a fair bit here, so now you can learn about her.

• Born in 1963 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia. She moved with her family to America at the age of 10.
• She has a degree in political science and worked as a financial journalist and translator before writing and releasing her first novel, Tully.
• She’s married with four children.
• Paullina is best known for her book The Bronze Horseman, but many of her other novels have have reached international best-seller lists, particularly in Australia and New Zealand.

Oh, well, lemme see, what have I been up to? On Monday I handed in my last assignment so I’m done with my course now. There are no exams or anything, so it really is done. Next year in the first semester I need to take another course in order to achieve the certificate I want, so I am planning on doing that.

I have a couple of important things I need to do today, one being to finish my CV and the other is enrolling at Auckland University (fingers crossed I get in). I should also start sewing a Christmas gift as I would like to get most of it done before the move, and it will give me something to do.

Aside from all that, I have had really bad neck pain the last few days. I often get extremely bad headaches along with neck pain and yesterday was the worst I’ve had in a long time, and I actually went and had a sleep because of it. Today the pain is not as bad but I’ll make a chiropractor appointment and get it sorted.

On top of that I am having a lovely dose of PMS, which started with food cravings and is now making me feel somewhat homicidal (ok, not really, but if you’re a woman you probably know what I mean). So, that’s just great. All I want to do is curl up on the couch, eat salt and vinegar chips while watching movies and sleeping. And I will do that, providing I at least get the CV done.

Last night I made a chocolate and banana cake, made with The PPK’s Chocolate Banana Cupcake recipe. I’ve used the recipe for cupcakes before and thought I’d use it for a cake because it’s moist and, well, yum!

I ended up making two cakes (baking for about 35 minutes each) because the tin I used was too large for the mix and the first cake came out more like a flat-ish disk. I sandwiched the two cakes together, using vegan butter icing as a filler and on top.

Vegan Butter Icing

I don’t tend to use measurements for this and add a little at a time to get whatever consistency and taste I desire.

Ingredients

• Vegan margarine
• Icing (powdered) sugar
• Vanilla extract (use the real stuff, if you have it!)

Directions
In a medium sized bowl start off with about 3 decent tablespoons on margerine. Add in about 1/2 cup of icing sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Slowly mix all together using a fork until smooth, ensuring to get all the margarine and sugar from around the sides and on the bottom. Try the mix. Need some more sugar? Add it. Need some more vailla? Add it. Too butter? Add more sugar. Too crumbly? Add more margarine. Keep trying until it’s to your taste.

Use however you wish.

Today my parents I went to the Gypsy Fair, which is a fair put on by a much of “gypsies”, as they travel the country is gypsy-styles motor homes. They all sell things, from clothing to soaps to wood products to fortune telling. I’ve always enjoyed going and, as I missed it last year, was thrilled to know it was back this weekend.

Unfortunately it was much smaller this time around and there definitely was not as many travelling, and thus less to see. It didn’t have the same sort of atmosphere as it has had in the past, so that was a bit of a shame. Still great people, lovely to chat to and great to see people using their talents to make beautiful things.

I bought a large framed print of Marilyn Monroe. It’s one of my favourite photos of her.

After we left the fair we went into town and had a drink at Verve cafe. I also got a really nice falafel salad with tabouli, which was very, very yummy. And they didn’t give me moo-cow juice in my chai latte this time, so yay.

I am super tired today so I am going to be lazy and watch TV for most of it!

I have to set the scene: I’m sitting on the couch doing some kind of seated Twist dance to Ray Charles. The 50s and 60s radio station on Sky Digital is genius.

I sent in my report this morning. Oh relief! I think it was ok, not great, but hopefully it will do. Now I’m working on my last assignment for the course, which is a learning journal I’ve been writing in for the duration of the course and a numeracy worksheet.

I only need to add one or two more entries to the journal, and I am stuck on one maths problem which I am waiting for help with (I’m having trouble understanding exactly what’s being asked, so I want to double-check). Except now I have to wait. I would be done by now if only my brain was sure of the meaning. Damn you, brain, you, you….grr!

Oh well, as long as I get it done by Monday, which is when the assignment is due, all will be well and the clouds will open up and God will praise thy. Or something.

I hope God is Johnny Depp or Caleb Followill. That would make me really happy. Just saying…

Yesterday I posted about how excited I am for Christmas and last night I decided that I will make my own Christmas cards this year instead of buying them. Though, I have to say, I usually try to at least get nice bought cards.

However, I think I am not alone when I say that a handmade card comes with an extra punch of special. There is nothing like receiving one that you know someone put time and effort into designing and creating, which is why I’m going to make my own this year.

Although I have made cards in the past, they have never been what I consider very professional looking, so I have been browsing online for ideas. I’ve found many lovely ones at Impress Rubber Stamps but have yet to finalise a design of my own. I don’t have tons of money to spend on supplies, so not many embellishments will be used (which is sensible since I will be mailing many of the cards overseas). All the cards will be the same, except for the ones I’m making for kids. I will either do designs using things each child likes, or just a different design for all the kids.

I have to make at least 25, I think, so I shall assemble a small factory and will probably hate card making when I’m done.

And, yes, I realise it’s still October, but in my excitement I am thinking ahead. And: to make them before the move or after? If I leave it a few weeks I can go to Spotlight in Auckland and look at their supplies, but will I still feel inclined to make them then?

A few months ago I created a blog over at Blogpot to track my weight-loss, fitness and how I was progressing with veganism. Shortly after it’s creation I went out of town for a couple of months to Auckland and stopped posting in it. Now I’m going to revive those subjects in this blog and I plan on updating about one a week on how I’m doing.

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