The Swiss Style

Since my lovely trip home is slowly but surely coming to an end I decided to share with you a few things I came across while strolling through known alleys, seeing familiar faces and places, hearing and reading the news, and discovering my hometown as if I had never been there before. In no particular order...

Switzerland is one intense and crazy place (no wonder I chose my blog title! - haha!)

New people arrived in my little country and it's gotten crowded.

People are not as friendly, and those that are are sadly not Swiss.

Prices went up, which is no shocker...sure, let's pay $61 for a baked potato, a glass wine and water. No prob.

The winter fog is dense and annoying.

The fog/air combo is horrible and many suffer - including me.

Pastries are awesome...just saying.

Coffee is awesome, too. Soooo good.
Beer...need I say more?!

The tourists can be annoying.
The pickpockets are even more annoying. Luckily nothing happened but it makes you paranoid.

Language difficulties in my own language? Holy cow. I was shocked.

Kids drink way too much alcohol.

People think too much about ridiculous topics such as what color a chair should or shouldn't be.

The NEWS is important...if you don't watch it you are out.

Stores close early (no shocker for me) but I had to get used to it again.

I was happy not having to tip anyone - you either deserve it or you don't. Yeah, I know, I can be mean. 

Everything is on time. Like really on time. 5.54 is 5.54 and not 5.55.

Dogs are everywhere - even in restaurants.

I missed my favorite cafes, and restaurants.

I missed my favorite shops.

Loved seeing my favorite shoes, and clothes in my closet (I know silly!).

Streets are dirtier.

People dress better.
People also dress worse.
And...People dress up, even just going to the grocery store.
People in Switzerland just dress different, period.

The local radio station still plays the same songs. Ugh.

Carnival season aka "Fasnacht" is one season I will be missing for sure. 

People already are in Carnival mood.

I was alone most of the time & I was okay with that.

I discovered nothing new, but enjoyed every single corner and dust ball I saw.

Driving is something people here need to learn again.

Walking is something people need to learn too.
Pedestrians are invisible.

Green Vodka - yes please!

My friends are the best.

My friends' kids are awesome...so much life ahead of them.

 My health insurance is kicking my butt. Negatively.

Wireless is not always available in the city.

Foggy sunsets are breathtaking.

Walking is the best method of transportation.

Swans are gracious.
Mom started watching The Bachelor (help me!!!).

Historical buildings still fascinate me.
 Stubbornness is still a word I'd use to describe people here.

I'm proud to call this country and city my home.

Who wants to come visit it with me next time?!??? 

I had the pleasure in meeting the fun gal Ashley from She's Come Undone.
If you haven't stumbled upon her blog, you are missing out.
And word has it she may return to Luzern soon.
See???
This city is beautiful.

xoxo

Friendships

You gotta love them.
Sometimes you also gotta hate them.

I love my friends.
Returning home has shown me that some people still care about me, and it also has shown that others just don't give a damn. Pardon my French.
I've had it. 

You know I am here and you know that I'll be leaving again, too. I've contacted you, and if you don't think our friendship is important or worth it - as I see it right now because I don't get hardly any responses whatsoever - then, well, then, I think our friendship isn't what I thought it was. I don't care how busy you are, or how involved you are in whatever you are doing because I know that even the busiest person has time for her or his friends. If that fails, life fails, and well, maybe life failed for some of my friends. 

Their loss.
Not mine.
Even though I feel sad and kind of mad, too.

I even sacrificed an evening of sitting in my PJ's on the couch watching my favorite soccer team play just so I can go out with my girl friends. I love my girls. We are all so diverse. Some of us are married and have children, and others don't have a partner or children and still live life or travel too much or live abroad. We still manage to get together and enjoy the little things, even when one is about to collapse from work and the other one needs a time-out from her daily mom-world. I appreciate that. That's what friendships are for. 

Hope you're having a fabulous, fun-filled, friendship-filled weekend!!!

xoxo

Crazy Weekend!

*be forewarned...it's one of those posts again that just needed to be shared. The written kind!

So my lovelies...
I had an interesting weekend.
Literally.

The quote above applies to all of us, you, me, your neighbor, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, dad, sister, friend, brother, cousin, classmate, and even the horrible teacher you dread seeing. It works for all of us. Reading it over and over again it makes me sad, and question where we are all from. I mean, who do you think I am?! Where I come from? Not the country, or the city, or religion. Put all that aside and focus on me, as a person. A girl. Or heck, a woman who looks like a girl. Think about it. Do you really know me? Do we really know you?

Unless we are related or have been friends for a while...we probably have assumptions but don't necessarily know anything about the other person. I am not saying we should now all open up, but we should think first before we act, say, and just handle things. I'm sure most of us do that already. 

This weekend has proven to me that love has all kinds of different forms. And apparently this weekend it was the nasty kind. It not only shocked me, but worried me mostly. How can love turn its back and become so evil, gross, unfair, and rough? Don't get me wrong now. No physical abuse or anything in that matter happened. BUT, even words can be hurtful (sometimes more than anything else) and I felt useless, sad, alone, and just very much filled with question marks. 

I enjoyed my freedom, and my PJ days/hours, and waking up with a dog facing me...I even enjoyed little things like a dog trying to lick me and really getting into this "I need to lick Selma's face now" - phase...but he failed. :) It made me smile though. I'm telling you little things are the best!!!

But at the same time, I had nightmares, and wondered why people go through what they go through. Yes. And the quote above says...we all have stories to tell (or not), and those stories have shaped us and are shaping us throughout our lives...but is it really worth reliving stories again? Not to me.

Then, Amazon (ThankYouVeryMuch) finally sent me the book I needed for my dreaded speech class. If I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE my speech class (more on that later on another post!). So the first two chapters that are due tomorrow night (and yes, I read them already!) are about communication, life, and listening skills. I read those chapters so quickly because I just couldn't stop. I thought that book was talking to me, explaining why certain things happen and why Saturday night was one awful night for all of us to witness. I wanted to read it out loud and let everyone hear it because truly, I felt the book talked to me. No epiphany though occurred so I still don't know what I'm going to do with my life (hello crazy little world of mine get your s*hit together!!), but still...the book has opened eyes, ears and heart for me!

I love books like this one!

And today, for pretty much the first time in my entire time here in California I have to admit that I am missing Europe! Maybe the little incident on Saturday triggered this feeling, maybe not. Maybe it's reading/following so many of you out there that live in Europe, or are about to move there. Either way I miss Europe today! A lot!!

Or, it's the gloomy day we are experiencing!

But good news is...in approximately four months I'm flying back to Europe!!
Can I get a YAY or a high five, or anything else that might make me even more excited about this than I already am?! Yes?! Please!!!

Ciao!!!

Friendship and such

I had a slight meltdown last night...okay, maybe not. But I stayed home all day, cleaned up, worked on school stuff, and ended up watching TV with a gigantic glass of wine in my hand (please don't judge). I ended up drinking a bit more than just one glass...oops. However, it was well deserved (obviously) and I was alone with two dogs, so that somehow justifies it. I even offered one dog some wine but he declined by turning his back on me. Just like that. I felt alone. However, when it was time for me to get some zzzz's, he apologized and slept next to me just so I'm fully protected if anything would ever happen. How sweet.

Though the weekend's been good to me. I made myself "homesick" by catching up on all Swiss related news, and music. I listened to my local radio station back in Switzerland and heck, they are still playing the same music. Not even one song was new. I listened at night, so this made it around ten in the morning over there, but still...no new songs? Really. We all know radio stations play the same songs over and over again until we just can't stand the songs anymore, but this is worse. In the past three months nothing changed? Not even one bit? Wonder if I should email them and let them know. I am appalled. 

On another note...over the past three months, heck even almost four months I have learned a lot about friendship. A lot. 

I have learned that some friends are brilliant, and others just occasionally play a role in my life. I am sad that the friends I thought I could count on are not really friends these days. Right now typing I'm having a fun conversation with one of my oldest friends. She's going to Australia in a few days and I already miss her and our fun text messages. She'll have fun though being in Down Under again, seeing family and exploring new areas of that gigantic continent. I'm already looking forward to fun pictures and updates.

But going back to my friendship topic...I am just saddened that some people take friendships (and I'm not only talking about myself here) for granted. Yes, I can easily apply it to myself and my friends and in some way I am doing so. I may live abroad right now, and I may have a few friends here but this should not mean that I am not available for my old friends. Nowadays with all kinds of social sites, modern technologies, etc it is so much easier to stay in touch - if it is what is wanted. I have a feeling, some just do not get it at all. At all.

I am thankful however for the friends I stay in contact with via fun Skype conversations, so at least I know how they are and what they look like and how big their children/babies already are. For kids it is always fun to Skype. They do not understand (yet) how this is even possible...seeing me on a big screen and not really seeing me in reality but somehow it is reality. They ask the funniest questions and it totally makes my day!! I love it!

How are you keeping in touch with friends that live abroad, not just around the corner, or in a different time zone?

Thursday Blah!

This is pretty much how I would love to walk around all week long. In hot summer weather.

Unfortunately it started raining right while I was walking home loaded with grocery bags (four to be exact) and no umbrella with me. Then again, I reminded myself of my favorite feeling. I love summer rain, the hot kind. When you're pretty much sweating all day long and the heat won't leave your place, but then there's hope with tons of rain coming down. The heat's still there but you can stand outside with your arms wide open embracing the much needed and anticipated rain. At last.

I love that feeling. I really do. Not exactly while I'm walking home trying to protect my leather bag like a frantic person but I love that feeling. I had an extra (and huge) plastic bag with me so I actually put my lovely bag into that gigantic plastic bag and off I went home. I got soaking wet, my hair looked rather sexy, and my leather bag survived the fun. 

And yes I walk home, and don't drive here. Kinda miss driving. I'm sure letting me back on the road at some point will be a fun thing. I'm a good driver, maybe more cautious than others my age, but I haven't been driving in so long. I miss it but I love the environment too much, and besides, living in Europe allows me to walk and take public transportation. The good kind. ;) 

And walking just like that after a major rain storm is one of my favorites...it calms me. Big time.

As you can see, I'm back on Pinterest.
Awwww, how I love that site!!

Have a terrific Thursday everyone.

Sometimes...

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Four hours of shopping today literally exhausted me.
My feet hurt, my wallet is halfway empty and I am just beyond exhausted.
Though so far, this Saturday has been fun.
Met a friend of mine (so glad we got to hang out again!), went shopping with her (I personally didn't buy much), had interesting chats, and now I will have dinner tonight with that same friend and then watch an ice hockey game, too. 

What more is there to want?
Oh yeah, I met two people today I hadn't seen in over maybe 15 years, or more.
That was an amazing coffee time.
We basically bumped into one another, all of us looking for a spot to sit and sip on some espresso.

I just love my city, and my little neighborhood.

To me, this is still the best neighborhood in town - no doubt.
Very relaxed, friendly, open, and artsy. Just about my thing.

Hope your weekend started beautifully.

Have a terrific day.
I need to rest my feet some more. 

xoxo,

♥ S ♥

Friendship And Vegetable

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This is just so very true.
At least when it comes to my friends.
The majority of them lives miles away and it's just purely fantastic to me that I share more with and know more about them than with the few friends I have right here. Actually it's quite sad, too. Friendships blossom, develop and sometimes wither - we all know that, and it has happened to all of us. Right?! I just think it's sad that I have to kind of force people to meet me or see me. It makes me feel less important, less worthy, and less of a person. I know I am not. I would never be able to tell my friends though. They may understand me wrong, and just blame it on my being away or something else. So I won't go there. 

With that being said life continues today...with some sunshine, laundry, a slightly better me (thank you all!), and lots of vegetables. 

I need vegetables. Kind of trying to see if I can find some fun new recipes and ideas. Fruits, too. However, vegetables come first - I feel I neglected my body a bit.

Any suggestions on what to go for these days?!

Thanks.

xoxo,

♥ S ♥

P.s. Remember, my not drinking this month?! It's worked beautifully so far, except for one glass of red wine on my friend's bachelorette party. Whoops. No judging. I thought it was a great excuse. 

Positive Thinking

Happy Monday!

 

Today, I need your positive thoughts, hopes, and everything else coming with happy spirits...it is greatly needed, and appreciated. I won't tell you why but you can trust me that it's needed. My friends need it today, and it's very crucial. So, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers today and send us some positivity over so everything will be okay today!!!

That's all I need for today.
The sun came back out and it's warming up again...thank you Orange County for being so beautiful today!!!!

So, having the sun out and slightly warmer temps is a good start.

Having all of you think of us will be even better!!!

Thank you!!!

xoxo,

♥ Selma ♥

Don't Forget Folks...

...because we so simply tend to do so every so often. Myself included.

This picture's source is somewhere in Atlanta, GA.

Where I got it from and how?! Honestly? I simply do not remember.
Blame it on my age!!! ;)

But even though I may not fully remember how I found this picture

I still remember though that we all depend on nature.

So, why are we ruining it?

Signs...go find them

via tumblr

This is just what I needed to read today.
They are indeed everywhere.
Sometimes we are just too busy to notice them.

Hope you're having an awesome Sunday.
I did have a good day (not the best though)...compliments all day long, a gift certificate in the amount of $170 (from a random person I spoke to on the phone last night, amazing people can be awesome! - and you can bet on that, I'm going to use that one...it's for a facial!), and my raspberry muffin with my favorite drink called vanilla latte. ;)  Since there aren't any pumpkin spice lattes available over here (I need to speak to someone and address this problem immediately) I enjoyed my all year favorite drink.

I also realized that life's too short and I should be doing what I need to be doing. I should try to make myself happy and not others. It's my life, and not theirs. If they're happy just because I get a new job or new position or whatever...good for them. But in the end, does it make me happy?! If so, even better. If not, I need to stay selfish or at least become selfish and go for whatever I wanna do. Ok, this may not make any sense to you but it does to me. I want to wake up again and look forward to whatever the day has in store for me. I need that daily push...I used to get excited about cleaning, washing the car, just going out for a walk in the neighborhood, going grocery shopping, just walking along the beach or go out and get a coffee. I miss that. I miss all of it. I need to find that happiness again. :)

In other news...I'm going to have hot chocolate now...and then head to bed early.
I started yesterday and I'm going to continue looking for signs...all over...and I know I already saw some...should I follow them?! I think I should.

xoxo,

♥ Selma ♥

Feelings in Quotes

 via we ♥ it

When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves,
it is useless to seek it elsewhere.

by Francois de la Rochefoucauld

If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right.
But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see.

by Henry David Thoreau

Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.

by Robert J. Sawyer

Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.

by George Burns

Happy Wednesday everyone.

xoxo,
♥ Selma ♥

Tuesday Thought

via

Obviously today was a very bad day.

Never mind busy moments, lots of questions and phone calls and tons of thinking and organizing...but once I'm yelled at for the good *and may I call it slightly perfect* job I'm doing I can and will not accept this. And then it hit me. Just two more months are ahead of me and I am done. It's a scary thought, but just writing it down makes it sooooo possible and so just around the corner. 

For the past seven days I've learned that there are people out there truly appreciating my work and what I do to make them happy and all. It's the small things that count. It's a smile, or just a hello, or just the fact that I will cancel a doctor's appointment for a very special (I try to avoid important) person. I'm going to do this tomorrow on my day off. Yes, even then. But I've learned that there are indeed people out there knowing how hard I work and how much effort I put in every single action over a break-less 9-hour shift. Yesterday was one of the best days. I made lots of people happy. I make lots of people happy every day. It's part of my job. It's what I went to school for, and even though I get paid squat for all the effort and magic I bring into this place I also learned that some people just don't see it and love to yell at me. I believe, and yes this may sound conceited, that I am the one holding this place together. Trust me. I never talk like this but in this case, I believe so. My patience is gone and well, the appreciation I received over the past few days was awesome...all the negativity not so much...I cried, had to ditch a friend's spontaneous call/coffee stop/whatever, cried some more, talked to my mom about this, and honestly told her that I just know that this place won't survive with its current attitude coming all the way from above. Sad but true.

It's time to let go and start fresh. Where? How? No clue.
If I'm being yelled at for no real reason, not even knowing how much positivity I give and how much I have to work in order to keep it all in and make everyone happy, I don't see a point in continuing. At all. It ruins me.

So, can't and won't write more.
I'm too exhausted and need to rest.
I'm very sad, and very disappointed in everything right now.

Don't know how to proceed tomorrow but it's all going to be okay. It just has to.

via

Ha!
Easier said than done.



♥ Selma ♥

It's Beginning To Get To Me

At my age I'm supposed to have my shit together but apparently it seems as if every day makes my current situation worse, and definitely not better or easier. Granted, I never heard anyone say life's easy or that it gets easier but at least I was hoping to be able to say "hey, I know what I want and how I want it and I can go for it and don't worry about anything or anyone!". I'm so far away from even thinking this way it scares me. I mean, I do have a job (at least for now) and well, that is about it. Something else besides constantly going back and forth from work and home has to be around the corner. It just has. That's no life. It's a total mess and a lie. Life's not supposed to be this dull and empty. It's not supposed to be pink and happy all the time either but at least something has to be there to look forward to. Something that enriches every single future second that comes along. Just something funny, something good, something new, something special, something just perfect at my age. Where the hell is that?!

What am I doing wrong?! Am I nuts?! Am I actually failing life?! Or is life failing me?! What's wrong with me and the world around me?! Who are you, telling me I suck or that I could do more with my life?! I know THAT, I'm not stupid. You are stupid! Shut up!! Crap! I hate everything and everyone. Stop telling me what to do and what not to do. Stop it! Don't call me that. Why aren't you calling back?! Why is it that everyone simply hates me?! I hate myself. I hate you, too. I hate this life. I just dislike being alone. I'm old enough. Why aren't you listening to me? Why is everyone against me?! Why now? Why again? Why not later?!!! ... ... ...

I thought I left puberty a long time ago. I thought that this part was over but I learned that this never fully ends. No matter how old you are you constantly search for something in life. Whether it is Mr Right or Mrs Right, or a better job, a bigger house, a greater car, a much better fitting pair of jeans, or a reasonably priced restaurant...you are looking for something else in life that makes it either easier, better, nicer or "all of the above". At my age I thought I'd be far away from where I am at the moment. I feel like this teenage girl not knowing what comes next and not having a clue what to do with her life. What happened to me?! Where's my spirit?! How did I ever lose it? Or did it actually leave me?
My summer misery has started a long time ago. It just hit me a month ago - right in my face. It could be part of my quarter-life crisis too but I just call it summer misery. Sounds more dramatic. I'm not a drama queen, maybe a drama princess but which girl isn't that sometimes. It just seems that I'm going nowhere. I'm stuck. Literally. I can't seem to find my way out of this whole non-existing momentum I'm dwelling in. And my so-called spirit I used to have is gone. Can't remember last time I was happy, I mean REALLY happy...no worries, no bad thoughts, no problems, no health problems (has increased in the last year and I truly, madly and deeply believe it's work and this awful life of mine that make me sick), no friendship dramas, no family drama, no whatever problems....just normal life with its occasional ups and downs (again, I'm not saying life's always happy and cheerful and pink)...but it can't be all the time this bad and sad. Granted, I'm complaining here and contemplating on how to create a happier world around me whereas others in the world can't even afford a laptop and Internet connection (and I am an owner of both). But besides the fact that I am sort of healthy and yes, have the necessary funds to buy myself writing equipment and access to the WorldWideWeb I simply have a blank mind. My future lies ahead of me and I don't know what to do with it. We're supposed to cherish what we have and follow our dreams, and live every new day as it was our last. Why can't I do this?! What blockage is this? What am I afraid of?! Who knew I could end up like this! I sure didn't. I'm sure we all feel this way at some point in our lives. I thought it was mainly during high school or right after. I felt this way then. Yes, I did. Why is this now all coming back? Has it ever escaped, or has it always been lingering and waiting for the right (or wrong) moment to appear again?!

Oh, I do have dreams and believe me or not I even started making these dreams come true. I sure did. It felt good, better than words can ever describe. And then, I lost it. I lost my dream. My goal had a hole and then it all just vanished. The dream is still there, I can feel it. I feel it every day. It hurts, too. It's something you can't really put into words but know it exists. Like love. You know it's there and you feel it but can't describe how it feels like and how it looks like. At least not to hundred percent. The same goes for my dream, halfway accomplished and clueless what the future outcome looks like. I'm wholly disappointed in myself. I shouldn't be. What I've done and seen so far is maybe more than other people ever can and will do but it's not enough for me. Selfish maybe but it's my life after all. Not theirs, not yours either. I want to live my life as much as possible, fulfill all the requirements needed to make my life a happy one and make my summer misery go away. It's truly beginning to get to me that I need to jump over my damn shadow and work on all that. I believe I'm just too scared to start with whatever that may be and then hurt people, including me. What I don't see is the outcome, the beautiful outcome. The bright future. I see nothing. That is the sad part. I used to have this spirit that would bring me to places and let me do things I would have only dreamed about and would never ever thought to become true. I'm proud of what I've done and knowing this makes me a slight bit happier though. A good start. Don't you think?!

Besides all these very odd thoughts, unfinished dreams, and sad moments in my current life, this misery of mine got thicker by having had problems at work. Just thinking about it makes me sad. I shouldn't run from it, but I see no other way out. I'm not running away because I'm sick and tired of debating and arguing over ridiculous and banal stuff, but because it's time. I feel it is. Many may disagree with me on this but I believe it's time for me to kick some ass. Not in a literal way, though. Although it would be fun to do this. Just kidding. Can't afford stuff like that. Don't want to do that. It's so not worth it. However, I just know it's time. I want to end this misery. I need and must end it. I started building tiny bricks for me to escape this constant sadness. I started last year by booking a flight to the East Coast and this January I started my future with this trip and made one big dream of mine come true. I pride myself on this! More kick ass actions are needed. More running away is needed, too. It's time. I feel it. It just has to be. I know there are people out there disagreeing as I'm writing this but I just have to go with what I think is best. This, whatever you wanna call it, has to stop and has to change - soon.

AND, since I don't want to be this sad and conflicted at the moment I have to say I'm going to have a wonderful day tomorrow...another day off during the week and time for me to leave this city and head towards the north. Mom and I are going shopping. I call it frustration shopping but it's going to be fun. My wallet might not like it that much though. However, an occasional splurge can't hurt.