Here’s a summary of the first half of my 2010!

January:

In January this photo was chosen for a book…

And I was overly excited about my new pulse watch.

February:

In February I went wedding dress shopping with miss Maren..

And we moved into a new apartment.

March:

In March my little sister came to visit..

And I bought nerdy glasses, among other things.

April:

And April there was more buying (and trying on!) of Maren’s weddings gowns..

Easter came and went..

And there was still snow.

May:

In May I bought a metal heart..

Spring came..

Shorts were worn..

I went to a dog show and photographed poodles..

And caught a crow on camera.

June:

In June I saw my family again..

Summer came..

I re-discovered nail polish..

I missed my grandmother..

And enjoyed the sunshine.

Phew! That was the short version of my life for the last 6 months. I also ate and worked and slept and worked out a bit, but that’s not very exciting now is it? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a sun bed with my name on it!

A few minutes later I had a small bag in my hand, and had been convinced. Never more goopy hair or hairy lips. Colored teeth? Not if you take a few extra seconds to check the mirror. Dry lips? Buy a moisturizing lip stick, silly! Afraid the color will wear off? Here’s a trick: After one layer, press your lips against a tissue to remove excess color. Then take some face powder – yes, powder – on a brush and dust it over your lips, and follow with another layer of color. Volià, you just added a few more hours of wear! All in all, I’m a total convert. There’s no going back now – I’m a lip stick girl.

And speaking of, you know the gift card I won last week? A great opportunity to try Chanel’s new Rouge Coco. It’s supposed to be the perfect thing for those of us who want to go from gloss to stick – super moisturizing and long lasting. I went for a nice summery coral called “Égérie”, and it’s really quite lovely.

It’s probably the most expensive piece of makeup I’ve ever bought, but it also oozes quality. Something tells  me I’ll be picking up a few more shades as soon as I stumble across a tax free store.. :)

What it looks like on…

Keeping within the Chanel theme, I figured it was high time to break out the duo-tone tights. Big thanks to Airam for keeping me from looking like a harlequin! :)

Worst thing that happened: I can’t think of a single thing. May was definitely a good one :)

Biggest annoyance: The fact that I’m utterly incapable of saving money for longer periods of time. But in my defense, I buy things that will last for ages – a 50mm Canon lens, a leather bag, and a necklace were my big buys this month. They’ll still be here ten years down the line.

Looking forward to: More summer, more sunlight, my trip to Crete, and 3 weeks off work in July. I can’t remember the last time I had a three week holiday. It’s been years.

Favorite food: Still chomping down those green salads and olive bread, now with added tzatziki.  I’ve also re-discovered my love for gelato ice cream ;)

Pampering: Because of my vicious allergies, I’m careful around perfumes this time of year. The solution? Papaya-scented body wash and body butter from The Body Shop, which is far more gentle. Yum! (It also allows Marius to call me Maja Papaya. Added bonus.)

Favorite workout: Same as last month, spinning and core muscle training. It has definitely had the desired effect! There’s muscle in there somewhere!

Favorite TV-show: I’m currently watching season 2 of Project Runway, as I seem to have skipped that one. Oh, and “The girls of Hedsor Hall“, it’s my guilty pleasure TV-show of the month.

Favorite thing: I’m going to have to say Google Calendar, because it has made my social life SO much more manageable. I have a really odd work schedule that changes from week to week, but I just plot everything in there and voilà, the boyfriend and the best friend knows exactly when I’m free!

Favorite persons: You know, I don’t like this part of the summary, because I always want to mention everyone I know.

Discoveries: I can paint my nails again! Why is this a big deal, you ask? Because my hands used to hate nail polish and my skin would really act up, so I haven’t been able to paint my nails for years now. I’m still a bit worried I might react to the nail polish remover though. Time will tell. I do love my sparkly french manicure!

Best buy: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens, leather bag, and my anatomical heart necklace.

Worst buy: I spend way too much money of food, I need to learn to plan meals better :)

Wish list: Blank, for now. I must seem like the world’s most materialistic person.

Favorite blog: Sleep talking man. I haven’t laughed this much since I discovered hyperbole and a half! :)

Blog annoyance: None. You’re all so sweet and nice and I never get any nasty comments. No complaints here!

Tips for myself: I’ll keep writing it, maybe it’ll sink in one of these days – Stop. Buying. Stuff. Ugh. I don’t make nearly enough money to keep this up! Also, I’d like to blog more often, I’ll see what I can do about that one.

All in all: May has been a great month. No more heavy knits and snow, and I wear shorts far more often than I wear jeans. I’ve even managed to get slightly sunburned!

How was your May? Do you have any fun things planned for June? :)

Playing around with my brand new Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. I’m in love :)

Happiest thing that happened: My parents decided they wanted to take my sister and I on a holiday this summer. My dad isn’t big on scorching heat and beaches, so it will be me, my mom and my sister this time around. The three of us traveled together to Cyprus two years ago, and it was a great success, so this will without doubt be a trip to remember!

Worst thing that happened: Receiving SIX electricity bills in one month. SIX! You receive two and expect that to be it, and assume that the rest of your money is fun-money. Then another one drops into your mailbox. And another. And another. And another, and one more. And then you sit there for the rest of the month on a budget that would make even the poorest of students go “Shit, you’re in trouble!”. Thank goodness for saving accounts.

Biggest annoyance: Snow. Always the snow!

Looking forward to: May. May will be perfect, I just know it :)

Favorite food: Lush, green salads with pesto and olive bread.

Pampering: Nothing out of the ordinary. A little extra scrubbing and moisturizing to get the old limbs ready for spring!

Favorite workout: I returned to interval spinning classes this week and I had forgotten how great they are. Combine with some core muscle exercise, and you’re all set!

Favorite TV-show: I still don’t have a single TV-channel, but Marius got his hands on Planet Earth on Bluray, and it’s the most beautiful thing ever.

Favorite thing: My new phone, the HTC Desire. That thing is perfect.

Favorite persons: Do you ever get that feeling where you realize that you don’t have a single person in your life that isn’t great? Honestly, I’m surrounded by so many tremendous people that it would be impossible to pick one. God I’m such a hippie. But, I’m supposed to pick one aren’t I, so this time around it’ll be Maren for letting me take part in her wedding preparations.

Discoveries: We have a nest of baby pigeons in the roof above our bathroom!

Best buy: My HTC Desire.

Worst buy: None, really. I’ve been saving money for that handbag ;)

Wish list: This necklace, oh how I want it!

Favorite blog: I think this month’s favorite is a tie between Lost in a Spotless Mind, Cecilie Maria,  Ask for Answers and Martopia. Wonderful blogs by wonderful girls who always put a smile on my face with their posts.

Blog annoyance: None, zip, nada. I love my blog’s new look!

Tips for myself: Take more photos!

All in all: Ok, I suppose April wasn’t that bad after all. There was also an Easter holiday wedged in there, I think I received something like 5 candy-filled eggs from various great people, and I got to visit my family. April, I officially apologize for bad-mouthing you.

Oh my.. The most aptly named gadget ever!

Ok, deep breaths. Phew! As you might have deduced by now, I’ve received my new phone, the HTC Desire. I got it yesterday morning, and ended up leaving for work 45 minutes early just so I could pick it up from the post office on my way there and get some extra fiddling-time before work.

First of all:

Cutest box ever? Oh yes, I would think so.

So I plugged the phone into my PC at work to charge it, and switched it on. First impression: The screen is gorgeous. Big, crisp and clear. Setting up my Gmail took about 2 clicks, and it was the same for my Flickr account, Twitter account, Facebook and secondary email. Syncing contacts from my old phone was a piece of cake, and if I click on a contact I get the option to link it with the person’s Facebook, Gmail and Flickr account. I have downloaded WordPress to it so that I can blog on the go, and if I visit another city it will automatically notice and change for instance weather or time zone settings. At one point I thought to myself “Hm, I wonder if it’s difficult to sync it to my google calendar?”, only to notice that it had already done so by itself.

I finally have a smart phone that is actually smart. Hooray! This is my first HTC phone, and I am more than pleasantly surprised. No doubt, this is my new favorite gadget :)

1) The smell of leather. I could smell this thing all day.

2) The charm of handwritten notes and the joy of being able to cross things out when you’ve the things you planned to do that day.

2) Blank pages, waiting to have new ideas scribbled on them.

3) To do lists. Checking boxes is just as fun as crossing things out! (For you English readers, the to dos for 2010 are “work out three times a week”, “save up money”, “find apartment”, become tidy”, “Eat breakfast”, “Get long hair” and “Become blood donor”)

4) Award stars to the local takeaways.

5) Plan outfits and draw on bob-haired naked lady.

6) Knowing what you’ve got to look forward to.

7) Keep life’s necessities close at all times :)

Now, I’ve always been a lip gloss girl through and through. Whenever I try to wear lipstick, I somehow end up with a perfectly colored upper lip and a completely colorless bottom lip within minutes. But it’s cold and windy outside, and desperate times call for desperate measures. Wind means goopy lipgloss in my hair, and the cold turns my favorite lipgloss (Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes) frosty. No joke, after some minutes outside it looks like something Ice Princess Barbie would wear. So, it was time to turn to lip stick. I love MAC, I’ve never disliked anything I’ve bought from MAC, so I basically showed up at MAC and went “HAI, TELL ME WHAT TO BUY!“. And it worked!

Lip stick feels so deliciously grown-up. You never see teenyboppers with a lip stick in their hand. The name of the shade? Hot Gossip! For me it’s a perfect everyday shade :)

In other news, I’ve been boxed in and might not find my way out of the apartment. If I don’t show up for work on Monday, send a search crew.

Happiest thing that happened: Getting a photo published. Whee!

Worst thing that happened: Discovering that I’ve ruined one of my favorite pairs of shoes, my perfect grandma victorian-ish lace-up boots. Wearing them was like walking on clouds! Also, spending a small fortune at the dentist’s.

Biggest annoyance: Our wireless Internet connection. It has a life of it’s own! Thought you had the Internet, huh? WRONG!

Looking forward to: Spring, and seeing my photo in print!

Favorite food: Chicken breast, veg and rice. I’m easy to please!

Pampering: Body butter, and not leaving the house without perfume.

Favorite workout: The elliptical.

Favorite TV-show: The big bang theory.

Favorite thing: My daily planner. I’d be lost without it! Forget digitalization, nothing beats pen + paper. I like to doodle.

Favorite person: I can’t pick one, you’re all awesome. Seriously.

Discoveries: When your visa card refuses to work, it’s usually because you’ve spent all your money. Who knew?

Best buy: Business cards! Not that I get to hand them out very often, but they do look very good.

Worst buy: Black tooth paint. I bought it for my witch costume, but never used it. Now what am I supposed to do with it?!

Wish list: As always – a bigger apartment, a holiday, a toy poodle and a fancy handbag.

Best blog: I’ve really enjoyed Too Many Tights this month. I’m not really a leggings kind of girl, but I really appreciate James’ cool designs!

Best blog post: This post by Hartesmil’s boyfriend

Blog annoyance: None that I haven’t fixed :)

Tips for myself: Draw more, read more, take your camera with you!

So that when I for example meet a teeny weeny dog and a giant dog at the same time, I can take better photos than this one.

All in all: January has been a very good month. Cold, tons of snow, which means very little rain. I haven’t been very good at visiting friends, I need to work on that. Haven’t done any shopping besides that moonstone ring, pat on back! I hope the rings arrives soon, I can’t wait to see it :)

Here’s the actual watch. It’s not bad looking, I’ve seen far worse-looking sports watches! It comes in four different designs. Yes yes, I know, we’re not supposed to be vain at the gym. Tell that to the concealer that resides permanently in my gym bag.

Included in the box you’ll find the chest strap that tracks your heartbeats. It’s actually really comfortable to wear – I managed to forget I was wearing it today, until I had to do strength exercises laying on my stomach. Big plus!

The watch can help you set targets, and it will help you reach them. It will tell you if you’ve got room for improvement, if you’ve been improving, or even if you need to take a week off. If you want to lose weight, it can keep a weight diary for you. If you want to improve your fitness, or maximize it, it will help you with that as well, telling you what you’re doing right and what you need to do differently. And of course, it keeps track of your pulse, calories, intensity AND – wait for it – it can tell you what time it is.

As you may have noticed, there’s also an USB-sensor type thing in this picture. This is not included when you buy the watch, but is sold separately, at least with the FT60. If you get the higher-end model, the FT80, it is included when you buy the watch. So, you might think, why even mention the USB-reader if it’s not included? Because it’s really really cool, that’s why! Or at least if you’re nerdily inclined, like I am. See, if you place your watch on top of the USB-reader after a workout, it will download all the data from your watch and upload it to polarpersonaltrainer.com.

And it will give you all your workout statistics! This is an example of one of the things you can choose to view – as you can see, I’ve only worked out twice this week, as I got my pig flu shot on Thursday and my arm felt like someone had punched it for two days afterwards. On the website, you can also pick training programs, study strength exercises, keep track of your progress, or join the discussion forum. I really like this feature, as reading your statistics on the watch interface can be a bit fiddly. And I like graphs. And the Internet.

To sum it up, I love my watch. It’s easy to use, it’s fun to use, and it appeals to the nerd in me. Two thumbs up!