It’s been a long while since my last post and a whole lot of things happened in that time. First of all, in October I moved over to the wonderful city of Oulu, which is full of awesome people, nature, and space to breathe. It is also freezing cold but that’s only a minor downside compared to much good this place does to my soul.
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Learning for Dummies 101
I recently went on a quest for self-improvement. I signed up for five courses on Coursera and resumed my Dutch studies on Duolingo. Expanding and deepening one’s skills can never hurt – and after all, I’m in a position where I have both the time and the energy to study. Along with topics such as gamification and programming, which are directly related to my fields of interest, the first course I took up was Learning How to Learn.
Hope yet lives
Since posting the cry for help a few days ago, it’s been heart-warming to see how many of my friends and acquaintances have jumped in to link relevant job offers, introduce me to possible employers and simply offer words of advice and support. Even people I generally don’t talk to all that much have chipped in, which has certainly restored my faith in networking – something I thought wasn’t really all that effective in real life despite the hype. I have been proven wrong.
Plans are made to fall apart
The world apparently doesn’t think I’m having it hard enough. It took me a long time to muster the strength to start making changes in my life, and just as everything sort of seemed to brighten up…
…it hit me. My income (well, unemployment benefit) will quite soon drop dramatically, while at the same time my living expenses go up due to having to pay off mortgage again – and considering I only survived this far by constantly borrowing money, this is obviously not good. The situation leaves me with very few choices: either I get a job now or I’ll have to pack up and sell the place. Might even have to sell the place nevertheless, since said job could well be in a location that doesn’t mix well with where I live.
Goodbye 2015, welcome 2016.
I can’t really say this year has been the worst year ever – that was 2012, the year of death. First one of my cockatiels died, followed by my dog who I had to put down only a few days after. Summer took away both of my rabbits on separate occasions, and inbetween I even got a new bunny that had to be put to sleep as well. Gave away the remaining cockatiel to someone who could provide a better home for her, and so where there once was seven, only two remained by my side at the end of that year.
A fresh start.
It’s been ages since I had a personal website – and frankly, the first time it’s both finished and I’m actually pleased with the results. Hopefully this also means that, against all odds, this time I have the motivation to keep it updated.