New roommates!

Hello!

Hope you've had an amazing weekend so far.
After moving for the hundred time, I now have my own little apartment! The ins and outs of the moving I will touch upon in a later post, for now I want to introduce my new roommates to you.

Just arrived home

After living alone for some months, I got the feeling I was missing something. As a true animal science graduate I needed some sort of creature(s) around me, to feel me.

My first choice was a dog, but with working so many hours and having no garden I felt it wasn’t faire to a dog to be living like that. Rats maybe? I’ve had pet rats for several years, but unfortunately also had a lot of health issues with them. So it was a no for them as well.

So I was on the hunt for a pet that didn’t mind my absence during the day, had not that many health problems and wasn’t too expensive.

Eventually my choice was two little guinea pigs. Or I have to say, they chose me. 
One day I wandered into a pet shop in Zwolle and there they were. Little baby guinea pigs, only 7-9 weeks old and female. I couldn’t help but ask the girl in the pet shop about these cute piggies.

That is how, after a long day shopping, I went home with two lovely piggies, a guinea pig cage, hay and feed etc.

Lap time with some vegetables

I’m horrible at naming my pets, so I asked my colleagues to come up with some ideas. In the end they were named Coco and Chanel. Coco is the dark brown abyssinian, the largest and eldest of the two. Chanel is the short haired piggy with one large rosette on her head.

What kind of pet do you have?

Love,
Roos

My Nexus 5 and I

Hello!

Do you remember me telling you that my pink Samsung Star was such an amazing phone, but that I might had to come to the dark side as well (meaning buying a smartphone)? Well, that time did come a few months ago and the world that it has opened for me.....

Saying goodbye to my precious little pink phone was still quite a challenge. It is not a complete goodbye, as this pretty little phone may stay hidden in some memory box.

Thereafter I decided it was time to introduce the very first smartphone into my life. The choice was easily made, as I already owned the Nexus 7 tablet, which I truly love!
So I placed my order and after two days I had my brand new and shining Nexus 5 :).

I'm still getting used to WhatsApp and being able to check Instagram during the day (as long as I have WIFI), but it has been amazing. The fact that I don't have to carry my camera everywhere is also a great bonus, as this phone takes quite okay pictures.

Nexus 5 photo: On the boat for a visit to Texel :)

I've entered the world of smartphones and I have to admit that I don't regret it for one bit! It hasn't taken over my life (yet), but as I do not have access to internet everywhere, this might change in the future.

Love,

Roos

Graduating, moving and starting a new job

Oh my, it has been a little quiet here the last couple of months. Not without a reason, I can assure you. But nonetheless, I’m sorry!

In September 2014 the long awaited moment finally came: I received my Master degree in Wageningen. I finished my thesis work, did my colloquium and had my final oral exam, and then it was all done. Too be honest, it took some getting used to.

But with graduating, also the daunting task of finding a job started. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do or where I wanted to live, I just started applying to a large number of jobs. Got some interviews, but got turned down numerous times. Sometimes, companies did not even bother to send me a response that they were not interested; Rude!

After two months of searching for a job, I decided to move back to my parents. Still sending out a lot of application letters and going to job interviews. In November it finally happened, I found a job at a local agriculture software company; Amazing!

Pressure

Hello!

Well, I think you could say that I’ve been on quite a lot of pressure the last few months. Finishing my thesis has been very time consuming and stressful, but next to that, the stress of figuring out what I want with my life has been putting even more pressure on me.

After obtaining my Bachelors degree of the University of Applied Science in Animal Husbandry I doubted whether or not to proceed to the University to obtain my Masters degree. The prospect of work seemed so good at the time, having money, getting to live on my own and just start a real grown up life. Now, after almost finishing my Masters degree two years later, I’m really anxious of the prospect of starting a real job.

I’m that crazy person that really enjoys going to school since I was little. I hated being ill and missing school and even now, at the age of 23, I still do not really want to stop going to school. Maybe it is the unknown in the work world, or maybe the fact that there is not really a plan set out, but I find it really sad that my study time is coming to an end.

Back to choosing a career, Animal Sciences does not really give you a clear function description of the job you are going to get after graduating. It is not like veterinary medicine, where you know you are going to be a vet. I can be an advisor, a researcher, a sales representative, hell yeah, I can be an astronaut. Oke, that last thing maybe is a little farfetched, but what I want to make clear is that you can be anything you want. But that is the problem, I don’t know what I want. I know I like teaching people new things, guiding people, but I also start to like research more and more. I don’t like a lot of responsibility and having people getting angry at me.

Having had a couple of job interviews now, for different positions, within different companies, I now know that the type of company is almost equally important as the position itself. However, I’m still looking and figuring out what I want.

Do you find it hard to find that thing that is right for YOU? Who am I?

Love,

Roos

Fresh pasta

Hello!

I love to cook and especially the Italian kitchen has my interest. So today, I have a little recipe on how to make fresh pasta for you: step by step (I do not claim to be an amazing cook, but this is just how I do it :) ).

What you will need for one person:

• 90 to 100 grams pasta flour ('oo' flour or just regular flour will do)
• 1 egg
• Mixing bowl
• Fork
• Salt
• Pasta sauce of your choice

Step 1: Weigh in about 90 grams of special pasta flour (you can use just regular flour, but I've noticed that using special pasta 'oo' flour gives a smoother dough).



Step 2: Make of little hole in the center of the flour, and crack in one egg.



Step 3: Gradually start incorporating the flour in the egg with a fork.



Step 4: It will look like a complete mess at this point, but no worries (be happy :) ). No, seriously it will be okay. Just dump everything on the counter and gently start kneeding the dough until it forms a smooth ball that resembles something like playdough.




Step 5: Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap and leave it to rest at room temperature for around 20 to 30 minutes. Then split the dough in two pieces, covering the second piece again with plastic wrap and take the other piece to use in the pasta machine (or rolling pin/ wine bottle).



Step 6: After rolling out all of the pasta dough up to the thinnest setting, the dough can be shaped in anything you like! I choose to cut it in short rectangles. After cutting, the pasta needs to dry for about 20 minutes.



Step 7: Than the pasta can be cooked in boiling salted water for around 3 to 4 minutes (just taste as you go along ;) ). Drain and serve with the pasta sauce of your choice! I used my homemade bolognese sauce this time (if you'd like a recipe for that, let me know!).



Love,

Roos

Pizza!

Hello!

O my, I love my pizza. There is pizza at the menu at least once a week for me. Most of the time that is just a simple frozen pizza, and sometimes I take the time and effort to make it from scratch. But that is for a later time.

Today I want to talk to you about pimping your frozen pizza. I really like the vegetable pizza’s of our local supermarket, which is very cheap (€1.25), but it is quite small and it is not always decreasing my appetite enough.

So here is my recipe for pimping up your frozen pizza:

• Frozen pizza of your choice (I used the vegetable pizza of the AH)
• Chicken breast
• Gorgonzola cheese
• Smoked paprika
• Salt and Pepper
• Little olive oil
• Anything else you have laying around (leftover paprika, mushrooms etc.)

Heat your oven as said in the description on the frozen pizza box.

Slice the chicken breast in cubes and place it in a zip lock bag (or any type of plastic bag/ container) and add a little oil so that all the chicken is coated. Then add some smoked paprika, salt and pepper and mix all of this together. Leave it in the fridge for at least half an hour. Fry the chicken in a non stick pan until cooked and then place it on top of your frozen pizza. 

Add your other ingredients, finishing with some cheese (gorgonzola, mozzarella or whatever you fancy!).

Bake the pizza in the oven and then: Bon appetite!

Love,

Roos

Living without a smartphone

Hello!

Yes, they still exist somewhere in the wild: people who do not own or have not owned a smartphone. And yes, I'm one of those crazy people.

Almost 5 years ago I bought a brand new phone, which was very hip and trendy at the time: a Samsung Star (first edition) in beautiful pink :). And to be honest, I still love that cheaky little thing.

- It has amazing battery life (I charge it once a week)
- It has amazing calling quality (maybe a bit too good, as everyone can also enjoy my converstations)
- It has a touchscreen, I mean: WOW!

Having no whatsapp is sometimes difficult, but hey, everyone has facebook and I can message you on that (as I do own a tablet, but don't bring that everywhere with me, unlike my phone).



But things have not been looking good for my little pink phone, responsiveness of the screen is getting bad and some phone calls are getting cracky and noisy. I don't want to admit it, but it is getting closer to the point of me having to pick up a new phone, which might incidentally be a smartphone.

So what's you're opion? Is a smartphone an addition to our modern life or would you wish for the good old times of phones beiing just that: phones :p?

Love,

Roos