I've got nothing, so let's just do a random what's-Arroia-doing-at-the-moment dump.

I'm still recovering from a nasty cold, but I am happy to report that I feel almost human again. I still resemble Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, so you shall see no photos of me for another few days. You're welcome.

I've been reading a lot, as per usual, and have finished a pretty cool series of steampunk novels called Vampire Empire. Well, I thought it was cool until the end of the last book, which was horrible. It's one of those where you feel like the writers ran out of ideas, paper, time or all three, and just threw a bunch on nonsense on the last few pages. Plus, it was a little bit too innocent for my taste. I'm sorry, but I require at least one steamy love scene per book. I have now moved onto Rhiannon's Law series, which look pretty promising despite slightly confusing writing. I predict a lot of hot, vampire sex and that's just the way I like it.

Before I forget, I have to say thank you to Lumo for getting me hooked on Lost Girl. It's rather silly and girlish, but so much fun. Think of it as a supernatural soap opera with a pinch of mystery, a whole lot of good humour and a great soundtrack. Oh, and have I mentioned amazing love (sex) scenes?

And last but not least, a bit of my own soundtrack that I've been playing recently.

It was about time to get a friend for my owl. Wonderful and incredibly talented Arethusa from Ink and Oil, slapped her Virgin Mary design on my foot…



…got busy.



…and after about an hour and a half of work, this is what we got. Obviously, I couldn't be happier.





I'm always a bit paranoid when getting a tattoo of something with a face, because we've all seen plenty of disasters on the Interwebs. I'm no tattoo artist, but I'm guessing they're easy to mess up. One wrong shadow and you end up having a tattoo of a swamp monster instead of your kid. But nope, Arethusa has done a damn fine job. If you ever come to Durban, and you feel like a tattoo, Ink and Oil is the place to go.

Now that I've finally found a local artist that I'd like to call 'mine', there's a whole lot more work coming. I've got a Fallout thigh piece, as well as a sleeve in mind, and I cannot wait for us to start working on those.

Sorry for being a bit quiet last week. The site was giving me all sorts of trouble, and it was just easier to stay away than shake my laptop like a neanderthal every time a comment wouldn't post.

Happy topless Tuesday!



This photo is from an awesome steampunk shoot I did with Geoff Goldswain sometime last year. I never got to see all the photos, because he had a nasty bike accident just after it, but he has recovered and I'll go collect the images soon.

In other news, I became an aunt again.
He's a wrinkly little thing, but as cute as newborns get. His name is Noah, and he's a big, healhty boy (3.6kg). I totally plan on being the favourite aunty yet again.

Oh, and I made some new friends recently. This little guy decided that there's no better place to be, and the pet shop owner had to pry him off me. I either need to change my shampoo or start advertising as a parrot whisperer.



The surprise I mentioned in the last blog isn't much of a surprise, but there's a new set coming. It's still a long way off, so I won't post any previews just yet, but here's a sneak peak at the cover and the date.



Until then, there's Ravenous.

I kept postponing the new blog, because I wanted to surprise you with something I know you'll love, but it's taking a bit longer than I thought it would. Let's hope I'll get to share it soon. Until then, you get this random blog about nothing.

Hell, I don't really have much to tell you. Nothing's new, except me stressing out at work and thus being a bit quieter on here than usual. But that too shall pass, or at least I hope it will. I've been drowning myself in books, because that's the only distraction that works at the moment.

Other than that, I've been watching Vikings and the new season of Game of Thrones. I love them both, I just wish I were patient enough to wait until both series are finished for this season, so I can watch them in a matter of days instead of waiting a week in between. But no, I have to have them as soon as they're available.

And talking about Vikings... Ragnar - holy shitballs!!!
I like my men dark and beardless, but I'd tap this in a matter of seconds (and no, I'm not talking about how long it would last).

Here's another video, this time an accent challenge turned language challenge. I'll post a list of the words as well, just so all the brave ones can give Croatian a try.
In case of major suckage, go yell at Vassilis, this was her idea.




Aunt - teta
Roof - krov
Route - smjer
Theater - kazaliste
Iron - zeljezo
Salmon - losos
Caramel - karamela
Fire - vatra
Water - voda
Both - oboje
Again - ponovo
Probably - mozda
Lawyer - odvjetnik
Coupon - kupon
Mayonnaise - majoneza
Pajamas - pizdama
Caught - uhvacen
Naturally - prirodno
Aluminium - aluminij
Doorknob - kvaka
Envelope - kuverta

- What is a bubbly carbonated drink called? Gazirani sok
- What do you call gym shoes? Tenisice
- What do you call your grandparents? Baka & deda
- What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket? Kolica
- What is the thing you change the TV channel with? Daljinski

And let's not forget the most important thing you could possibly learn from this video, jebo te patak.

After successfully slaying the grumpy cat with chocolate and cheesy love novels, I am back to my normal chirpy self.

First of all, just the fact that it isn't Monday anymore makes me want to celebrate - by freeing my boobs from the constraint of a bra. Without further delay, happy Topless Tuesday!



Now, the next big thing is my short, but sweet road trip with Vassilis. We went all the way to Midlands, which is a lovely, though a pretty lonely part of South Africa close to the Drakensberg mountains. There we met up with Talamia, Tarion and Xaosnyte. We shot another set, and the magic Talamia does with her camera is as impressive as ever. Oh, and let's not forget about the threats she makes if I don't give her 'sexy eyes'. I think the last one was getting a cutout of Jared Leto and sticking it on her forehead. That would totally work!

And Vassilis, thank you for being my driver and allowing me to be your sidekick. Granted, I agreed to being just a sidekick so I could yell 'I told you so' if she messes up, but whatever.
I have only a few photos of scenery for now, but you'll see the rest sooner or later. Until then, there's Ravenous.

Well, this is me today. Yes, I'm a grumpy cat, just not a cat.



No real reason for it, except being a girl. I guess it's just my hormones flipping me off.

In other news, last weekend good friends of mine got married, so there was a house to turn into a wedding venue and a celebration to attend. I'm pretty sure I'm still recovering from that. Despite my general tipsiness, I have learnt a few things

1. It takes me about 7 drinks to dance to Nicki Minaj
2. I can devour extraordinary amounts of Hors d'Oeuvres
3. I cannot pronounce Hors d'Oeuvres, sober or tipsy

Here are a few pics. It was beautiful, sunny, warm and yes - I cried like a girly girl.

Now, let me present the disaster which also goes by the name of 'my hair'. A few weeks ago I decided I want to be a redhead, so Vassilis and I ordered some natural hair dye. But, as I'm not ready to destroy my hair completely, I thought I'd just bleach the tips, put the dye everywhere and see what happens.
Lumo and Vassilis came to my place on Tuesday night, brought food, wine and chocolate and we got down and dirty - with bleach and hair dye. And no, there are no photos of the whole ordeal, because we looked like a bunch of nut cases skulking around area 51, with foil in our hair and all. Anyway, let's just say it didn't work. This is my hair, and we shall call that colour pinkorangeblonde.





I guess that might have something to do with my grumpiness, but Vassilis and I will try to fix it tomorrow before I shoot a new set. Yes - I'm shooting another one, and you better be ready for it. In the meanwhile, feel free to love and enjoy Ravenous, which is still in member review.

Some of you might know that I have a thing for antiques, which are often worthless, but pretty nonetheless. Our flat is slowly turning into an antique (aka junk) showroom, and I either have to move into a bigger flat or get my own reality show.
Well, I've got two new projects and they're both chairs.

This one was found in our local SPCA charity shop and was dirt cheap. It's in pretty good condition, but it's rather filthy. Also, the horrible white paint was just smeared over, and I wish I could get rid of it without causing any damage. I doubt that's possible, though. Goddammit people, slapping white paint over a beautiful piece of furniture does not make it look better and it does not make your space look classier or cooler or whatever. It makes it look like shit.



This one was expensive compared to the first one, but it is gorgeous. I don't think it's particularly old, but it is a beautiful example of craftwork. The woodwork is stunning, and the bloody thing is heavy enough that I grunt like a hedgehog in heat every time I move it. It was made in Tanzania, and though there are a few parts missing, it's a lovely addition to out overcrowded junkyard. It will be nearly impossible to replicate the missing parts, but you never know.





If you have any tips and tricks that might help in restoring these two, please let me know.

First of all, happy Topless Tuesday!


No complaining allowed; there is a pussy and I am topless.
More boobies await here.


A few pics from a beautiful coffee/antique shop that I visited recently.











A random creepy crawly munching on my plants; it went straight out the window, and I would just like to point out that caterpillars suck at flying.



This is who I want to be when I grow old.



And a song that has been making me ridiculously happy lately. No idea why, but I am not complaining.




P.S. No caterpillars were harmed in the making of this blog, as I live on the first floor.

The highlight of this week was saying goodbye to about $1000. All for a very good reason, though - I'm finally going home for a visit. I haven't seen my family in almost two years. Two bloody years! Skype is our regular lifesaver, but it's just not the same thing. I seriously need to hug my mom, my dad, my gran and my brother. Hell, we can even have a group hug if my mom and my dad can stop themselves from clawing each other's eyes out for a minute or two.

My mom is already planning a trip to the seaside, she has booked her vacation days at work and is generally the happiest camper you have ever seen. With all that excitement and a tad of nostalgia, I went through a bunch of old photos that my brother scanned for me a few years ago. Naturally, I have no choice but to share a few of those gems with you.

Excuse the quality, but this was PCE (pre-cellphone era), as well as PDCE (pre-digital cameras era).

That's me on the left, dangling in my mom's arms. The lady on the right is my aunt, and the chubby toddler in the middle is my genius, giant cousin. He's two years older than me, teaches at a university and could probably punch Jesus in the nose if he stretched a bit.



We didn't have ponies in good, ol' communist Yugoslavia, so grandpas had to do.



Who said I'm too skinny? And just look at those squishy, puffy cheeks.



Already a joker. Must be those dodgy crackers and chocolates that Red Cross fed us.



We can also blame dodgy Red Cross crackers for dressing up baby goats.


And probably the most embarrassing of them all; my oh-so-90's outfit and a teenage hormone-induced smirk on my face.


One of a very few photos of me riding; no saddle or any other equipment as per usual. I am wearing my Doc Martens, which naturally would have saved my teenage ass from cracking a skull or such.


And one that makes me happy and sad at the same time (mostly because of the horrible state of my ultra thin eyebrows); my two best childhood friends and I. Both girls are my cousins, but the older one was like a sister to me. Emphasis on was, as we drifted apart over the years. And there's also my little brother, who I love dearly, but don't recognise anymore. But that's another story...


Anyway, that little girl from the photos turned into this, and is happier than ever.
I cannot wait for August, Croatia and my mom's food. You are absolutely not allowed to judge or laugh when I come back the size of a beached whale, as my mom not only thinks I need to eat every 20 seconds, but also happens to be the best cook in the world.