The Click

In one of my extended phone conversations with a friend, we suddenly wandered onto the topic of ‘clicking.’ By this, I’m referring to what is it that means you get on so well with some yet not at all with others.

This then made me re-assess my relationships with many of my close friends. I can see why I get on so well with some – mutual connections, a love of fashion, good food, obscure films, a similarly surreal sense of humour, the list goes on….but at the same time, my friend Elliott just get on well because we both have the amazing ability to make the other person laugh heaps (Seriously, I end up with tears in my eyes and gasping for air like a dying fish).

Maybe whatever it is that sparked our friendships has little or nothing to do with the fact that we have or don’t have things in common and more to do with the initial spark, the initial ‘click’ that made us both think that it would be worth the effort and bother to learn more about the other person.

Sometimes, for me at least, it’s a shared experience. I met one of my friends at a MUN conference (NERDS FOREVER!) and weirdly enough, I still remember which countries we were delegates for (I was the UK and he was Belgium). I remember finding him intellectually intimidating at the time and feeling slightly inferior but to me now, that feels stupid. This isn’t because he isn’t as intellectually fierce as he was then, it’s just that when you bother to break that connection and get to learn more about the other person, you realise that you’re both pretty much made of the same stuff.

Whatever it is that sparks off any sort of relationship, there’s a certain degree of risk taking involved. Are you willing to invest time/effort and in some cases, money to get to know this other person, a potential someone? One thing I’ve found as I’ve grown older is that I’m far more willing to invest my time and energy in relationships with other people, despite the fact that I probably have more to do and less free time at any other point in my life.

Additionally, my ‘friendship’ standards have changed. Previously in my senior school days, any potential friends would be vetted – the clique they were part of, the school that they went to, the way they dressed, talked and their mannerisms all determined whether they’d make it onto my list of buddies or not. Looking back now, I’ve realised that my narrow approach meant that I’d missed out on getting to know a bunch of people I’d probably enjoy the company of. These days, I don’t have a ‘type.’ Provided we can spend a sufficient amount of time together without wanting to set fire to each other and make each other laugh/gigglesnort, there are strictly no criteria.

So maybe this whole ‘clicking’ thing and friendship analysis isn’t important at all. Perhaps what IS more important is mutual respect, not being bothered about artificial social limitations (does anyone really care about who’s ‘cooler?’) and just wanting to let your hair down, going crazy and having a truckload of fun. ♥

Declutterama: THE CHALLENGE

Desperately trying to wish the crap away and failing.

Hi, my name is Renie and I have a LOT OF STUFF. 

When I say ‘stuff,’ I'm referring to the mountains of unworn clothes, untouched books and unused gadgets that live in my room, invades my life on a daily basis and that seem to follow me around everywhere in a bizarre Hansel and Gretel trail of doom.

I finally realised today why my room is never really tidy or neat like other people’s rooms, despite the fact that I feel like I’m constantly putting stuff back to where it should be, re-arranging piles, sifting through things and sorting them out. It’s nothing to do with me not making an effort; it’s just that there is TOO MUCH. OF EVERYTHING.

I can think of a gazillion things in my wardrobe I've bought on a whim and have never touched (for good reason too…they’re totally minging!) A perfect example of this is a Marc Jacobs cardigan I bought a while back which honestly makes me look a bit like that purple dude who used to hang out with Ronald Mcdonald but got axed because he was a criminal and Mcdonalds figured that glamorising crime wasn’t cool. I’m pretty sure it wouldn't look good on anyone unless they were around 6 feet tall and a size 6. I am never going to fit this criteria and I don’t even know what was going through my MIND when I bought it. Actually, on second thoughts, I think I do. I was probably thinking something along the lines of: ‘OMG IT’S MARC JACOBS, I LOVE MARC JACOBS, I LOVE CARDIGANS AND I LOVE PURPLE. BUY BUY BUY, OH WOW BARGAIN, MEGA BARGAIN!!’ 

There is no-one to blame but me for the fact that I have too much of everything. I’m a rampant, obsessive shopaholic. My friends know it, my family know it. Renie just loves to buy things.  But now I’m almost slightly scared because my constant buying and craving of stuff is defining me as a person and I don’t think I’m entirely comfortable with that.

I guess I had a wakeup call coming. A close friend who I have known since forever told me that she thought I had 'spending problems' and that all I ever really talked about nowadays was that new bag/those new shoes/that new coat I really desperately wanted. She also pointed out that I was just as fun when I used to hang around in battered jeans and stupid t-shirts and thought that Proenza Schouler and Margiela were Italian cheeses/potential STIs and didn't freak out over things like labels and Italian craftsmanship. Owch. 

I knew that she didn't mean it in a horrible way but the truth hurts. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to revert back to the old jeans and t-shirt Renie and I don't want to either. But it has made me realise that I need to curb the mad spending and focus on the important stuff. I've gotten to the point where I'm spending for the sake of it and I'm pretty sure no one actually needs fifty t-shirts, piles of denim, or enough pairs of shoes to crush/spike someone to death. I don’t even really like denim. 

So anyway, the big plan is to declutter – by this I mean ACTUALLY REMOVING STUFF and giving it away to charity, friends and whoever wants it and not buying any more clothes, shoes or accessories for the rest of the year. Eek. 

It’s going to be a crazy experience and the withdrawal symptoms aren’t going to be pretty but it’s really probably for the best before I end up like Billie Jean James, a lovely old lady in America who was a compulsive hoarder and was crushed to death by her own stuff. Yowzers. 

P.S. I’ve just told my mother who a) burst out laughing with scepticism and still hasn’t stopped b) told me to sober up and stop drinking whatever I’m drinking. Encouraging stuff!

What Renie ate...in Dublin!

So, I had promised to visit a good friend of mine in Dublin before I started uni...second year was over and I figured I should stick to what I said and booked myself a 'rail and sail' ticket (basically training to Holyhead and then getting the ferry to Dublin Port...but railing and sailing sounds so much cooler).


I learned a few things on the short journey to Dublin:


1. I am unable to count train carriages and this can have serious consequences e.g. the train separating and you being on the wrong bit


2. I am bad on ferries. By 'bad' I mean I have to sprawl over a whole table and wail to myself in order to stop myself from emptying the contents of my stomach everywhere. 


3. Playing House of the Dead II (which by the way, is totally old skool) does not make my being sea sick any better. It makes things worse. Much worse. 


4. Being out of the city is totally ok. Wales is nice. Sheep are nice. Castles and scary empty bays with real shipwrecks are very cool.

Luckily I got there in one piece and had a fabulous couple of days and even made it back without injuring myself or anyone else, victory pour moi! Anyway, onto the interesting bits...


Burgers at Bobo's 

The interior

Bobo's Cheeseburger and Rosemary Salt Fries

...And now for the close up!

According to Time Out, Bobo's do the best burgers in the whole of Dublin. They tell no lies. They use fresh, locally sourced beef and make them into possibly the yummiest burgers I've ever had (I may be speaking too soon though as I'm going to #Meateasy on Monday, heh!). The rosemary salt fries were pretty excellent too. Now every time I have fries, I want rosemary...Bobo's what have you done to me?! 

Cake and Coffee at Keogh's 

This was the ultimate pick me up after I got into the city! My friend took me to an adorable café near the tourism office (which by the way, is in a super nice building) and after a latte and a huge slab of chocolate cake served with a ginormous cloud of thick, cocoa dusted cream, I was back on my feet and ready to take on the world/crash, sit around and eat even more.

This photo makes me paw hungrily at the screen and want cake

The Farm

We figured that we should have a big, blow out dinner before I left and we were all in the mood for some place nice. The only problem was that we hadn't booked, it was a Friday night and Renie is a little bit picky. I vetoed a couple of places, including Dunne & Crescenzi - (the menu was boring) but then we stumbled across The Farm, which is all cutesy and organic and the menu and reasonable prices = major wins!

Also they had outdoor seats with blankets and little pictures of farm animals tiled on the walls - macabre but also adorable! My initial plan was to go all out and have three courses. I managed two. This either suggests that I have a tiny, pathetic appetite or that the portions were huge. We all know the former isn't true, so here are the photos to prove the latter. 

We had...potato and leek soup, which was delicious and fresh, cottage pie and the real star of the show was the roast organic loin of pork which was marinated in garlic and stuffed with butternut squash, sage and onion. They served it on a mini mountain of creamy herbed mashed potato.  

Crazy good milkshakes at Shakes

I'm kinda familiar with milkshake bars now because they have been EVERYWHERE since forever. That doesn't stop me from getting horrendously excited whenever I see one, especially when a) it's all cutesy inside and b) the proprietor is super nice.

I'm usually a Reece's Pieces kinda girl but then I saw the VIP shakes...I ended up with 'Monkey Business,' which consisted of my fav - Nutella, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, fresh banana which was all topped with whipped cream and a Flake. I'm pretty sure I'd gone over my RDA of fat/sugar but it was definitely worth it. 

 So...that's what I ate, there will be more in part II! :D

Balfour, Bloomsbury

We went to Balfour in Bloomsbury for lunch and a catch up/goodbye to one of my friends who is returning to Germany this week. It's such an adorable restaurant - in a lovely, not too busy part of London. The weather was pretty awesome too, so perfect for alfresco dining!

I seriously love independent restaurants like the Balfour - the menu was eclectic and crazy, and we managed to identify French, Italian, English and Spanish dishes on the menu despite the fact that it markets itself as an Italian. We unadventurously all went for the Chicken Milanese which was huge and came with loads of spaghetti in a light tomato sauce and salad with the yummiest dressing ever.

Dessert was amazing, I'm a massive panna cotta fan and when I saw a coconut version on the menu I pounced. Unfortunately, we couldn't taste any coconut at all but we weren't too bothered because the raspberry coulis was delish.


We also had wine and Sangria which was reasonably priced and lovely. Seriously recommend a visit, especially when it's sunny out!

PANNA COTTA FOREVER.