Tax almost sorted, yay!!!!!!! Looks like I will be paying 45 euro rather than 40,450 euro. Had to get my dad's lawyer and his colleagues to help me with the paperwork, but its almost sorted now.

So I have noticed a lot going on for people right now, people starting college, people dying, financial difficulties everywhere, but things are always changing- you solve one set of problems- you get new ones to deal with- sometimes the constant threat to your personal well-being can make it difficult to feel you are in a secure enough position to spend time on art. Maybe you too can relate to this? One of those life transition phases - where there has been or is going to be change.

Right now I am sort of in such a position - I have uploaded some sketches to scraps and will upload more, but not able to start into any of my bigger art projects just yet. HOWEVER I am getting a lot of inspiration that will help me when I do. On Saturday I went to visit the place where I could be teaching as of November- a city/town called Görlitz in Germany that extends into Poland - AND ITS AWESOME. When I was there the town was covered in props, and heavy machinery preparing it for a film being made for cinema audiences- the town has a rather unique architecture - cover the cobbled roads with mud and it looks like a medieval town. The town is filled with castles, medieval style houses and people playing nylon stringed guitars. PURE AWESOME- I took 1 gig of photos!! Will make great reference material. A lot of unemployment there, and not much to do, but it looks awesome and I guess my free time will be spent on art projects.

I dont know if I have the job there yet though, and even if I do get it I wont be teaching there till november - so I am looking at other work as well. I have been offered a job being a security guard at an old abandoned hospital - its creepy as hell, pure horror film - absolutely UNBELIEVABLE. Very resident evil. Think overgrown and overcome with trees, weeds, and plants and at the same time a GIANT building with several styles of architecture- some overly opulent and ancient with amazing facades - others modern and creepy - gives you the sense that bizarre experiments and horrible psychiatric events. And my job will be to wonder around it- its under 24 observation- so this means at night and at day.
I will be killed by ghosts and old medical equipment - but I will get some great photos for reference before I die.
It will be creepy as hell. Probably be attacked by rats and hear creepy screaming sounds. No doubt I will haunt the place after I die horribly. I cant wait!

besides that also got a phone call from interac today- about an interview for going over to Japan march and to teach there- obviously thats really complex- because if I get the job in Görlitz it will be difficult to leave...

Whatever the case I guess I am lucky I like such weird things - not many people would want to work in Görlitz (because of lack of nightlife) or the abandoned hospital (because of how incredibly freaky, dangerous and potentially boring it could be).

Other that that I was teaching tuesday and it was great . Young adults who are in a school for the unemployed essentially- to get them into the workforce. pretty cool 'kids', if I can call them that. I'd say they were around 18-21; I would be teaching the same type of people in Gorlitz.

Hopefully though just get this job thing sorted soon though, get to work on art. Though gorlitz is insane hours- so wont be easy.

anyway, thanks for reading. I hope your well

Ayacon was great, loads of fun. And it was great to see people there, but back in Berlin now and having my share of ups and downs :\

Finished my teaching course and preparing my CV and getting ready for interview questions. Going to be looking into teaching English here in Germany, but there is also an opportunity over in England where I could make use of both my psychology degree, teaching cert, and art skills - a job teaching art in a special needs school. So I am also look into that.

Other stuff though, had just woken up the other day and was about to go out around town for some things when my dad told me 'there could be a warrant out for your arrest' WTF?!
apparently they had just gotten some mail from a neighbor, that I owed in access of 40,000 in tax, that I now had to pay. Apparently this is because when I was working here as a portrait artist several years ago I had to be registered for tax as self employed. So they wanted me to pay tax for all that time plus more tax for leaving it so late.

So went to the finance office with my dad (because legal german isnt easy) to clear it up and say I have been studying in ireland these last few years and not working here.
They tried to sort it out so I only have to pay 45 euro. So some forms to fill in - but I cant help get the feeling that we don't have all the forms. Still not out of this mess yet, but hopefully will get it sorted next week, while also making progress with finding work.

On the upside I now have a German bank account, online banking and an EC card . though no money in it till I get some money transferred from my irish account :\
Also on top of this I'm not really sure if I really will be staying here at the moment... with the possible job opportunity in England and I am not really sure if there are many opportunities here. I guess I'll just have to wait and find out-though I am being slowed down by factors beyond my control (e.g. time it takes to process my teaching course stuff so that I get my cert and reference, also wont get my psychology degree (i.e. the piece of paper)till November.

sigh.

hows u?
Anyone else looking for work?

Hurray! In the airport!! its 4:32am. Not sure what awaits in ayacon- hopefully I'll find my way there in the end :/
Have a few copies of Division to leave in the bring and buy- hopefully will get to meet lots of really cool people and see lots of really cool stuff.
After the con its off back to Berlin- to find work :/ - hopefully teaching. Will be working on my new film too though
BTW my phone is not receiving text messages!! aghh!! its annoying

Hows you?
g2g
outta money!! agh

ellO!
Things are a little better now, got some of my work done, though still much to do.
In fact I managed to spend some time fixing up a new tutorial for DA too, which should be in my gallery now. Its the second part of Howto make a short animation/anime - this part covers finding actors, recording and animating (aka the production stage). Let me know if you like it and if it is worth my time making the third part and posting it online.
SO I arrive in Germany tomorrow, still have to translate division, the cover etc. Going to work on that now. Selling the film next Sunday in the dark summer market at Dunckerstrasse, Berlin (presuming its done). Going with my lil sister and staying with my Dad, who lives there.
While I am there I will post around some CVs see if I can get a job teaching English, as there is major pressure on me to get a job ASAP. Not sure yet if I will be coming back in two weeks or not- but I'll let ye know.

Whoohoo, looking forward to Ayakon. Though I havent received tickets in the post yet... have you?

AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes, just logged on to DA to say that.
anyway, I realise I haven't posted since the day before I got results. Did well enough in the end. Hopefully should be enough for post grad courses when I come to that.
Some how though... I still have deadlines... and its impossible to hit them all- too much to do, and there just seems to be a hell of a lot of pressure.
GAH!!

basically-
art stuff first:
selling in berlin on the 12th - supposed to have translated the film and subtitled it in german, translated the cover, improved the extras, designed t-shirts etc etc
I have some new extras, but thats about it, nothing is in german as of yet. Im still revising infact.

Work stuff second:
had to get rid of my apartment and move back into my mums house for the mo- where I must mind my sis. I have to get work now, and to do that teaching seems to be the thing I must do. So I have started a 100 hour teaching english in a foreign language course- and maybe I am putting too much time and effort in, and going overkill- but its taking forever. Need to have this done ASAP as I must look for work in Germany while I am there- so I need to be able to say I have my TEFL cert. I am also going over Japanese and German to help with this job search.

Academic
myself and my supervisor have been talking about publishing my final year project in a psychiatric/medical/psychological journal- I was supposed to have done some new stats stuff and submitted a new draft for publication last monday... I have not.
on the 12th I lose a whole lot of access privileges for stats software and scientific journals.

Whats more I just feel like everyone thinks I am doing nothing, or they dismiss the things I am doing, tell me to do more stuff (learn to drive, graphic design for them etc). I think this is just the way people act because they want to make sure I get work, but the stuff I am doing is mostly related to getting work, they unlock the opportunities that I otherwise won't have... a psychology degree on its own is not enough.

I feel I'm just being pulled in too many directions, and that these deadlines are frustrating because they are all at the same time rather than consecutive.
Also with regards film... I made another short film, but I will not be making it available online - given I don't have all the copyright.
The 30 minute thing preproduction was progressing nicely, but its on hold for obvious reasons. No time. My heart and brain would probably explode if I tried to multitask anymore.

btw
slime forest adventure is awesome. its an RPG that teaches you Japanese. You can find it on LRNJ.com ... it should help you recognise kanji easy, also hiragana and katakana. I bought the member version and ended playing this every once in a while too. a productive kind of break... not that I have always been working either... other things get in the way.

hope you are all well. Hope to post more soon- Had made a part 2 to that last video tutorial, so will try export that to DA film format and upload it at some stage.