Photography

My Week in Photos - Flowers and Baking Creations

20:35:00

Hey there everybody!

As it is now easter break for me, I've been sleeping all day because all of my friends are out of town. I've also had some extra time to wander around with my camera, and so I thought I'd share the result with all of you.

I've also had some extra time to spend cooking and baking, and so this post contains the result of hours I spent locked in the kitchen. The abundance of flower pics is not because I have a secret garden with hundreds of different types of flowers (as much as I wish that was true), but rather due to my trip to the garden centre with my dad earlier today.


I have absolutely no knowledge of flowers, but I'm pretty sure these are called Hydrangeas? Also, the colours of these are gorgeous.
Fun fact - I stabbed my finger on one of the spikes while trying to position them.

These are the types of flowers you see on Pacific islands, and so I have absolutely no idea why they would fit in in a greenhouse that's covered in snow?
These literally taste exactly like Bounty bars, and are completely healthy and so delicious. To be honest, I made these only a few hours ago, and there aren't any left. Also, if you follow me on twitter, this was why I was sitting in front of the fireplace trying to melt chocolate, although I gave up on that soon after.


This has rapidly become my favourite breakfast, and again, these are very easy to make and healthy. Watch out for a recipe of the two treats I've included in a blog post, because they might be coming soon! 
I have to admit, I was very tempted to reach out and taste one of these ripe tomatoes!



I hope some of those images made you long for summer as much as I am right now. Unless of course, you're one of the very lucky people born in a place where the sun shines all year long, in which case, I envy you.

I have to apologise for being so hyper throughout this blog post, I think I've had one too many chocolate and coconut macarons.

What's the weather like where you are? Are you too on easter break?

Other

Reasons Why I'm a Feminist

16:53:00

I am a feminist. People ask me why, and I always tell them that it's because it's the right thing. I haven't been affected by sexism n any major, life-changing ways, but I know people who have. I know there are so many pressing issues out there relating to sexism, and that my experiences with sexism are insignificant, but it is these things that has got me thinking about why feminism should matter to every single one of us, not just those affected by it.

I have an older brother, and we're both very messy people. The floors of our rooms are always covered by mess. My mum always tells me to tidy my room and that it should be clean, but when I ask why she hasn't asked my brother, she sighs and says: "Boys will be boys." That isn't fair, is it? Being messy isn't a masculine trait, it's a human trait.

My friend told me the other day that he thought I was 'dominant'. Not as an insult, he told me it was just an observation. When I asked him why, he told me that I liked to take charge. That's true, I do like to take charge. But no more so than my male friends. I don't have a problem with asking a guy to prom, but the guy I did ask told me it was wrong, and that I should wait until someone asked me instead. Is it wrong for me to take matters into my own hands? Is it wrong for me to not wait for someone else to do it when I am fully capable of doing so myself?

I grew up with an older brother, and I used to love playing with his lego. I loved building things, and we would always have competitions to se who could build the tallest tower. When I started in kindergarten, I asked where the lego was, and the Lego for Girls was shown to me. I didn't want to build flower beds and care for horses, I wanted to build towers! When I tried to play with the boys' lego, I was told to go back to my own set, and when I asked why, it was because those kind of toys weren't for girls. Why not? Why shouldn't I be allowed to build towers when all my male counterparts could?

When I'm having dinner with my family and go back for seconds of dessert, my grandparents always send me funny looks and tell me I need to be careful I don't gain weight. When my brother does it, they laugh and say he's a growing boy. I'm a growing girl. Does that mean I'm not allowed to have seconds, when my brother is?

As I mentioned above, these are just some minor issues that have affected me. These are the small reasons of why I'm a feminist, because I'm not treated as an equal to my brother, or any other males. It's unfair, and I'm going to take a stance against this. I'm passionate about feminism, and I'm going to be vocal about it, and no one is allowed to tell me I'm being too bossy or taking on too much for a girl.

Feminism is so important, and if you can empathise with me in any of my experiences, please stand up for yourself. Make sure that you are treated the same as your male friends, no matter how small the issue may seem. Small things add up, and if we overlook the small things, we'll never be able to reach equality. Please be vocal about this. Don' be afraid to speak your mind.

Thoughts

10 Years Time

22:31:00

In ten years time I'll be 25, which is crazy to think about. I'll have graduated from university, or I might have chosen to further my education. Are you still studying design or did you change your route? As long as you haven't become an engineer I think you'll do well.

Do you still have contact with your friends from Norway? I hope you still talk to them, because even if you've probably drifted apart from most of them, they've been a really great support system and you need to thank them for that. They brighten up the dull and boring times, so please repay that to them too.

Did you end up getting into that boarding school in England? If not, where did you go?

Are you still pescetarian, or did you give up? I hope you didn't because it made you a lot happier. Maybe you could try again?

I assume you're not living here anymore, because I've always sworn that. Maybe you're in America, England or Australia, or maybe you're backpacking across the world. Please take time to travel, and explore more of the world.

How did that road trip you're planning through America go? Which places did you end up visiting?

When was the last time you visited home? You should do that soon, because even though you may think of it as boring, I know you really do miss it sometimes. Is your family still alive and well? What about your friends?

How old will Charlie be now? 12 or so? That's quite old for a dog, make sure you spend lots of time with her because you know you're her favourite family member although you find her a bit annoying sometimes.

How did the rebuild go? Did you end up doing it? What does it look like now? Is the tree house still standing? Have you slept up there recently? You should, because even if it might feel a bit weird, it's the best feeling in the world waking up by the sunlight shining through the leaves over you.

Have you met your significant other yet? If not, don't worry, just listen to Taylor Swift's album 1989, which you probably consider really old by now. But if you have, what do they look like? Do I know them now? Do they make you smile even if you're trying not to, and do they let you cry on their shoulder even if they don't know what's wrong?

I don't know where you'll be in the future, and I don't mind as long as you're happy. Are you surrounded by people who make you smile so that all your teeth are showing? Do they mind all your crazy ideas?
____________________________

This blog post was inspired by PointlessBlog's new video, 10 years time. 

Where do you hope to be in 10 years time?

Thoughts

The future?

19:40:00

A few days ago i went to a fair with lots of universities. I found it really interesting, and I definitely enjoyed it. One thing that bothered me though, were the questions I was asked, although they were definitely expected. I'm fifteen, and at every school I looked at, I was asked what I wanted to be. I obviously understand this and that it's important for them to know, but at the same time, I think it's wrong.

Should I, at the age of fifteen, be certain of what I want to spend my life doing? I find that unrealistic. It scares me that I'm supposed to know what I want to be and where I want to live in two years time. I have two years to figure this out, and I know in some countries, especially if you're doing GCSE's and A-levels, you should have decided way before that.

Am I the only one who's scared by this thought? Am I the only one who finds this strange? Let me know if you've had any experiences like this, or if you have any thoughts on this topic. I'm genuinely interested, this isn't just something I'm saying.

Other

My 10 Favourite Books

22:06:00

I don't think I've mentioned this in a blog post before, but I'm a massive bookworm. I absolutely love cuddling up in my bed with a cup of tea and a new book, and I'll finish a book in one sitting if I enjoy it enough. I thought some of you might be interested in what my favourite books are, and so I'm going to share them with you. These are a few of my all time favourites, as well as some I've read recently, so I have a feeling there'll be quite a few missing from this list. Enjoy!

















This should come as no surprise at all if you've read even only one of my blog posts, but Harry Potter definitely tops this list. I love the entire series so much, and to be honest, I think I've read each book more than twelve times each. I just love how absolutely everything is so interconnected, and tiny details that seem so insignificant suddenly pop up in a later book and turn out to be very important to the plot. If you also love this series, I'd recommend checking out the podcast called Alohomora, where they discuss the entire series chapter by chapter. By the way, can you tell which house I'm in?
















The Perks of Being a Wallflower is another book I love. To be honest, the idea is quite common, although I feel like this book offers it from a new perspective. It also feels like you're pen pals withCharlie, and perhaps that's why I felt so connected to all the characters.It's also a bizarre coincidence that my three favourite names of all time are in this book - Charlie, Sam and Alice!

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is a book I coincidentally picked up in a book shop as a bit of entertainment for the plane journey home, and I ended up falling in love with it. It's writing style is quite similar to The Perks of Being a Wallflower and John Green's books, but the characters in it are so original and witty. I can't decide whether I relate to Dash, the weirdo who hangs out in book shops, or Lily, the younger sister who just wants a bit of adventure, more.

Thirteen Reasons Why is one of the saddest books I've read. Hannah Baker, the storyteller, has such an uplifting and humourous voice, despite the sad story, which somehow intensifies it. I really enjoyed it, but I have to admit that I found myself skipping parts of Clay's narrative to finish Hannah's story.

I'm very easily spooked, and I'm therefore not one for psychological thrillers. However, about a year ago I was listening to the radio with my grandma, and an exert of this book was read. I bought it immediately after, and I finished it within a day and a half. It's called Before I Go To Sleep, and is about a woman who wakes up every day with amnesia, and this book is her diary, which she reads back on every day. It's a must read, and even if you don't think it's for you, I urge you to have a look at it.

I've enjoyed all of John Green's books, but I limited myself to only include one of them on this list, as they're all quite similar. My personal favourite by him is Paper Towns, which is about to be made into a movie starring Nat Wolff (Isaac from The Fault in Our Stars) and Cara Delevinge. I found the book so funny, and I felt like every single character was an exact copy of someone I know in real life. I'm also very into maps, which may be part of the reason I was so drawn to the concept of Paper Towns.

There has been quite a lot of controversy over Girl Online by Zoe Sugg recently, but I have to say that I love the book. I bought it at an airport, and didn't put it down the entire aeroplane ride, and even when I got home, I went straight up to my room to finish it. The plot is the kind that I pretend to avoid, so cheesy, but I actually love it. It's set in New York, which I find particularly endearing. I absolutely love this book, and for some reason it really changed my outlook on life in general, and is maybe the main motivator for me to start this blog.

Okay, I lied. I'm going to include one more John Green book on this list, and it isn't The Fault In Our Stars. Looking for Alaska is not the type of story I can personally relate to, and I actually found it quite dull at first. As I got deeper into it, I started enjoying it more and more, until I ended up loving it. People say they fell in love with Alaska, but I actually hated her. To me, she's the type of character that you see in horror films, who you scream at right as she's about to open the door to the basement where all the corpses are. Nevertheless, I love the book, and it's a must read.



This Song Will Save Your Life is a book my cousin bought for me as a bit of a joke, as it sounds so cheesy. However, I ended up really liking it, and I think if you've ever felt left out or not worthy enough, this is the kind of book that gives you hope. 

I have slightly mixed feelings about Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, but as it is the most recent book I read, I thought I'd include it anyway. A part of me loves this book, because although the plot is very unrealistic, the way is written is so similar to how teenagers think. It's the kind of writing that I know I would use if I was to write a book right now, but at the same time I can tell that it's so cliche. It probably sounds like I'm dissing this book, but I do actually love it, and the storyline is very entertaining.

That's it! The list is in no particular order, as it would be impossible for me to choose between some of these books. I love them all dearly, and I would reccomend every single one of them.

Have you read any of these books? What are your opinions on them? What are some of your favourite books? I'm on the lookout for new books to read, so please let me know! 

Other

My 2015 Bucket List

09:51:00

When people look back on their teenage years, it always seems like they experienced so much. They went to parties, and have so many memories. I don't have any of that. Sure, I have good friends who I have a lot of fun with, but I don't feel like I have many memories or regrets that'll last me a lifetime. This year, I've made it my mission to change that. I want to be able to look back and cherish all those days of sleepovers and fun on the beach, not days of studying, stressing, and being bored. 

However, I also want to be able to remember all the memories I make this year. For that reason, I've bought this notebook. It's from TkMaxx, and I got it for £4.99, and I love the way it looks. My plan is to print out a photo of me doing every one of these and put it in a separate page of my journal, and tell the story of how it happened. I think it'll help me remember the details of what happened.

Here's the bucketlist I made, I hope you enjoy!
  1. Build a snowman
  2. Sleep in an igloo
  3. Go ice skating
  4. Read a french book
  5. Go rollerblading
  6. Go for a hike
  7. Kiss someone outside 
  8. Watch a sunrise
  9. Watch a sunset
  10. Feel confident and fit in a bikini
  11. Wear a hat for a day
  12. Write a letter to celebrity
  13. Read a Lord of The Rings book
  14. Go to a wild party
  15. Get a top grade on my report card
  16. Dance in the rain
  17. Decorate a christmas tree
  18. Kiss someone
  19. Make a fancy dinner for my family
  20. Fill an entire room with balloons
  21. Go to a theme park
  22. Give someone a makeover
  23. Go skydiving
  24. Eat straight out of a watermelon
  25. Send a message in a bottle
  26. Get a temporary tattoo
  27. Keep a vase of flowers in my room
  28. Fill out my journal
  29. Make a bonfire
  30. Have a picnic
  31. Fly a kite
  32. Go to a concert or a festival
  33. Tie dye something
  34. Have a waterfight
  35. Do the splits
  36. Read 20 books
  37. Go thrifting
  38. Go skinnydipping
  39. Sleep under the stars
  40. Camp on an island
  41. Have a Harry Potter marathon
  42. Make chocolate dipped strawberries
  43. Have a photoshoot
  44. Help organise an end of year party
  45. Go on a beach run
  46. Win a contest
  47. Run a race
  48. Try a DIY from pinterest
  49. Create my own recipe
  50. Get a tan tattoo
To be quite honest, I haven't looked at these since I set them. That's probably the reason why so few of these have been accomplished, and I just now realised I won't be able to complete a few of the winter ones, as all the snow has melted here. That sucks!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and maybe it gave you some ideas! Let me know if you've done or want to do any of these. What are some things you'd like to accomplish this year?


Beauty / Fashion

Rimmel Lasting Perfection Powder Foundation Review

15:47:00

Hey guys!

Today I thought I'd talk about a product I bought recently while I was over in the UK. It's the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Powder Foundation - why does makeup always have such long names? I read long ago that people with oily skin should try powder foundation, but I never took any notice of it until I wandered into Boots a few weeks ago. I don't wear makeup every day, but I wanted something I could quickly pop on when I wanted to wear something. The original price of this product is £6.99, but I found itduring a 2 for £10 sale that Boots was having.


This product carries 7g, which is quite a bit less than the Rimmel Match Perfection Powder. They both come with a makeup sponge, although the one for Lasting Finish is square, and not quite as nice. Nevermind, who really uses the powder puff anyway?

Now to the actual product. I managed to, as always, pick a colour slightly too dark for me, but their colour selection is great. My shade is Silky Beige 003, in case you're interested. I have to say, this product is definitely silky, and it applies very easily.  The cover claims that it can be used both wet and dry, although I've only ever tried dry. I like to apply it with a compact blush brush, but as it is quite high coverage, I sometimes use a powder brush instead, if I want something lighter.


It doesn't transfer onto clothes - or worse, someones cheek - but I can't say much for the staying power. My face doesn't hold makeup well at all, and as I usually forget I'm wearing anything, I often end up rubbing my face, which is a big part of the problem. I put this on around 7.30 in the morning, and it's mostly gone by three o'clock if I don't top up. It's better than some of my other powders, but as it claims to last 25 hours, I'm not impressed.

Rimmel is my favourite makeup brand, and overall, I am very impressed by this new addition. I assume it might be drying if you already have dry skin, so if that's the case, I would probably go for something else. However, I do like this foundation, and I will continue wearing it, despite it's lack of staying power!

Have you tried this powder foundation, and if so, what did you think of it? What's your favourite foundation? Please let me know!

Other

5 Women Who Inspire Me // International Women's Day

20:51:00

Since it's the International Women's Day today, I thought I would do a post about some of the women who mean a lot to me. I am definitely a feminist, and these are women who have inspired me to stand up for myself against feminism, and anything else I'm passionate about. They've all inspired me to do my thing and be proud of who I am, and never trying to hide it, although if you read my last post, you'll know that that's something I still struggle with.


The main person who has impacted my life is definitely Emma Watson. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and Hermione Granger is my favourite character. Ever since I first read the books and then watched the movies, I was a fan of her because I felt she did so much justice to Hermione. As I grew older, I discovered she's so much more than that. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't be a feminist. I always associated feminism with man-hating, bra-burning women, and I didn't want to be classified as one of them. Her speech back in September taught me what it really means to be a feminist, and why it is so important for us all to stand up for equality.

My music is generally quite pop-punk-rock, and Taylor Swift is completely different from what I usually listen to. I've liked her for years, but it was after her recent album, 1989, that I fell in love with her. She prioritises happiness, and encourages people to be themselves. Sometimes after a tough day, all I need to cheer myself up is to listen to Shake It Off, which always makes me feel so much better about everything.
Hayley Williams is someone I don't know very much about, although I'm a fan of Paramore. I love the way she is so proud to be herself, and it is clear that she is so comfortable in who she is, and that inspires me to do the same.
Am I allowed to include fictional characters? Probably not, but it's my list so I will anyways. Luna Lovegood has helped me in more ways than anyone can ever imagine. Although my obsession with her caused me quite a bit of trouble in sixth grade, when I aspired to be as weird as possible instead of being myself, I love her to death. Every little girl who has ever felt self conscious about having different interests than everyone else, and liking different things will be able to resonate with Luna Lovegood, and Evanna Lynch portrays her perfectly.

Zoe Sugg has also made this list, because she is herself. I watch her videos religiously, and if you do too, you'll know how much of an advocate she is foor happiness. I love the fact that she prioritises herself, and even when people are nagging her to upload, she manages to put time away for herself because happiness is overall the most important thing in anyone's life. She's also the main person who inspired me to start blogging, which I'm so grateful for.







That's it for now, although I could go on forever. Especially on all the reasons I love Emma Watson, because she has honestly changed my life. I'll link her UN HeForShe speech at the end of this post, because I think even if you do not consider yourself a feminist, it is something every single person should watch.

Who are some people who have inspired you? Let me know!

Emma Watson UN Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkjW9PZBRfk

Thoughts

Facing my Fears

18:08:00

Hey everyone,

Today I'm going to talk about quite a personal topic, which I think is the first step to being who I am. I hope this post benefits a few of you, and maybe even inspires you to do your thing and be who you are.

Although I'm generally quite content and confident in who I am, and I have quite a few close friends, I don't ever feel like I have anyone who completely gets me. You know those posts you see about things best friends do? I don't feel like I ever have anyone to do things like that with.

I know this is completely my own fault, because even though I'm very chatty and extroverted towards people I know,
 I keep such a huge part of myself hidden. At my old school, I had a few best friends who I'm still very close with, but I've always been the 'weirdo' of the friend group. I always say excactly what's on my mind, and I honestly don't see what's wrong with that. My friend's always tease me for it, and although I know it's done kind-heartedly, it's all a bit too much sometimes.

I don't want to be teased even more, and so I try to be as normal as I can. When I say normal, I don't mean in the way I act, but in my interests. I'm the type of person who has the mindset 'go big or go home', and I never enjoy anything moderately. If I like something, I LOVE it, and spend every second of the day thinking about it. For some reason though, I try to hide this for my friends, because I don't think they'll be interested.

I've hidden the fact that I love Harry Potter, because even though they all know that I enjoyed the books, none of them know how much of a Potterhead i actually am. This is because at my old school, I used to be that girl, the one who showed up in school with a Harry Potter uniform. As I mentioned above, my friends would tease me for it, and it made me feel awful, because I never felt as worthy as them and saw them as being above me. I never want to be that girl again, and so I've hidden that part of my personality.

None of my friends know about my love for writing. I don't want to seem like that sappy dramatic kid, and therefore no one knows that I write a journal every night, or that I love writing on this blog.

No one knows about my love for youtubers, and I don't know why, but I suppose I'm just afraid of being an outcast.

I haven't told anyone about my wish to slim down and look better, because I don't want to be seen as one of those girls that are always in movies, where they only eat salad and never think they're skinny enough.

However, a few months ago, I casually told my friend about my love and fascination for Emma Watson. I didn't tell him the extent of it, because I didn't want to be seen as weird. Surprisingly, it turns out that he and a few others in my friend group have major crushes on her, and we now fawn about her together. It turned out to be really fun, and I feel so much happier because of it.

My fear is that my friends will know about all of the things I listed above, and I'll be an outcast again. I want to stop this. I want to be able to be completely honest about who I am and what I like to do, and when people ask about my interests, I want to proudly say that, instead of "Eh, I'm not sure, a bit of everything" because I'm afraid of being judged.

This is my new project, being honest about myself to myself and the ones around me. This is me facing my fear, and hopefully it goes well. I'll let you know.

What are some things you're scared to do? Will you join me in this and try to work them out?
Please do, and let me know! xx

Tips

How I Stay Productive // How I Deal with Stress

13:45:00

I go to a school that has a lot of homework, and like most teenagers, I'm really bad at time management. I get sidetracked so easily, either by watching youtube videos, or going out with friends. Once, when I was supposed to be researching ancient Greece, I ended up reading an article on the best way to can my own mangoes!

At my school, the homework often comes in waves. I have a week or two of almost no homework at all, and then all of a sudden I have six assignments due in a week. Here are some things I've discovered that help me get productive, and help keep stress at bay. Hopefully they'll help a few of you too:

Exercise
If you're very busy and you're short on time, this might not be the best idea, as it will obviously take up more time. However, if you're just stressing over small things, as I often do, it's nice to go for a run or a brisk walk to get some fresh air and a little space. If you have a dog, it's really nice to take him or her out for a walk, as it always makes me happy to see my darling puppy run, jump and play.

Make a hot drink
One thing that definitely helps me and doesn't take a long time is to make a hot cup of tea. I get to leave my room for a few minutes, and I personally always feel a lot calmer if I have a cup of tea to sip on. A quick tip my dad taught me - if someone asked you a question that you don't know how to answer, take a sip of your tea, as it makes it seem like you're all sophisticated when you're actually  just buying time!

Change where you're sitting
I always do my work at a desk in my room, but I feel like if I've been sitting there and procrastinating for hours, it works to move to a new place, as it feels like I'm giving myself a second chance. Sitting in the same room as my family also helps me, as I feel like I can't procrastinate in front of them because they're able to see what I'm doing.

Switch it up
This kind of goes along with the last point, but switch up the homework you're doing! If you're working on a science essay, take a break and do some reading for english instead! You're still getting stuff done, but it might feel like you're giving yourself a little break!

Just do it
Just do whatever it is you have to do. Set yourself a time limit and make sure to finish it within that time. An app that I like to use is called 30/30, and you can set up a list of tasks and a time limit for each. It sounds like you could just use a timer, but that app helps keep me accountable for some strange reason.

Put it into perspective
If you're stressing, the most important thing to remember is that it'll all be over in a few days. Your homework that you're struggling to finish will have been handed in in a few days, and you'll be able to put it out of your mind. This is personally the main thing to remember for me, and I find that putting it into perspective like this really calms me down.

That's all the tips I have for now, but please let me know what you do down in the comments! How do you stay productive and on track? Did any of my tips help you?


Other

What I love about Spring

22:29:00

This morning I woke up by light shining in my window. I was wondering how long I'd overslept, because it hasn't been light at 7.30 in months! I was so happy when I realised that it was just spring approaching, so I though I'd share some of my favourite things about spring in a post with you.

As you may have gathered from my last post, I really enjoy being warm. This is probably the main reason that I dislike autumn and winter so strongly, because they make it impossible to go outside with less than three layers on. It's just a lot more tedious going outside and staying active if it's cold and dark outside, which is why I usually stay inside during those seasons. When the sun does make an appearance though, I love taking advantage of it. I like being able to wear jeans and a t-shirt to school with only a jacket on top.

I really like taking advantage of my environment, and for example going for runs. I have't been in over two years because I suffer from a knee injury, but today I decided to brave it, and I ran a 5k. I feel like this is definitely because of how sunny it is, it just makes you so much happier!

My mood definitely improves during the spring, and it makes me feel so much more motivated. Perhaps it's the increase in light, or all the bright colours around me, but it makes me feel better and more motivated and inspired to work towards my goals.


I have to say, I'm definitely jealous of wherever this photo was taken, I wish my hometown looked like that!
I love the nature during the spring. The flowers haven't quite come out yet where I live, but when I visited some family a few weeks ago in England, there were snowdrops everywhere. I felt like I was in some very cliche movie, walking through meadows of white flowers.

My friends and I aren't really the type of people to spend a lot of time outside, but when the spring arrives, I try to be outside as much as possible. Sometimes this is with a short walk around my neighbourhood with a girlfriend, or my personal favourite, sitting on the deck in shorts, gossiping and sharing a tub of mango sorbet.

I live in a country where during the winter, it gets dark at four o'clock. If you do too, you know what a drag this can be, because it feels like the day is over at that time, and it is impossible to get any work done. I love the weeks in February and March, where you slowly begin to notice that it isn't dark when you walk to and from school anymore, and you actually have time to do things while it's still light.

I do love spring and everything that comes with it, but to be quite honest, this is the first even slightly sunny day we've had in months, and even so, there was frost on the ground when I woke up. I guess that means that I should have waited slightly longer with this blog post, but I couldn't resist!

What are some things you love about spring, or if you don't (how can you not like spring??) what's your favourite season?

P.S. - I have to apologise for the lack of my own photos, as I mentioned in my first post, my camera broke, and the new one is still being delivered.Hopefully it'll be here by the end of next week!


Travel

Wanderlust // Places I Want to Travel to

21:19:00

You know that feeling you get when you're sick of staying in the same place? When you just want to get out of your little town and see the world? I'm having that right now. I'm so bored of where I live, and although I try to be grateful for everything in my life, it's quite hard as this is the time period where all the snow turns to slush and it's miserable all the time. I though I would bring myself and you guys something to look forward to or daydream about.

New York

I'm not really a big city type of gal, but think Taylor Swift's Welcome to New York has made me desperate to experience this city. Good thing too, because I'm going there later this spring! One of my favourite things in most large cities is seeing how the industrial part of the city interacts with the nature, for example dandelions creeping through the cracks in the pavement. I just think there's something really cool about that contrast! Which is definitely why I'm so excited to see the view from Empire State Building ad seeing the large rectangle of nature in the middle of such a large city.


Iceland
This is quite a random selection, and whenever I tell people that I'd love to visit Iceland, they always ask me why. I never have an answer for them. The nature seems to be quite similar to where I live now, but to me it just seems so different. The element I'd most like to see is definitely the geysers, as I think the freezing cold weather outside and the hot water from the ground seems so surreal.



Rome
I've been to Italy once before, when I visited Chieri, which is a gorgeous village right outside of Turin. I loved the architecture there and the old buildings that hold so many stories. I've heard Rome is even more amazing, and by the looks of it, it is definitely worth experiencing! I think if I went, I would definitely prioritise seeing Colosseum, which a friend of mine went to and told me she loved.




Southern France
When I was younger, my extended family  would spend two weeks in the south of France every summer. I loved it, and one of my very fondest memories are of waking up early in the mornings and wandering down the street hand-in-hand with my dad to the local bakery. We always used to buy two baguettes for breakfast for the rest of the family, but occasionally he would let me pick a sweet treat too. I always picked a pan au chocolat, and it is still my favourite. We sat in the bakery and eat, and it was always our little secret. I just really love the french culture, and I have studied french for three years (although I'm about as fluent in it as I am in Japanese). This summer it is highly likely that I'll be spending a few weeks in Nice at a language course, which I'm getting really pumped for.


Orlando
I'm such a Harry Potter geek, and ever since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, I've been dying to go! I think every persons dream is to be a witch and wizard and to attend Hogwarts, and The Wizarding World really makes this possible! However, I have to admit that I am way more excited for Diagon Alley, and especially the Weasley Wizard Wheezes jokeshop!



That's it for my very abridged list of places I would like to visit. I'm counting down the days until I leave for New York, and you can bet that I'll be sharing a bunch of photos with you!

Have you ever been to any of these places? Let me know what you thought of them!
Also, what are some places you would like to visit?