FROM PEEL-OFF-MASKS AND SOAP BUBBLES

Within the scope of the Feel Good Blogging Challenge, Alex wants us to tell you some fun stuff about ourselves. So here we go.

   I like Bananas. But not when they're already ripe, they taste too much like bananas for me then. They still have to be a little bit green on the edges to be perfect. Does this make sense to anyone?   One thing I learned today: Don't trust your little brother's phone battery in case you want to take a video - the video will probably not even be filmed.
   Another lesson of the day: three packs of Ahoi Brause are too much to eat at the same time. You should try it anyways, it's a heck of a lot of fun. Make sure to film it (with your own camera) and be excited for the foam developing in your mouth - just sayin.
   A couple of minutes ago my brother (spending a lot of quality time today, I guess) and me tried out a new peel-off-mask and it had GLITTER in it. How amazing is this? How. Amazing. Is. This? When it finally had dried and we could peel it off, he was so juiced up - it was his first peel-off-mask ever and he was impressed and joyful because of his extremely smooth skin. Seeing that really made me happy.
   Chocolate & Cookie Vanilla Icecream is THE BEST. Love the chunks of cookiedough in there. Well, who doesn't?!
    I've been meaning trying to do yoga for a pretty long time now but I've never really come around to do it. Something I should definitely do during my next holidays.
   Wo is already in the christmas-mood? To be honest, I totally am. Normally all the early decorations, the chocolate-santa's and advent calendars in the supermarkets are going on my nerves, but this year, I enjoy it. What I love most are almond cookies and beginning to bake patties again - the whole flat smells delicious afterwards.
   For the last few years, I never had a winter jacket I really liked. Simply because I never found one. This year it's my goal to find the perfect winter jacket. My biggest problem at the moment is to decide wether I want a hood or not.
   I love blowing soap bubbles. Especially after the rain, since I have a roof window the bubbles sink onto the roof and just lay there. Another thing you have to try out.
   Lastly, I asked my little brother. What he came up is: she's a little chaotic and I guess I have to agree with him. Should probably work on that, right?
   
Also, if you want to get to know me even better, go ahead and have a look at my 50 Facts about me I posted a few weeks ago.

Comment - Question: What's the most random fun fact about you? Do you find yourself in one of these things?

HOW TO GET OVER A BREAK-UP

   We've all been there at least once. Laying in our bed alone, crying every night until we finally manage to fall asleep. Thinking about the good old times and trying to hold back the tears in public. Feeling sorry for things that haven't even been our fault. Wanting to turn back the time and doing it all better. Forgetting about all the mistakes, the anger and the pain. Trying to figure out a way to recover our relationship with the one we love so bad. 

   The problem about this is that most of the time, there is no way back. We're located on a one-way road, facing weeks and months of terrible heartache. "I don't want to have to go through the next six months" - that's what I thought at this point of my life.
We can't just skip half a year or erase the past months. But remember: What doesn't kill you, makes you wanna die stronger. 

#1 wallow in self-pity  
Trust me. It won't kill you, even if it feels like that for the first couple of days. I know that it can feel like the end of the world. And it's okay to wallow yourself in all the pain, to think of all the beautiful moments and the mistakes you have made and to feel sorry for yourself.
Here's what you'll need: your best friend(s), tissues, sweatpants, ice cream, DVD's.
Eat your favourite ice cream, grab some tissues and watch the most beautiful, sad and tragic romantic movies you can think of (my faves are PS: I Love You, Friends with Benefits and A Walk to Remember).
Pamper yourself. Take long, warm baths with candles around you and your favourite relaxing music in the background - or even no music, if that's what you prefer.
Don't hold back the tears. Cry it all out, it's incredibly liberating and relieving.
Realizing that it's truly over - in case that's the case - takes some time. I speak from experience.

#2 crawl out of that black hole
Sorry not sorry, but an end has to come. Snatch yourself up, wear your favourite outfit and apply some make-up if you want to. Head up, shoulders back and give the world a smile. And I truly hope you won't have to fake it. Make yourself aware of the fact that your life will go on and that it will at least be as fun as before. 
To prove that, grab your friends and go shopping, try out a new restaurant or buy concert tickets. Do some DIY's, read a new book and step out of your comfort zone as often as possible. Take a risk. Trust yourself.
It's all about creating new memories, about being happy and getting back up.

You don't need a prince to save you.

#3 find your self-esteem again
I don't know about them boys, but girls often seem to lose the love for themselves and huge part of their self-confidence, what is terrible to me. You are beautiful and strong and whoever doesn't realize that will kick himself. 
You're still an extra special someone. To your friends and family, and to yourself. As creepy as it sounds. Especially since I know the feeling of being a girl among thousands of others again, not knowing where you belong and kind of feeling lost. But there's no reason to feel this way. You're awesome. Think about what you want in life, what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Do something you've been planning to do for a long time. Accomplishing something will be extra good for your soul. 

People will hate you, shake you and break you.
But how strong you stand is what makes you.

#4 get rid of his stuff
If you haven't done so until now, sort all of his clothes out of your closet. And you wanna be decent with this one, because I have already been in the situation of finding some of his single socks weeks later and that wasn't fun at all. 
Also clean your purse. Don't kid me, we all have at least one photo in there. You don't necessarily have to throw it away, but keep it in a place you don't have to see it every day. 
It's totally fine to keep some memorabilia, but nothing fancy as a Lord's table, okay?  
And of course this is the latest point of time to change your music. Everywhere. Seriously, this is so important.You don't want to be reminded of him while driving the car, working out or doing grocerie shopping.   

#5 stop stalking
Your own life is much more interesting than his, so don't mind his profile pictures (and especially not the girl in the background). Concentrate on your own business, girl. His snapchat, facebook, instagram or even whatsapp status don't belong into that. You get me?

She needed a hero, so that's what she became.

#6 don't rush anything - enjoy being single instead 
Didn't you see all the advantages yet? You have all of your time for your own business. Practically you can do whatever you want. Hang around with male friends without risking another stupid fight, experiencing fun stuff with your friends all weekend long, wearing whatever underwear you want, even during that time of the month. You have your whole wonderful bed for your own, there's no noise, no elbow in your ridge. You can workout as much as you want to be the hottest ex he'll ever have. You just don't need that boy in your life anymore. Well, let's say you never actually did.
Try a dog instead.


   As I told you: Life is amazing. There are so many things to discover. Ain't nobody got time to cry over their ex anymore!

   But there's still one last thing I have to say.
Please - PLEASE - don't cut your hair. Just don't do it, trust me.

WHAT'S YOUR PASSION?

#2: A Passionate Post  

Between youTube, blogger, school, sports and friends I don't find the time for my good old diary anymore. A few years ago, I used to write in there every single evening, even if it was the stupiest stuff about what I did that day or why I had argued with someone. I remember one time when a boy in my class and me dated, I would write down everything I planned to wear, even what Make-Up and what I wanted to do with my hair. 

It was incredibly calming for me and it gave me the possibility to structure all the thoughts going on in my head. When I was confused or sad and I just couldn't fall asleep, I would always take a pen and write all that crazyness down.
An old friend of mine also used to have a diary like this and she often told me about an entry she wrote about me. "Tomorrow my new friend Pia is going to visit me..." and so one.
Haven't we been cute?

Of course me and my friends dreamed about what
we wanted to be one day, as every child does. 

We all know at least one boy who wanted to becoma a policeman, firefighter or astronaut. Or, as my little brother, a businessman who drives all the way to his bureau in his BMW, wearing a nice suit and carrying his briefcase.
There you go.
And all the girls wanted to be model, singer or dancer, veterinarian, advocate or filmstar. That were the first things we always came up with.
But besides that, I always wanted to be an author. Simply because I had found a range of books I really liked. I kept trying and wrote the first eight pages. They were rubbish, so I wrote another five new pages. Over and over again, I didn't count. None of these books have ever been finished. Looking back, the subject of the books I wanted to write were always girls I could identify with.
I processed things I had experienced.
Later, the author became the journalist and this dream developed in exactly what you are reading in this very moment.
Congratulations, you're officially a part of me trying to figure out, what my current dream is. 

   I don't know my dream. It's too blurred and vague to figure it out. But what I know is my passion. My biggest one, to be accurate. Writing.

It seems to be the resolution to all of my problems. Most of them. Some.

Learing to me is the easiest by writing everything I need to know down. Writing letters is such a personal way to communicate with friends and family who don't live in your area. Saing goodybye gets much easier through a letter, it's something that you can hold in your hand or you can burn it if you want.It's more than just some dark letters in front of a blazing  display in all of your loneliness, joy or love. Music has to be written down, even though it is another kind of language. 

  A diary to me seems to be the best self-enacted therapy that I could possibly think of. It helps me to understand what I think, feel and want. It helps me to avoid stupid reactions, to calm down and to be balanced. It allows me to let my mind wander. Today as in my childhood. Don't you understand the brilliance of a diary? No matter how big or small it is. No matter if you have a real book, with lock and key or without or if you're just taking notes on a single sheet of paper, your phone or laptop. It keeps your thoughts, your feelings and your secrets.

Hide it, so that they are safe.

   When you find something to rave about, to put all your time and effort and heart and soul into, to gather information about and to do whenever you have time, to tell all of your friends about and to simply feel good, happy, satisfied and strong while doing it, then you know, you found your passion. 

   For me, passion is the key to happiness.

Tell me about it. What is ypur passion. And what does PASSION mean to you - can you sum it up in one single sentence?

Feel Good BLOGGING CHALLENGE [by Alex Beadon ]

Vor etwa zehn Minuten habe ich dieses Video von Alex Beadon gesehen. Was die Frau erzählt, sauge ich ja sowieso auf wie ein Schwamm, aber über diese Challenge habe ich mich besonders gefreut.
Da ihr die Community sehr wichtig ist und sie in meinen Augen auch die Challenge ausmacht, werde ich die entsprechenden Blogposts auf Englisch verfassen. Falls ihr den Inhalt nicht verstehen solltet, könnt ihr in der linken Sidebar den Google-Übersetzer finden, der euch den gesamten Blog übersetzt. 

#1: A Simple Introduction

1. WHO ARE YOU?
   
   I'm Pia, turning 17 next week and being excited without to even know why. Maybe because of this challenge, maybe because of my birthday - who knows. I have moved about three times in the last few years, but never to another city. My room is all white. I have already had two mice and two rats. Not at the same time, of course. There's this huge teddybear lying in my bed that I love to death. Guess what, it's white too. This year, I'm gonna finish school - finally! Playing The SIMS for me was all about creating the people and their houses. The rest was boring, to be honest. I'm playing badminton and I go to the gym. Vegetarian from the bottom of my heart. What I absolutely can't stand is not having my nails done. I hate how they look without polish.
   To get to know me even better, feel free to read my 50 facts about me and please feel tagged! :)
                                                                     
2.  WHY DID YOU START BLOGGING?
   
   Because of - why not? To be completely honest, I found myself thinking about starting a blog more and more often since a few years. Basically, since I started reading other blogs myself.
   Writing has always been very calming for me, and even at school I really liked writing essays and stuff. My absolute dream would be to be some kind of journalist so I thought a blog would be pretty good excercise for me. Also, it's a great way to share whatever comes to my mind. Healthy lifestyle, creativity, thoughts on different subjects. Because I love it.
    
3. WHO IS YOUR BLOG FOR?
   
   Even though this sounds cliché, it is for everyone. Everyone with one same interest as me, everyone searching for positivity and inspiration is welcome to my blog. I want to share with you everything I love and discover. I want to inspire people, to make them think and to make them feel strong, beautiful and motivated.
   
   
4. WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON LATELY THAT YOU'RE REALLY PROUD OF?
   Can you guess it? My blog, for sure. I haven't been too disciplined with my eating and my workouts lately, so I'm not really feeling very good about that. I love how my room turned out, but it needs so much more effort and love for every single detailto be finished.
   What makes me feel proud at the moment is my blog. It's not perfect, I'm totally aware of that. There are some things I don't really like or that I want to improve and I will have to work on that some hours. But it makes me proud. It's not just about my blog. It's about taking the risk and putting myself out there. It's about taking the step and doing what I've been thinking about for so long. I have to invest time and heart and soul. For me, it's one step into the right direction regarding my future and what I want to do in life. That's what makes me happy.
    
5. WHAT'S THE ONE MESSAGE THAT YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR BLOG?
   Life is amazing. Feel free to dream big, cause there are no limits to your dreams.
   Just think about life in general. About the universe and about us consosting of octillions of atoms - and everything around us too. And then think about all the innovations and opportunities we have today. Isn't that absoultely mind-blowing? To me, it is. We should appreciate that. We should be thankful and share, what we have. There are so many different professions, delicious dishes, possobilities to connect with people all over the world and to see the most beautiful places on earth. Even if you're having ab bad day, a bad week or even a bad month. This amazingness is all around you, at every single point of time. Use it. Try it. Believe in it, and believe in yourself.
   
   
   I'm really excited to see what will be the theme of the next six days and also what kind of people are going to join the challenge. In case you are, please make sure to leave the link to your blog in the comment section below sonce I would really love to read your posts. ♥ 

Decisions

Heute hatte auch mich der Schulalltag wieder. Ganz gesund fühle ich mich noch nicht, aber trotzdem langweilte ich mich in der Schule und verbrachte den Nachmittag in meinem Bett.

Es gibt so viele Entscheidungen zu treffen, die schließlich einiges an Recherche benötigen. :D

♥ Im Bereich Make-Up fallen mir solche Entscheidungen immer sehr schwer. Ich schaue mir Swatches an und lese Reviews. Wenn ich die Möglichkeit dazu habe, teste ich die Produkte selbst und spätestens dann bin ich komplett planlos.
Zur Zeit bin ich auf der Suche nach einer guten, relativ neutralen und eher warmen Lidschatten-Palette. Zur Auswahl stehen die Lorac Pro Palette, die Urban Decay Naked Palette und zusätzlich die Naked Basics Palette. Eine andere Möglichkeit wäre, mir sebst eine Palette aus Make Up Geek-Lidschatten zusammenzustellen. Die Qual der Wahl habe ich auch in Sachen Highlighter: der Mary Lou-Manizer von The Balm oder doch MACs Soft & Gentle? Außerdem brauche ich dringend gute Pinsel. Kaufe ich einzelne oder ein Set? Und von welcher Marke überhaupt?!

 ♥ Da eine Wand in meinem Zimmer durch den Rattenkäfig ein wenig dreckig wurde, will ich sie  streichen. Allerdings hätte ich gerne entweder eine Farbe oder Streifen auf weißem Untergrund, da mein gesamtes Zimmer weiß gehalten ist. Gold? Rosa? Oder doch lieber Beige?

 ♥ Für die letzte Schuh-Entscheidung brauchte ich ein halbes Jahr, um jetzt - circa ein weiteres halbes Jahr später - festzustellen, dass es die falsche Wahl war. Super. 

Fest steht, es sollen weiße Sneaker sein. Supergas? Vans? Chucks? 

Und lohnt sich das überhaupt noch, so kurz vor dem Winter?

♥ Die Wahl der Winterjacke - jedes Jahr dramatisch und bisher jedes mal ohne ein glückliches Ende zu nehmen.

♥ Geburtstag feiern oder nicht? Siebzehn ist ja nicht gerade meine Lieblingszahl.

♥ Dirndl kaufen oder nicht? Oft anziehen würde ich es ja nicht, aber andererseits hätte ich einfach uuunglaublich gerne eines im Kleiderschrank. Und dann muss ich mich auch noch für eine Farbe entscheiden. Schrecklich. 

Ihr habt ja keine Ahnung. Und gerade drängt sich die Frage auf, ob ich nicht vielleicht doch noch Hausaufgaben zu machen habe..? Wie auch immer, ich werde jetzt zu Abend essen, ein paar Kerzen anzünden, weiter recherchieren und entgegen aller Erwartungen nicht sonderlich früh ins Bett gehen, da ich morgen glücklicherweise erst später Schule habe.

Falls ihr die Produkte kennt, schreibt mir gerne eure Meinung dazu in die Kommentare.

 

Last Days in London

   Die restlichen Tage in London vergingen schnell. Wir hatten Glück, was das Wetter betrifft, es war relativ warm, zwar schwül aber dennoch blieb es trocken.

  Am Mittwoch hatten wir in dem Stadtteil White Chepal eine Stadtführung zum Thema Multicultural London und ich muss sagen, es war wirklich interessant. Diese Führung war der einzige Programmpunkt des Tages, weshalb wir ab 12.00 Uhr frei hatten. Ich blieb mit ein paar Freunden dort, wir aßen zu Mittag und sahen uns in der Nähe der alten Brauerei um, wo wir unter anderem zwei völlig überfüllte Vintage-Läden und einen tollen Plattenladen fanden. Es spielte sogar eine Liveband. Ich hätte den gesamten Mittag dort verbringen können.

   Wir liefen über die Brick Lane und zurück zur Markthalle, suchten die nächste Tube-Station und machten uns auf den Weg ins National History Museum. Es war toll, die Installation in der Eingangshalle als Eingang in die Earthquakes-Ausstellung war sehr gelungen und alle Ausstellungen waren sehr interaktiv gestaltet. Besonders gefiel mir die Ausstellung über den menshclichen Körper. Definitiv einen Besuch wert!

   Für den Donnerstag Vormittag standen die St. Paul's Cathedral, die Millenium Bridge und das Tate Modern auf dem Programm. Das Tate und ich wurden nicht sehr warm miteinander, was mir aber gut gefiel waren die PC's im zweiten Stockwerk, an denen die Besuchern zeichnen und ihre Kunst speichern und veröffentlichen können. 

   Anschließend ging es mit der Docklands Light Railway weiter bis nach Islands Gardens. Wir liefen durch den Greenwich Foot Tunnel nach Greenwich, wo wir erst einmal eine einstündige Mittagspause hatten, die L. und ich in einem China-Restaurant verbrachten. 

    Nach einem abschließenden Spaziergang zum Old Royal Observatory machten sich die meisten auf den Rückweg zu unserem Hostel (mit kurzen Zwischenstop im Supermarkt :D), um sich für das Musical Lion King am Abend fertig zu machen. 

R. und ich gingen nicht mit ins Musical, statt dessen fuhren wir mit der Tube zum Big Ben, liefen über diese Bücke (deren Name mir natürlich nicht mehr einfällt) und spazierten an der Themse entlang. 

Es war wunderschön. Die kleinen Bars auf den Booten, die beleuchteten Ufer, das London Eye - so eine Aussicht vergisst man nicht. Obwohl es schon recht spät war, gönnten wir uns nach einem kurzen Abstecher in der Bücherei noch einen Kaffee beziehungsweise einen Chai Latte im Caffé Nero. 

 

Auf dem Weg zum Hostel liefen wir noch einmal am Tate Modern vorbei über die Millenium Bridge und standen erneut vor der St. Paul's Cathedral. Im Hostel angekommen setzten wir uns in den Gemeinschaftsbereich (mit Billiardtisch), doch ich blieb nicht lange, da ich noch meine Tasche packen musste.

Am nächsten Morgen verschliefen wir natürlich. Trotzdem schafften wir es, fast pünktlich auszuchecken. Nach einem ausnahmsweise gemütlichen Frühstück machten A. und ich uns auf den Weg zum Oxford Circus - Souvenirs von Victoria's Secret sind schließlich immer eine gute Wahl.

Für die letzen einkäufe kam V. mit uns nach Covent Garden. Unsere hauptsächlichen Ziele waren MAC, Ted Baker, Ladurée und die Markthalle. Postkarten, Souvenirs, Armbändchen, Make-Up-Täschchen und Pizza auf dem Weg zur Underground. Ein gelungener Tag, auch wenn die Zeit für diese tolle Stadt ein wenig kurz bemessen war.

Nachdem ich den Security Check am Flughafen ohne Probleme überstanden hatte (ich hatte solche Angst :D), aßen wir in einem der Restaurants Pizza und deckten uns mit unseren letzten Pfund für den Flug mit Süßigkeiten und Wasser ein.

In Stuttgart angekommen warteten wir auf unser Gepäck (schreckliche Minuten) und fuhren wir auch auf dem Hinweg mit einem Reisebus zurück zur Schule. 

Ihr glaubt ja nicht, wie froh ich war, in meinem eigenen Bett zu liegen.

Den Samstag verbrachte ich im Bett, und am Sonntag hatte ich ab Mittag ein Turnier.
Da es mir nicht gut ging, verbrachte ich den heutigen Tag mit 90210, Smoothie, Pfannkuchen und Guacamole im Bett. Jetzt warten allerdings noch eine halb ausgepackte Reisetasche, eine Sporttasche und meine Schultasche auf mich.

Ich wünsche euch noch einen schönen Abend und natürlich eine wundervolle Schulwoche, hust.♥

London Calling

Hallo, ihr Lieben.

Der zweite Tag in London ist zu Ende, doch bevor ich mich für die morgige Stadtrundführung und den "Museums-"/SHOPPING-Nachmittag ausruhe, wollte ich euch von unseren ersten Erlebnissen erzählen.

Die Stadt ist großartig, schon vom Flugzeug aus fand ich sie toll. 

Wir kamen um 8.05 am Flughafen London Heathrow an und fuhren zunächst zum Einchecken ins Hostel. Anschließend machten wir einen "Spaziergang" durch Central London. Wir liefen von Covent Garden bis zum Buckingham Palace und machten unterwegs immer wieder kleine Stops, wie zum Beispiel in Chinatown. 

Da wie im Hostel nur Frühstück bekommen, aßen wir mittags Wraps bei JustFalafel und abends Mais und Krautsalat bei KFC. 

    Trafalgar - Square

Heute standen das London Eye sowie der Stadtteil Camden auf dem Programm, was mir beides sehr gut gefiel. Nach Camden möchte ich auch noch einmal gehen, da die Zeit dort heute sehe kurz bemessen war. Auf dem Markt aßen wir eine Salatbox mit Falafel.

Nach einem weiteren Spaziergang entlang des Regent Canals hatten wir den Nachmittag zur freien Verfügung. Unser Ziel war die Oxfordstreet. Vor dem Shopping machten wir eine Pause im 'Le Pain Quotidien', um anschließend durch sämtliche Läden, von Brandy Melville bis Victoria's Secret zu schlendern. 

In einer Seitenstraße aßen wie bei 'Wok to Walk' - sehr empfehlenswert. 

    London Eye

    Urban Outfitters (Camden)

    Regents Canal

Was ist euer Lieblingsort in London? Welche Cafés oder Imbisse könnt ihr empfehlen?