AUTUMN FAVOURITES

(Or The Things That Caught My Eye in the Last Few Months)

I saw somebody on youtube do this, namely list random favourite things she'd come across that month, and I thought why the hell not. It's something to write about, and at the same time a nice way to spread word (*cough* shamelessly advertise *cough*) about all the awesome things out there that are absolutely worth attention and time.

(A/N: Stating again that these are things I  enjoyed. Meaning, you might hate them, and that's fine. Personal taste and all that. Just don't say I didn't warn you.)


* The first thing I want to mention is definitely The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Let's just say it's a bestseller that actually deserves to be a bestseller. I will do my best to write a separate post about it.

* Dr Perkins tea with camomile and lemon balm. Can be bought in Hofer (found under the name Erneuerunstee). For me, it works as a stress reliever. I might not be the best judge since almost any kind of tea would help me against stress...  Then again, lemon balm does have calming effects. I probably don't even have to start on the benefits of drinking camomile tea, do I? (Sadly, I have yet to find some health benefits of dipping chocolate into hot, freshly-brewed tea. Someday, though...)

















*Creator shoes. You can't see it in the picture, but they're actually the prettiest forest green ever. I've been watching Creator's shoes for ages, and now—I still don't have them. I only get to watch them on my favourite person in the world and save money for when I do buy them. Because yes, you guessed right, they're a bit pricey.

* The Hundred Foot Journey.

That's a movie about an Indian family that moves to Europe after losing everything in a fire.  They end up in a French town somewhere in the countryside and open a restaurant across from an already-established restaurant with a Michelin star. Rivalry ensues and new friendships are born because hey, if you can't beat them, join them. Full of family dynamics, tasteful humour, and genuine emotion.

NOT NEEDED ANYMORE?

(Or What Happens Now)

When I was told last year I would have to blog as a part of my university course, my reaction looked something like this: -.- Seriously??? Blog? Ugh. I survived, of course I did, and I figured this year, this year I'm going to start writing the posts early, so that I won't have to do everything at the eleventh hour.

And then they told me I wouldn't need to write blogposts anymore. At least not blogposts that aren't specific assignments (which ugh. Nope. I don't like those at all. It somehow gives me the feeling that the blog isn't really mine. Which sucks.)

The thing is, I came away disappointed. I had all this wonderful ideas and a bunch of topics to rant about (*cough* inappropriate anger channelling *cough*), and now I don't need them? What else am I supposed to do with all that material???

I thought it wouldn't just stay somewhere in my mind forever. It took me a while to even consider continue blogging. Firstly, because of the aforementioned obligatory
posts, secondly because of time issues, and thirdly, because my fellow college students were probably my main audience. (Yes, I lack self-confidence.)

But here's the deal. I need this blog. I need a place to occasionally rant, I need it to force me to organise my thoughts so they don't explode all over the place, I need to be excited, I need it. The things I write here don't belong anywhere else. So I guess life proved me wrong again: I ended up liking something that was torture to me at first. (The first time it happened with dancing. I used to dislike dancing. Heck, I trained karate, I thought would never dance. Long story short, I danced for four years and was then forced to stop due to studying in a different country. I still miss it.)

I guess there are two points I'm trying to make:

1. I will probably continue blogging. No idea how it will turn out, but hey--who cares. :)

2. Staying open for life pays off.

Sometimes you find things that would never even enter your life otherwise. Sometimes you fall in love with them.

~s

CULTURE PRESENTATIONS

(Or Getting Up Earlier Wasn't the Only Thing That Was Different That Day)

June 16 and 17. Two days of one presentation after another. I was actually surprised by how well this idea has worked out. Whenever my classes were filled with presentations in high school, everybody's attention would jump right out of the window and not come back until the break (and even then limp in very slowly). I don't think this happened here, at least not to me.

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT TIME ORGANISATION REAL QUICK

(Or Why the Lack of It Could Sometimes Be Better)

With out culture presentations approaching, another idea for blogging came up: we could write about which presentations we're planning to see and why. Yeah. We could. But these days, it's been all about planning. Plan your time, plan your studying, figure our when to take which exam, decide on your presentations... Just planning, planning, planning.

Of course organising your time is very useful and very helpful in more stressful times. I'm not against it. It's a matter of opinion, though. I don't hold time organisation in very high esteem. Perhaps because it's always come so easy to me that I've never had to do it consciously. Or perhaps it's simply because I know I would stray from any schedule I'd create for myself, and I really don't want to guilt-trip myself for doing something so entirely human.

UNTOUCHED BOOKS

(or In Defence of Books And Condemnation of Literature Classes (in Slovenia...))

I'm sure everyone's been forced to suffer through a few books they would never have picked up if they hadn't been forced to do so by their teachers. Right? Right. So you'll understand why Sara went and wrote about here. If you don't feel like reading, let me just sum up her main points:

• our school system fears we wouldn't see the 'classics' as God-given gifts and tries to do all it can to make sure we do see them that way;
• it focuses on the authors too much;
• even poking trivial literature with a ten-foot pole seems to be a mortal sin;
• discussing books and expressing opinions is not encouraged (except in essays. The ones that get graded);
• literature is taught, not discussed;
• giving us the opportunity to express our own opinion would actually help people appreciate the works more.

All right, now let me add my own two cents.

WATCH ME RANT ABOUT ARTICLES AGAIN

(Or Nope. Sorry, Nope. I Disagree with Your Purity Opinions)

Every now and then, I see stuff on the internet (*cough* I'm looking at you, Facebook *cough*) and foolishly click on it. This time, it was an article titled 5 Lies That Make Sexual Purity More Difficult, and I wondered what lies could there possibly be? Folks decide not to have sex until marriage. What's the lie in that?

I must say I was very pleasantly surprised at first. Before the shit hit the fan. (Yes, I'm taking a clear stand here. I have nothing against purity itself and people who decide for it. It's their choice, and I respect that. I just find the reasoning a bit... Well. Let's just say there's a reason for this post).