End of Year Tag 2014

Another year over! And what a year it was. Full of surprises, excitement and events. Some negative, some positive. And all in all, very important for everyone in their own personal way. Because whether it was mainly good or bad, whatever throwbacks or boosts happened, 2014 has most certainly shaped your personality. You're different now from how you were at this point last year. Everything is evolving, and you're most definitely getting stronger this way.

And because 2014 was such an important year, let's talk about it!

• 1:What did you do in 2014 that you've never done before?
• Lots of things. What particularly stands out is that I got my first tattoo.
• 2:Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
• I don't remember making any intentional new year's resolutions, as in I didn't set up a list of concrete things I want to accomplish. I'm positive that I had some thoughts in mind, such as to study harder or exercise more or something like that. Just the regulars. And I did not really keep them, I'm afraid.
• But this year I've actually got a set of things I would like to accomplish, and they're more defined than last year's.
• 3: What is your feeling towards 2015?
• I feel very good about it. At each New Year's Eve during the last couple of years, I've felt more overwhelmed by the fact that the year had already gone by, and didn't think too far into the future.
• But this time I am, and I'm very much looking forward to a new start. It's been hard during the past couple of weeks to get up and do certain things, and they are what I need to do. So no more excuses in 2015, and more getting done!
• And by the end of this new year, I will (hopefully) have travelled a couple of countries, have started uni, have moved out. There's a lot to be accomplished!
• 4: With whom did you spend the most time, and with whom the best?
• That definitely has to be my friends. Spent very much time with them, especially with the ones with whom I went on a road trip. And I would say that was also the best time I had, together with them. 

• 5:What countries did you visit?
• Quite a couple, which I'm very glad about: Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. And I enjoyed my time in every single one of them!
• 6:What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
• I would like to have more deliberately spent times. Ones where I'm actually aware of the importance of what is happening. It's very hard to describe that feeling that I sometimes get, but it's something along the lines of only realizing the importance of something when it's nearly over. That's what I'd like to stop!
• 7:What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
• My birthday, because it brought some positive changes with it.
• June 28, when I graduated from school.
• September 15, when I finally had my braces removed.
• September 16, when I had a truly happy day.
• September 19 to November 16, where I did a road trip. All of it is important!
• November 17, the day I was with my family again and saw Ed Sheeran live in concert.
• 8:What was your biggest achievement of the year?
• Probably finishing school with a very good result in my A Levels.
• 9:What was your biggest failure?
• I feel like this has to be not figuring out what I want to do in the future. I know these things take time, but I kind of could have gotten more of an idea during this year. I'm not on the same level of ignorance as in the beginning of 2014, but it's still not enough for me. This is why it's one of my main resolutions, to not let that happen anymore.
• 10:Did you suffer illness or injury?
• Luckily nothing bad!
• 11:What was the best thing you bought?
• That's my tattoo for me. It's not a thing to hold in my hand, but it cost money and I got it for myself, so it counts. And I love having it!
• 12:Whose behaviour merited celebration?
• That of my closest friends, who are incredibly understanding and willing to talk about everything.
• 13:Whose behaviour made you appalled?
• In a way, that of my parents concerning my doing a gap year. It's not like they don't support me, or weren't okay with it, but they seem to think that I take my future very casually and don't like to give it any thought. Well, I very much do. But they don't really seem to get that.
• 14:Where did most of your money go?
• Without doubt, I spent it on food. Especially while being abroad I realized how much money I spend on nutrition and trips to restaurants and snacks and everything. A lot was not necessary, but food is after all a good thing.
• 15:What did you get really, really, really excited about?
• My trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour at the Warner Bros Studios in London. I felt like a child, even more excited actually, and it was one of the best days of this year.
• 16:What song will always remind you of 2014?
• In a negative way, Atemlos by Helene Fischer. They played it everywhere, all the time, and now I've come to despise it. But it will definitely remind me of this year!
• Other than that, the whole 'X' album by Ed Sheeran, which I love with all my soul, and will never get tired of.
• 17:Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
• (a) happier
• (b) fatter
• (c) richer
• 18:What do you wish you'd done more of?
• I wish I'd read more, I'd socialised more, I'd went outside more.
• 19:What do you wish you'd done less of?
• I wish I'd worried less, and spent less time on studying things I never needed.
• 20:How did you spend Christmas?
• In a small circle with my parents, sisters, and Grandma on the actual day; a couple of days ahead with my best friends which was a lovely night.
• 21:Did you fall in love in 2014?
• With lots of things, yes, and places and activities, but not really with any person.
• 22:What was your favourite TV programme?
• In the beginning of the year most certainly Sherlock, with the new season and everything. And then also Supernatural, which I love to bits.
• 23: What was the greatest event of the year?
• I simply cannot decide on this one. In terms of importance, it might be my graduation, but concerning how the actual day went, it was great but not the best day. Still, a great event!
• 24:What was the best book you read?
• I have to go with the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt for this one. I really enjoyed it, loved the thoughts behind it, and the fact that I nearly took 5 months to finish it definitely makes it the book of the year.
• 25:What was your greatest musical discovery?
• So so many new bands! I've gotten into a lot of new stuff, among it Jake Bugg, Arctic Monkeys, Alt-J, Jesper Munk, To Kill A King, Spring Offensive, Two Door Cinema Club, and many more!
• 26:What did you want and get?
• Materialistically speaking, a couple of great clothes from Urban Outfitters that I'm so glad that I treated myself to them.
• More metaphorically speaking, freedom. I did many new things and I loved that!
• 27:What did you want and not get?
• A definite idea of what I want to do at uni. 
• 28:What was your favourite film of this year?
• I really enjoyed The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, but that is probably too recent and blocks better films I've seen. I also really enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Divergent.
• 29:What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
• Knowing that I would graduate from school in the summer. It made all the pressure and stress from school somewhat durable.
• 30:How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
• A lot more black, and a tad more alternative. This is definitely not what I would have expected from myself, but I like it so much by now, I'm very glad of changing my style a bit. I also wore lots of crop tops! 
• 31:What kept you sane?
• Long talks with my friends. Knowing that they have as little of an idea of what to do after school as I do helped me so much. Because it's way easier to handle this when you know you're not alone with it. 
• 32:Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
• Probably Ed Sheeran and Jensen Ackles.
• 33:What political issue stirred you the most?
• Believe me, there were many. Our world has many, many serious issues to work out, and people are far from the standards that could be possible in terms of openness and acceptance.
• One that is definitely among the most stirring ones is what happened in Ferguson.
• 34:Who did you miss?
• Tow of my closest friends moved abroad for a certain time, and I did and very much do miss them. I can't wait to see them again next year!
• 35:Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.
• That it's important to listen to what oneself wants, and not let others get too much in the way with that. Also, that there is no need to tolerate things you don't want in your life, one of them being superficiality.
• 36: Sum up 2014 in one word.
• Enlightening.

That's it guys! I hope you didn't find it too philosophic or pensive, but I thought some seriousness was definitely needed here. I'd be very interested in what your answers are to these questions, so please feel free to share.

I wish you the best New Year's Eve, and an even greated 2015! Make it one of your best years. You can do that!

Love, Misch

On How Happy Beaches Can Make One

It's almost Christmas, and for that occasion I want to share something that makes me happy. Or rather, made me very happy in the moment I experienced it.

I always get a very good feeling whenever I am at a beach. When travelling Ireland and the UK, I luckily was able to spend lots of time at the beach. There's just something very calming and joyful about beaches and the sea to me!

One moment stands out in particular - though it for sure isn't the only one - when I look back at all the great beaches I saw.
When we arrived in Ireland, landing in Cork with the ferry, we all didn't feel too great. Everyone was getting ill, and the weather wasn't that great. But after a couple of days spent doing nothing much, we began our trip along the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's famous coastal route. The second we drove along the sea, everybody cheered up. Very fittingly, the sun came out, and we just stopped at some random point along the street.

It was neither a particularly stunning beach, nor special in any way, but we all got out of the car, and felt so good. It's really an indescribable feeling we had; I'd said it definitely consisted of feeling free, joyful and also relieved. Just standing there, wandering on the sand for a couple of meters, looking all around. Green fields all around, light sand, and the dark greyish blue waves. Long shadows caused by the low sun of the late afternoon. It looked so peaceful, and so did the few people who had stopped as randomly as we did, it seemed.
We couldn't help but keep smiling, and continued our drive in a much more relaxed and gleeful manner.

Looking back, we always refer to it as "the first Irish beach we saw", and believe me, we do talk about it quite a lot. There's just something very memorable about the way we felt there.

In case you're interested where exactly this beach is located: It's in the very south of Ireland, a little western of Kinsale, and along the Wild Atlantic Way.

In the spirit of Christmas, as much as my beach topic might not be the best fit, I would like to hear some short stories or thoughts of you guys. Anything that makes or made you feel deeply happy and content with the world and your life. Go ahead and share them with me!

xx, Misch

NOTD: Winter Snowflake Nail Art

With Christmas already around the corner, it was definitely time for some seasonal nail art. Here you have some snow flakes!

Products I used:
Essence Top Speed Nail Polish 26 Look At Me (very old colour, any dark blue will do)
Jesse's Girl North Star (bright glittery silver)
BornPrettyStore Nail Art Brush No. 1 to draw the snow flakes

This design definitely requires some skill, a very steady hand and lots of patience. But it is not impossible to do! You can always go ahead and draw bigger snow flakes, which makes it easier for you.

I've already done some snow flakes in previous years, in case you're interested in more colour variations. Click here for the 2011 and the 2012 versions.
Which one do you like best? Let me know in the comments below!

xx, Misch

London: Camellia's Tea House

I've finally decided on the way I want to talk about the great experiences I made during my road trip, and it's going to be totally at random. Whatever I feel like, city, shop, activity, it doesn't matter.
I hope you don't mind I chose that way of talking about it all, but any other way would take a great part of the fun out of it, and I really want to avoid that.

What I want to share with you guys today is a great experience I had in London, which was actually the very last stop of our trip. I loved the city, and one afternoon I went out for tea with two of my friends, as one does in England.

The place we went to is called Camellia's Tea House, and I liked it so much that wanted to recommend it to you, should you ever find yourselves in London.

Camellia's Tea House can be found on the second floor of a tiny version of a food & shopping centre, called the Kingly Court. It is located in Carnaby Street, which is in Soho.

Inside the Tea House you can choose from a great selection of things. They have many different kinds of cakes, pastries and biscuits. What I loved about the tea selection is that they have it put up in a shelf, and before ordering you can go and smell the tea to make your choice easier. Which it doesn't really do, though, given that the teas to choose from are so numerous.

In the end I went for a cream tea with chocolate tea, in case you were interested. They make really good scones, served with jam and clotted cream.

On thing I really appreciated about the location was how lovely it looked. It was decorated nicely, and had this great view down on the court, which itself was decorated by tons of fairy lights. It's not very kitschy, which I liked a lot, only very appealing.

I also loved how there didn't seem to be only tourists in there. It was not one of those places crammed with people, but very calm and nice.

Considering being in central London, it was fairly reasonably priced, with 7,95£ for a cream tea. That's of course not cheap, but kind of what you have to expect when being in London. It is a very expensive city after all!

I can definitely recommend this Tea House! Maybe you'd like to check it out during your next trip to London, or some other shop in the Kingly Court.
Has anyone of you ever been there?

xx, Misch

Guess who's back?

Yes, I am back. Finally.

Although I've been home for a couple of weeks now, it's taken me quite so time to get back to this blog. Which is a shame, to be honest. Because it means that I had more important things on my mind than this here. Which, frankly, is true. Stuff at work to figure out, having to settle back into my normal life, friends and family to see and lots of other things to deal with. And I kind of had to get all of that out of my way before I could really start on here again. 

Then, there was the problem of where to start. I've actually sat in front of an empty post on here, thinking about how I could continue with it. But I couldn't think of any way, really.

I kind of want this to be a new start again. I know I already did a fresh start in July, but it hasn't been what I had wanted it to be. Sure, new things happened, but it didn't motivate me as much as I had wanted it to. 

Therefore, this is going to be the real Fresh start. With a capital F. 

Being away for two months has definitely put some things into perspective for me. Constantly seeing new things, making lots of experiences and for the first time really being out of the limited environment that is home. It's made me realize some things about myself, about how I want to live my life, and what is important to me.

This doesn't mean I've miraculously figured out my life and my future, even if I wish I had. I'm still very undecided on these parts. But I do feel like it's changed me, and I don't think that's a bad thing.

Maybe you'll get to see some of the new parts of me on here. Maybe you'll be able to tell, maybe you won't. We'll have to see that.

I've missed writing. As I'm typing this post, I'm really only beginning to notice how much. While I was travelling, I actually had some blog ideas, and I've also been encouraged by my friends to note those ideas and get back to them. 

I remember sitting in one lonely TV room of a campsite with my friends. It was somewhere near Tralee in Ireland, and we were sitting there in the badly heated and draughty room. There wasn't very much to do, everybody was minding their own stuff; being in a TV room, be it as cold as it was in there, was a nice change from having to sit in our car all the time. And we had WiFi! But I felt so much like writing, so I wrote some drafts on a note pad, manually written. Didn't feel much like blogging, but I think I'm going to use it on here. It makes for a great memory, and I can definitely recall how I felt back there.

This is going to be one of my motivations for writing more, and I hope you don't mind be rambling on about my thoughts. 

I'd love to get a lot more personal on here, about experiences I made, about what I saw on our road trip, and much more. I really hope for you guys to join me for that!

And, as to make my Fresh start on here easier, I'd like to ask you to tell me what you'd like to hear about. What stuff are you interested in? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Let's make this more personal together!

It's good to be back.

Cheers, Misch