Recipes, DIY, travel, health, random lifestyle thoughts & more.
Month: Dec 2016
Although Christmas is a long-awaited time that most of us who celebrate it love, it’s filled with dangerous spikes that can poison the blissful, festive atmosphere. Let’s have a look at what to avoid to have this holiday season stay jolly and not turn into a gingerbread spiced disaster.
Continue reading “Gingerbread Spiced Disaster – How To Survive Festive Time”
One of my favourite baked goodies to make for Christmas, although it requires a whole lot of time and patience. I always give them to my nearest and dearest as a part of Christmas gifts and I really enjoy making them.
Inspired by this week’s discover challenge I thought I’d write a few words on why it’s good to be selfish when we’re trying to find our place in this world.
I should start by saying that – in my own eyes – I’m a very empathic person and for my nearest and dearest I’d do pretty much everything. However, I’ve learnt the hard way that sometimes it’s good to set aside our altruism and be a little bit selfish.
I used to think that being in a relationship means you should always be there for the other person and value their happiness above your own. I still think that, in a perfect world of equally dedicated people, it would be the recipe for the most successful relationship possible. However, reality seems to be a lot different. If you’re an eternal giver and your partner is a little bit more of a receiver, it’ll soon turn into a relation in which you’re the one doing your best to make the other person happy and they just start to take you for granted and don’t really appreciate your effort. Of course, in matters of great consequence we should always be there for our partners and support them in hard times, but on every day basis it’s good to sometimes demand stuff for ourselves instead of always being the giving side. Unless you wanna wake up after some months in a messed up relationship in which you do all the effort and they don’t even care.
First things first – I don’t support the ubiquitous rat race. We live in a crazy time and if you want to get somewhere it’s not enough to have all qualifications – what helps more is being able to fight for your sake by all means possible. I personally believe that having a calm, friendly atmosphere between your colleagues is a lot healthier than living the rat race and wanting to kill yourself and everyone else after 8 hours spent at work. However, not everyone’s like that and it’s important not to let people use you. And if you really want to be promoted – sorry to say that, but you’ll have to be the loudest & strongest one fighting, not the one with the most charming smile.
I fell into this trap myself: I lived my life only to be the best for other people, forgetting to also take care about myself. And although it’s great to see the smile on your loved ones’ faces, if you continue to give up on your own goals only to make others happy, they might eventually stop even noticing your effort and take it as a norm that has and will always be there. You, on the other hand, will wake up one day being washed out of all your goals, feeling no sense in your life. And it’s really, really hard to build your life once again from scratch once it’s been wiped out.
To sum up I’d say that while trying to find our place in the world of relationships with other people it’s really important to keep a good balance between generosity & nobility and the good sort of selfishness. Once the balance is disturbed, it’s really, really hard to get back on the right track and sort out your life and goals.
P.S.
The photo also fits the topic, but in a physical rather than abstract way. It’s my absolute favourite place in the world, I left my heart there over 10 years ago and it’ll probably stay there forever, forcing me to come back there from time to time no matter where I settle down.
Let’s stay in the Christmas spirit, shall we? One of the toughest questions asked in this festive time is: ‘what do you want to get for Christmas’? People generally tend to say that it’s easy to find presents for girls – all you need is to invade a drugstore, buy a bunch of make-up/skin care products and – voila! – you’re done. But what can you buy for a person who’s not so much into this stuff? Well, if the person is a gamer or just a modern technology fan, I have an idea for you. And the great thing is that the same item can be bought in various versions & prices, starting from around 5$!
Continue reading “VR – Christmas gift idea for gamers and tech-fans”
These cookies are extremely quick and easy to make, and – according to my friends and family – they’re one of the most delicious cookies you could imagine. Sweet, with an aftertaste of honey and some crunch from smarties (or M&Ms, whatever you call them).
Continue reading “Smartie Cookies – Quick, Easy & Delicious”
Finding an hour or two for myself once a week in the evening is one of the fundamental, sacred things I can’t live without – even in the busiest times I try not to skip that point of my routine. Here are my 3 steps to the perfect time during a pamper night. Let’s get started!
(0. Workout)
Well, I’ll actually start with an optional point that’s not a crucial part of the list – having a workout. I try to exercise every day, even if the most I can do in a day is like 15 minutes. However, before a pamper night, I like to have a proper at-home workout – that way I get physically tired and double enjoy my evening afterwards.
1. Preparing the atmosphere
Before I get in that lovely bath, I like to set a lovely, relaxing atmosphere – light up some candles, silently play calm music and make something to drink: usually herbal tea (my all time favourite is peppermint). Also, it’s good to make sure we won’t be interrupted during the bath. Double check that there are no reminders set on your phone that will soon go off and that there’s nothing in the oven/on the stove that might get burnt. Prepare all of the bath products you want to use in case they’re normally stored outside of your bathroom.
2. Aromatic, bubbly bath
When’s a better time to use the best bath bombs if not during a pamper night? Having a lovely, colourful, aromatic bath with tons of bubbles is one of the best things in the world. Just take that bath bomb you’ve been saving for ages and enjoy your time! Also, it’s a great opportunity to apply nice hair mask and actually keep it on for as long as suggested.
3. Afterbath skin/hair care
When you’re done with the bath, spend those extra minutes and moisturize your body. Before going to sleep, apply a face mask and continue relaxing in bed, reading a nice book or watching your favourite shows. I’m sure that after such an evening you’ll be perfectly relaxed and have the best night’s sleep.
Christmas is coming! If you want to personalise gifts for your beloved ones, DIY wrappings are a thing to do – so today, let’s focus on personalized Christmas gift tags. Also, I think that in the time of ubiquitous rush which takes place in most homes before Christmas, making DIY items is extremely relaxing. Today I’ll focus on Christmas name tags that you can easily make yourself. Let’s get started!
I feel like even the most successful, hard-working person, focused on staying healthy both mentally and physically, will sometimes have a day or a week of not feeling good. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by large amounts of work to do. It’s easy to neglect our bodies and end up suffering from various physical issues. It’s also easy to forget about the importance of self-care, living in these fast-changing, constantly busy times. Here’s a short list of things that will help you construct a solid base for feeling good. A set of small changes to implement – small, but with great potential for sure!
Continue reading “7 Things That Will Make You Feel Better (Physically And Mentally)”
Anise cookies. I call them cookies, but in fact they’re something between cookies and meringues. Tiny, aromatic pieces of heaven that remind me of my childhood, coming back like an echo every festive season. Are they a thing in your countries? If not, you should definitely give them a go! They’re extremely easy to make and require only a few ingredients, although because they need to be left to dry for a few hours before baking they won’t serve as a good last-minute, emergency snack to go. The preparation is slightly weird, but don’t let it discourage you! Ideal for Christmas, but I make them all year round. Great companions for your afternoon tea.
