MOSTAR ADVENTURES - video

As you may remember, I was in Mostar about two weeks ago. While in Mostar I filmed quite a lot with an intention to make a video.

I finished the video on the way back from Mostar but never got around to publish it. However, I realised that if I don't put it on Youtube now, there's no use in uploading it later on. 

So here it is. My first Youtube video!

I hope you enjoy it and show support by liking and commenting! 

I want to log out of my life

Look at me, not posting for almost three weeks.

I wish I had a good excuse, but I don't. Honestly, I don't have one because this blog is my hobby and I want it to make me feel better when I sit down with a cup of tea and write. The absolute last thing I want is for this blog to become a source of stress. It's not what I want and it's completely up to me to keep this a stress free environment. 

For me Sunday afternoon, when I sit down at my computer and write about things I want to write about, is one of the most calming moments in the whole week. As soon as I feel pressured about posting something, about thinking of a blog post idea, I take a step back and wait. I wait for that moment when I crave to get my thoughts out of my head. When there is just too much of everything going on in my life, that's when I like to sit down and write. 

It's like cleaning my room, except I'm getting all the unnecessary thoughts out of my mind. It's such a good feeling when it's just quiet up there, and you're finally free of all that rubbish that gets stuck in your mind during week. 

Sadly it's easy to log out of blogger and come back when you're ready, but life doesn't stop when you don't feel like participating. It goes on and on and on and all you can do is watch it move and try to move with it. 

Sometimes what I would need is to log out of my life. Not to go on vacation, just log out. To pause everything and everyone, so I could collect myself and my thoughts, and then when I'm ready log in and continue where I've stop. 

In this world we live in we get so much information thrown at us every single day. Because of that I feel like if you were to take a brake from everything, you'd come back in a few weeks and be absolutely confused what the world has turned into. 

However, I'm only saying this because I've got a lot on my plate right now and I wish I could just get a good night sleep without worrying how much I have to do, and who I need to impress, and what I want to do with the rest of my life... Because when you think about it the best think about life is that it doesn't stay in place. Its constantly offering you new challenges, and giving you new opportunities to fix your mistakes. That's the whole beauty of it.

Here's me enjoying life in Mostar last week

How to survive school

I think we all struggle with school at some point, no matter if we like it or not. Personally, I like learning new things, I love the challenge of studying and I love when I can be the smartest person in the room. However, that doesn't mean that I enjoy school at all times, or that I can get up in the morning without wishing my school would caught fire.    

So here are a few pieces of advice on how to survive school. This is not something you should do, this is just something that helps me and might help you as well. 

Here is an unrelated photo to cheer you up

Coffee

If you are not a morning person, which I'm definitely not, you will need something to get you going in the morning. For me that's coffee or black tea, depending on how much caffeine I need. However, don't put all your hopes on coffee, you should get an eight hour sleep whether you drink coffee or not (look at me preaching about healthy sleeping schedule haha). 

Outfit

Listen up guys, a good outfit that you feel comfortable in is so important! It will boost up your confidence and you will be excited to show it off in school. Besides I feel like when you feel good about yourself it instantly puts you in a good mood, no matter what. 

Perspective

We've all dealt with bad grades now and then, and sometimes it comes crushing down on you. I just want to remember that your life, your existence is so much bigger than a bad grade. I know it's important to have good grades so you can go to a decent college, but your mental health is important as well. When you get a bad grade try to put it into perspective. 

Is it really as bad as you think it is? Does one grade really influence your life that much? And even if it does, I'm sure there's a way to fix it. Teachers are humans as well, they are willing to listen, they are willing to help if you ask them. Believe me, no one is going to say no if you ask for another chance, if you work hard for it, no one is going to say no if they see you're trying.  

Future

What you are doing now, it's all going to pay off in the future. When you are at your lowest, when you think there is nothing that will keep you going, think about how your future will look like if you give up. Will you be satisfied with a job you don't like that pays crap? I know I wouldn't be. We are all fighting for a better life, for a life we'll enjoy, for a job we'll like and you should keep that in mind when you're studying a subject you don't like. 

For more irrelevant photos follow me on instagram: @anahrovatin

How you say it

This is kind of unusual, me posting during week, but don't worry there will still be a regular post on Sunday, I just feel like I need to get something across.

Today I want to talk about how your tone and your actions can influence what you are saying, because that's something I wish more people realised.

Even if you have a good point, if your words make sense and would actually convince someone to think differently, if you loose your mind or act like they are 'too dumb' or that you are above them, because of your progressive thinking, you are not going to achieve much. 

What's that saying again? 

Your actions speak louder than words. 

I think we can apply it here as well. 

If you still don't know what I mean, let me give me an example. Let's say you don't like what someone is doing. 

You can either be like: "F you man! How can you think that's okay to do? Do you seriously think that's alright?" Maybe you throw in a few punches as well, and it's done.

Or you can get the same point across calmly and wisely. "Hey, I think what you're doing isn't cool, man. You're making people feel uncomfortable, including myself. Could you please stop or do that somewhere else?"

Tell me which one you are more likely to cooperate with. 

I can say for myself that if someone came up to me, and say the first thing I would just think they're an idiot, and would't care much for their opinion. However, the second one would made me stop and think. Furthermore, the next time I did something I'd ask myself if everyone else is comfortable with it.

Do you see what I'm trying to say?

Well, that's it for today's post. It's a bit different than usually, but the intention of this blog was to let my thoughts out, so whatever - we'll go back to normal on Sunday. 

Have a good day lovely! 

5 tips for organising a picnic

On Friday I had a picnic to celebrate my 18 birthday, and even though the picnic was great the road to achieving that wasn't smooth. So, I thought I would share a few tips with you that I wish someone would've told me before I dived into the organisation process.

Plan ahead

This may sound self-evident, but let me tell you that I didn't think about booking a place for picnic until the start of September, even though I knew I was going to have a picnic that month. So, when my friend and I started calling around in the beginning of the month we couldn't get a single place. Eventually we settled for 7th of October which wasn't ideal, but at least it was something. 

Make lists

Always write down ideas. Even if you are just brainstorming about what might come handy at the picnic, write it down. It will come in handy at the store when you are wondering if you forgot something. I had a list of things I should buy written down in notes on my phone, so when I was freaking out at the store, I just pulled out my phone and checked what I forgot to pick up. 

Take time for shopping

Make sure you are not in a hurry when you are picking up stuff you'll need. You'll end up forgetting something or you'll buy overpriced stuff because you don't have time to check the same thing at a different store. 

For example, I had to buy charcoal for grilling and at a store, where I was picking up food, it cost 20€. Luckily I had enough time to drive to a nearby store, and guess what? I got the same amount of charcoal for 3€! 

Price over looks

I don't know what your budget for picnic is, but as a student, my budget was pretty tight. So I tried to save up on as much things as possible. At the beginning my friend and I were talking about buying really pretty plastic plates, and decorations, but when you get down to it you have to ask yourself if you really need it. Plastic plates are going to end up in trash anyway, so why spend enormous amount of money on the colourful ones if you can get a normal white plates for the lowest price possible? 

Have fun 

One of the biggest problems you will face when organising a picnic is not being able to let go and enjoy. However, even if you don't do anything, if you just let things play out, people will still have the best time. Try to remember that the whole thing is supposed to be fun and relax, so there is no point in being stressed out. And you can always ask people for help. All those people are there because of you, not because of food or the place or the decorations or anything else, and more than anything they will appreciate if you spend some time with them.

5 ways to stay motivated

With October starting, and the cold kicking in I feel like a lot of people fall into this pre-winter laziness. Everything looks so comfortable, and the warm bed is so inviting in comparison to the cold air outside, that sometimes you just can't find that last drop of motivation to do the work you are supposed to.

To help you with that I wrote down 5 things that help me stay motivated, and work-oriented during cozy October.

Set a goal

The absolute first thing you need to ask yourself is: "What am I trying to achieve?"  

Setting a goal for yourself will make everything easier. It will be easier for you to come up with a working plan based on what you want to achieve. It will be easier for you to work when you don't feel like it when you know what you are working towards. In addition, it all the effort put into it will make much more sense than just working all the day without knowing what or who you are working for. 

I would advise you to make this goal as specific as you can. For example, don't make it 'I want my blog to be more successful', instead try with something like 'I want my blog to get 5000 view in the next month'.

Find an idol

Looking up to someone can get you a long way. For instance, if there a blog that you read regularly I would advise you to look into how they do it. Do they have a specific theme they talk about? How often do they post? How did they start out?

All those thing will help you get a better sense of what you are missing, or what you could improve, because there is always someone who has dealt with the same issues you are facing, so all you have to do is find that person and see how they overcame it. 

Keep track of your progress

I find it extremely useful to keep track of my progress, so that on those bad day when you feel like nothing is going right you can look back on it and see how much you've achieved from day one. 

It's also a great way of seeing if there's a certain pattern in your work that you failed to see before. Maybe there's something that you do and aren't aware of, which sets you back when you should be making progress. 

Take time off

You should always have some time off to relax and collect your thought before diving back into work. If you plan your week without leaving any manoeuvring room and free time, you'll find yourself exhausted at the end of the week. 

So make sure you leave some extra time in your week where you can sit down, take a deep breath and recollect you thoughts before rushing back to you busy schedule.

Motivational speeches

When everything else fails, Youtube has some great motivational speeches to offer.

There are times when we just need someone else to throw some big words at us and gets us moving. So in times of trouble, Youtube always has my back. 

How do you guys stay motivated? Any additional tips?

Positivity challenge

School has started and my life seems to revolve around it. For me school comes hand in hand with stress and self-doubt, so I wanted to do something that would make me happier.

I decided that for a week, every day, I would try to write down as much things that made me happy as possible. Simply because I want to put my life into a perspective for myself.  I want to see how many times a day I'm actually excited or happy about something. Also, I want to focus on positive things instead of my anxiety, and I think this could be really good for me.

Monday

The start of this week was great! The first two lessons I had were actually enjoyable and the time flew by. I was interested in what we were learning, and after quite some time I felt intrigued to learn new things.

When the first two lessons were over I headed to a class where my next lessons was at. There, freshman were waiting there for us with a bribe - lots of delicious pastry they made themselves. It's like a tradition that freshman need to bribe the seniors, so that the initiation isn't as bad as it supposed to be. The bribe also brings them extra point for initiation - whichever class wins at the initiation gets a chance to organise it when they are seniors. And of course the bribe made my smile a little wider (as well as my stomach)! I was so full and so were my classmates, and two days later we still had some of the pastry left.

One thing that can always make you feel better or at least make you feel satisfied is money. And I got paid for my summer job on Monday, so needless to say my day got a whole lot better.

Beside all those things, one that made me smile like an idiot was when a girl complimented my lashes. I have quite long lashes, and she asked me if they were fake. When I told her they were real she was so shocked, and said they look really good - yey!

On Monday I also had my first training of boxing after two months and even thought I was dead by the end of it because I practically did nothing to stay in shape during summer, I was also extremely happy and proud of my self.

In the evening I talked to a friend of mine about this thing I am really insecure about. However, he made me feel so completely normal, and he was so open about it and ready to help that I fell asleep with a the biggest grin on my face.

Tuesday

Is there a better way to start your day than finding out that the first two lessons are cancelled and you can sleep for an extra hour? I don't think so. Besides extra sleep equals happy me.

When I came home from school, I ordered some make-up online and I was so excited about it. I've never ordered anything online before, and I paid so little for what I was getting that I couldn't possibly get a better deal. The reason I order it, was because you can pay for it when you pick up the package and because the eyeshadow pallet I was getting looked like a dream.

My grandma came to our apartment on that day, and she's always so lovely and nice - like any grandma, I suppose. She is the person I look up to because of how kind she is, but she can be really determined when she needs to be, and I really admire that. I feel like she picks me up when I'm at my lowest point, and her hugs just make everything okay.

Wednesday

You know what I figured out? That food makes me really happy. Because once again the food was the reason for my happiness. In school we got a chocolate waffle - a mini packed one, for a snack.

Wednesday was really sunny, and it was a perfect day for a walk with my dog. All the autumn colours and the sun made everything so beautiful, and I wish I could've captured the moment with my camera.

After a walk with my dog, I was informed that my package arrive, and I literally stormed out to get it. I paid around 20€ for Revolutin pallet with 32 shades and 8 Jessup brushes. If that isn't a bargain, I don't know what is. I just hope that everything will be as good as it looks!

For lunch my mum surprised me with sushi, which is my favourite food ever even though my parents don't like it. However, my brother and I are crazy about it and it was the most satisfying lunch I've had in a while.

Thursday

My first two lessons were cancelled again, so I had a lie in which was amazing. The fact my first two lessons were cancelled also gave me the opportunity to play around with my new eyeshadow pallet and wear proper make-up to school.

I got asked to prom. Do you need any further explanation why this made me happy?

I had another boxing training. I love how full of energy and happy it makes me. I don't know whether it's the exercise that makes me feel good or the people, but I think it's the last because I've always been active, but I never felt so happy after trainings.

I'm writing this in the evening, and my father brought me a letter from a friend that went to study abroad, just in time for me to included it in. I honestly cannot stop smiling like an idiot. It brighten my day up (Ana if you're reading this; thank you very much, I love you too).

Friday

It was my birthday on Friday, and well let's be honest, birthday's are always amazing. In the morning my family surprised me by singing happy birthday to me and gave me a present - I got an iPhone SE. 

I got some presents in school as well. Traditionally they bought me sushi which was delicious. 

Look at me making a wish :)

Honestly this shows how lovely my friends are!

After school I met up with two of my old classmates, and my very best friends. We went out for an ice cream, and they gave me some sunflowers which are absolutely beautiful. The three of us hadn't hung out for the longest and even though I see both of them separately it just isn't the same as when we are all together. 

Later that day I went out for a meal with my family, and those family lunches are my favourite. I love it when the whole family is together, even though we argue a lot.

Saturday

Saturday was super sunny, so I went for a walk with my dog. Something about nature calms me and gives me so much energy. I also love how having a dog is an excuse to talk to other dog owners because you get to meet so many different interesting people. 

After a walk with a dog I met up with a few of my friends and we went out for a drink. At the end of it I was basically crying with laughter. These girls never fail to make my day brighter, and I couldn't appreciate them more. 

We walked around the city centre and decided to check out Lush. Lush's bath bombs are my weakness because of how good they smell and how lovely they look, so I had to treat myself and get myself one. I don't know why, but getting yourself something just leaves behind this feeling of satisfaction, doesn't it?

In the evening I went to a party, and got to see so many people I haven't seen in ages. It had to be one of the best night I had in a while. It felt like going back to when we were thirteen, young and reckless, except that it was so much better.

Overall Saturday was just amazing!

Sunday

Because I came home so late the day before, I had a lie in. When I woke up, my mum wasn't at home, so I called her to find out that her, my aunt and grandma went out for a morning coffee, and asked me if I wanted to join them. Of course I was dressed in a minute and just a few moments later I was sitting in a city centre, taking a sip of my cappuccino and enjoying the warm sun.  

I'm going to finish my post here, because I don't have anything planned for the afternoon, and I need to study anyways.

I apologise for the long post, but I didn't expect that there would be so many things in my week that happened to me which I enjoyed. During the week I realised that writing this stuff down made me more positive and not as stressed out as usually because I knew that whatever the day would bring there was so many things to look forward to. It's those small things that make life enjoyable and I feel like too often we focus on the bad instead of the good. I hope to stay as positive as I was this week and I would strongly advise you to do the positivity challenge to see how good your life actually is if you decided to look for the positive things. 

Why do I do this to myself?

This week I've been feeling very poorly. I even stayed off school for a few days because of it. Between all the coughing and drinking tea, I started watching a new series.

And I finished it.

Usually, I have a silent agreement with myself that I am not allowed to start watching series which are still in the making. Why? Firstly, because I am too freaking impatient and can't function normally until new episodes come out, and secondly because I love binge watching series.

However, I've seen a few people talking about Stranger things on Instagram and decided to Google it, to see what the series is about. Somehow I started watching the first episode just to get the taste of it. Let me tell you that wasn't a good idea.

I am a big fan of anything horror/mystery/sci-fi and Stranger things just have it all.

They had me hooked from the the first minute of the first episode until the end on first season, eight episodes later. As you've probably guess already the series is relatively new, and it only has one season so far. The second season is in the making, but do you see my problem now?

I got obsessed with yet another series that isn't finished.

And I can already see myself watching the new episodes when I should be studying for exams.

My bare soul on the paper

Today's post is going to be a bit more on the dark side if I can say that. It's not going to be all happy and full of life and what I want to achieve. Today I want to talk about my insecurities and things that scare me to death about life and about the future.

I'm a very anxious person. I hate being thrown into situations where I don't know anyone, but have to be there because the person who invited me means a lot to me. I hate starting conversation with people that make me feel inferior. I tend to close myself up, and just stand there, listening to them, but not contributing to the conversation in anyway. So it often happens that I remember people I've met, but they don't remember me because I am a shadow of a person when I am thrown into a group of people. If I am forced to talk with someone one-on-one it's much more comfortable and I open up quickly, but when there's a group of people I often find myself lost for words. Honestly, it's like my brain doesn't function anymore, it just shuts down.

Especially lately I've been feeling out of place. Even thought I want to achieve things, even though I know what I want my next step to be, it all seems impossible. I listen to people, I listen to what they have to say and I just feel soooooo dumb. And it scares me!

I'm afraid that I am not smart enough to achieve things I've set out for myself. I am afraid that I am stuck in this life and I don't have much to offer. I am afraid that I am not interesting enough. I am afraid that I will spend my whole life being someone ordinary, being someone who does things as a part of their routine, and in the end I'll look back on life and realise I was so anti-social, so anti-talented, so anti-everything that I didn't amount to much at all.

Maybe it's because I am surrounded with people who are smart, outstanding, and I am barely average. Maybe it's because they are all good at physics, and maths, and chemistry, and all I do in school is daydream. Maybe it's because what I like to do isn't something that could be considered a job. Maybe it's because there isn't a single subject in school with which I've completely fallen in love with. Maybe it's the pure pressure of society that people who are well educated are the only ones who really matter. Or maybe it's just me, another ordinary person getting lost in the system.

Montenegro and Croatia

If you recall last post, you remember that I talked about going to Montenegro for a week (although, to be precise, it was only five days).

Everything that happened is still fresh and very much alive inside my head, so let me put it down before I collapse on bed and fall asleep again. 

We started out journey five minutes past midnight on Monday morning. I've seen a few of my schoolmates during summer, when we went to the seaside together, but I saw most of them for the fist time after two months. Naturally, we hugged and talked loudly about what happened and how school's just around the corner. Before we could really get into the conversation the music started blaring through the speaker that my schoolmate brought along and the party started...

Our first stop (if I don't count the bathroom breaks) was Dubrovnik. To be honest, I didn't know much about Dubrovnik except that the Game of Thrones was filmed there and that supposedly, it is beautiful.

Thankfully we had a guide who walked around with us and gave us a summary of history, so we learnt more about the city itself. Then we had more than an hour to wonder around the city by ourselves and explore narrow streets hidden from the crowd.

The city was beautiful, however, I made a mistake of wearing jeans (because it was cold when we got on the bus in the middle of the night) and let me tell you, I was boiling in them. It was so freaking hot I thought I was going to lose my mind! At least when we returned to the bus, the air conditioning was on, so I cooled down a bit.

I love the architecture of seaside cities

The legend has it that if you manage to stand on the stone you'll have luck for the rest of the year

I love the narrow streets that hide interesting local shops and coffee places

The view from the bus when we were leaving Dubrovnik

We arrived in Budva in the late afternoon, we settled in our rooms, then headed to the beach. I must say, I wasn't impressed with beach in Budva. Maybe, it's because I am used of clear blue water and beaches that are not as crowded as they were here.

In the evening we met in front of the hotel with the rest of my schoolmates, and headed to the club called Paris (which has a big Eiffel tower in the middle, and a bar underneath). Paris might be one of the few clubs I actually like, because it's in the open, so it doesn't make me feel trapped in the crowed.

The next day we headed to Cetinje which used to be a capital city and the residence of the royal family. We had a look around, and had some free time as well before heading to Lovćen where stand the mausoleum of Njegoš. You have to walk up 461 steps to get to the entry, but the view alone is totally worth it, not to mention the historical value of the place.

Once we were finish with sightseeing, we were taken to a local restaurant where we ate their homemade prosciutto and cheese. It was the best meal you could've asked for after a long day.

Third day we went to Kotor which is one of the Montenegro's most beautiful cities. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there and I didn't manage to capture any photo worth posting. We than drove to the beach where there was foam party planned for us and it was freaking awesome! I thought that it would be uncomfortable, especially because you are in your swimsuit and some guys really don't know which line isn't okay to cross, but everyone had so much respect for personal space which made the party very enjoyable. 

Next day wasn't that interesting either. We went to Budva's old city centre where I've already been the night before with my friends where we decided to go to dinner. So, we walked around aimlessly than ended up in a bar, getting a drink. We than headed to see the island of St. Stefan - you aren't actually allowed to go on it, so we stopped on the road and photographed it, before going to another beach relaxation/party.

Beautiful St. Stefan

The trip was coming to an end, but on our way back, we stopped in Split as well. We didn't actually go sightseeing there, we stopped so we could stretch our legs a bit and grab a quick bite, but I still managed to snap some photos to share this magnificent Croatian city with you.

I'm sorry for the length of this post, but when I try to share my trips with you it tends to be a bit longer because of how much has happened and because of the photos I try to include. 

However, I hope this is only one of many travel posts. 

My next destination - Montenegro

I've already picked up my school books and my anxiety is letting me know that new school year is just around the corner. 

But not just yet. 

Can I get a drum roll, please? 

I am going to Montenegro! It's going to be that one last touch of summer before going back to classroom.

This trip has been planned for quite some time now, even though I haven't written  about it yet. The fact is, I don't like writing about stuff before it happens, because I don't want to jinx it. So let me explain more about this trip and what it's all about.

I don't know how things are in other countries, but in my country, you go on a trip with you whole class, during summer holidays before starting you last year of high school. I guess it's some kind of farewell, but it's also a lot of fun. 

This trips are specifically created for students and are full of night-time activities, but also sightseeing. The usual destination, or should I say, the destination that's most know for these trips, is Greece, but we didn't want to do that. To be honest, we went back and forth between Portugal and Spain, before settling for Montenegro.

I hope we made the right decision.

Well, I better start packing and I'll se you guys next week (if I make it back in one piece). 

Things you do on holidays with friends

I watch way too many vlogs of youtubers, the ones in which they go on holiday or travel around, and not so long ago I watch Oli White's one. He went to Croatia and it looked like he really enjoyed himself. One thing he did with his younger brother James was parasailing. For those of you who have no idea what parasailing is, here's the definition from the internet: "Prasailing also known as parascending or parakiting, is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that reminds one of a parachute, known as a parasail wing." Now, that looked absolutely and utterly crazy/amazing.

It also looked like something my friends and I would totally do.

Luckily, my friends and I were planning to go to Croatia as well. About a week after Oli's vlog went up, I was already in the car with my friends on the way to the sunny coastline of Croatia.

Look at how beautiful this is

While we were sunbathing on the beach the second day of our stay, I pitched the idea to my friends. Out of six, five of us agreed that we would like to go parasailing. We knew they did parasailing because we saw a few people doing it, so we were on a mission to find a place which offered parasailing.

On the third day we found the place, but because it was quite pricey only three of us decided to actually do it. We had to make a reservation for the next day, and we were all jumping in excitement when everything was sorted out. All we had to do next was wait for the next morning.

Found the place! :)

The next day the excitement started to grow as we got closer to the meeting point. When we waited for them to pick us up, I was a bit nervous, but in a good kind a way - when you get really hyper and happy and you feel your stomach twisting and you can't help but smile. 

I'm a bubble of excitement and happiness

Two guys came to pick us up in a motorboat, help us get our lifejackets on then drove us away from the coastline. Because there was three of us we decided that one would go by herself while my friends and I would go together (in tandem). The girl that went by herself was the first to go up while we waited in the motorboat, taking pictures and still jumping up and down with excitement waiting for our turn.

Soon the girl came down, and it was our turn. They buckled us on the parachute and told us to sit down. As soon as we sat down the wind started to lift us up. Before we knew it we were up in the air, looking down at the water and the boat. The view was amazing! I don't know how high we were, but apparently you can go as high as 152 meters (500 feet).

Look at us!

That's on thing I can cross off my bucket list (although it wasn't even on my bucket list)!

Each job brings new experiences

A while ago I wrote about the new job I got and how I didn't feel comfortable working there. However, there are always a few things you can learn from a job that will help you in life. So, I decided to share this experience with you, now that I no longer work there.

Basically my job involved selling a particular products which name I won't mention because I don't want this post to be about a company, but rather my experience. Now, those products were extremely pricey, and when I say pricey, I mean like over a thousand euros. So, of course we had trouble selling them, but where's will there's a way. We basically had to learn a script (it wasn't actually a script, more like a worksheet with information on it) and then stick to it to sell a product. The script involved some phrases that no sane person would ever use, but it was supposed to help us sell these products.

Before I get carried away and start ranting about it, why don't we start with things I learned.

First that comes to mind is don't let people use your insecurities against you!

When we had a client we had to ask them what they wanted to change about themselves and when they told us, we had to agree and make them even more insecure about the whole thing. Later, this would help us convince them that what we are selling is the right choice for them to help them minimise the visibility of their insecurity.

Second thing that I learn is when someone is selling you something they don't actually care about what's going on in your life.

We had to start the whole thing by breaking the ice which meant making small talk with a client. Naturally, I got attached to every client's story and didn't want to force a product on them because I knew they had more important things to spend their money on. However, my boss didn't care. I guess, she's been in the business for a long time and it made her see the profit in people, not actually people. She would put on this face, like she feels sorry for them, like she pitied them while pushing them to their limits, so eventually they decided to purchase the products.

Third valuable lesson was that whenever someone isn't using words like costs, price etc. they are definitely trying to sell you something.

We had policy which forbade us from using any of those words. We had to use the word investment instead. So, for example, we would say: "The investment into solution of your problem is 1000€." It made my heart sink every time I had to tell the price. The look on people's faces was so full of honest shock that it made me want to quit on the spot. But I didn't because I knew that eventually they would fire me for not selling a thing, so in the meantime, I worked there to at least earn something during the holidays.

Fourth thing is: quit the job if it's not working for you!

I know, this was only a summer job, and I've been playing with the idea of quitting for a while, but it still made me nervous that I had to talk to my boss and tell them that it's not working out for me. However, she was nice and understanding. You see, I kept waiting for them to fire me because that's how ti worked. If you didn't sell you didn't work, but somehow they wouldn't fire me. When I finally quit my boss said that it was really nice having me around, and that it was really nice to meet me and if I'd like to maybe work with them in the future (not selling anything, but at an event they are organising). To sum up, having the brain and the courage to walk away before things got complicated was the best decision I've made. Firstly, because I could walk out on my own terms, feeling like it was me who ended thing and secondly, because it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. On my way home I couldn't stop smiling like an idiot and even called a friends to share my joy with them.

Have you ever quit a job? If so, what was it and why?

See you next week, love!

Summer Lookbook

I believe I've never done a post like this, but I enjoy reading similar posts so I thought why not try and do one myself. At the end of the day, this is my blog, this is a place where I do what I want and share my inspirations, thoughts and things that happen in my life.

So today, for the first time, I am doing a summer lookbook.

The idea came to me because lately I've spent a lot of my free time in shops. I must admit, it's convenient that my job is located in a shopping area and that whenever I finish early I wonder around shops, trying on clothes and a lot of time I end up buying them. 

I love the things I bought so much that I wanted to share it with you and show them off, so you can see for yourself. Besides it is always good to get a second opinion, right?

Let's get started.

The first thing I fell in love with is this black romper. It's not anything special, but I absolutely adore how comfortable it is. Besides I feel like it looks very neat without too much thought put into it. When you combine it with some sandals and a pair of earrings it's a perfect outfit for going out in a warm summer evenings. I got this black romper from Stradivarius store for 19,95€.

The black romper from Stradivarius

The next one is a black dress from Zara which I bought for work. It ends a little bit above my knees, which in my opinion, is the most appropriate length for a work place in hot summer days. It hugs my upper body perfectly than falls freely from my hips down. I like those kind of dresses because they enhance the body parts I am most proud of and show off my figure in a sophisticated way. As I mentioned before I bought this dress in Zara for approximately 13€.

Black dress from Zara

For a while I wanted shorts that look like a skirt which are incredible comfy. Somehow every single one I found either didn't suit me or I didn't like the pattern. But I stumbled upon this burgundy flowery ones in Stradivarius store and immediately fell in love. They are super summery and I love wearing them with a basic white shirt. I think they were 9,95€.

The flowery shorts from Stradivarius

The last piece of clothing is this grey dress. It's a bit warmer so I will probably wear it when we go out for the night since nights can get a bit colder. I believe this dress will also come handy in autumn with a pair of tights. It's a bit tighter than what I usually wear, but the material is super soft, so it feels like you are wrapped in a blanket. I got this one in Bershka for 19,99€.

The grey dress from Bershka

This is it for today. Let me know if you like this kind of post and if I should do more. Furthermore, let me know what you think about the clothes!

See you next week!

Fighting through

Have you ever got yourself into situation that kept you up at nigh?

I am sure we all have.

Either it's an exam you didn't study enough for or a job interview that you don't feel prepared for.

When we go to bed, we overthink things - at least I do - and you can work yourself up and cause so many unnecessary stress which leads to not sleeping well.

That's the right time to ask yourself if the situation is worth all the trouble it's causing you.

I've been going through this a lot since less week when I landed a job which doesn't really suit me. I believe when you have to do something every day it should be enjoyable, you should love it and put you heart into it. Luckily, I am a student so I know I won't be stuck with this job forever, but I also know I have at least two more weeks of working there.

So what do you do?

I believe you should get the best out of it. Think about everything good that it brings. For me, right now, that's meeting new people (my colleagues are great by the way ), earning money and gaining experience. However, it can be tricky because the job itself is making me uneasy. And that's something I'm not okay with since I am a very anxious person and have experienced a few panic attacks before. That's also a reason I try to avoid situation like this.

I am hoping things will get better during this week. Maybe, I'll fall into a routine and won't think about it anymore even though I think there's a low chance of that.

How are you guys holding up? Is everything okay?

Why I decided not to blog in June

It feels good to be back.

Writing, editing, searching for photos to complete my post.

It's been more than a month since my last post, but I cannot say I regret it. I needed some time off and not writing a blog in the meantime seemed like a good idea.

And it was a good idea.

While having my little break from a blog I noticed that I genuinely enjoyed things I was doing. In my humble opining, once you have a blog and decide to write regularly it quickly takes over your life. Every week you search for new, interesting things to write about. It pushes you to go out more, to experience different things and then discuss them here.

However, I found myself worrying about how to turn what I was experiencing into a good blog post instead of actually being there, enjoying what I was doing and putting my heart into it.

At first I thought that maybe I was the only one experiencing this, and maybe I am, but I've been reading this book about a successful bloger and her entire life revolves around blog posts. Everything she does is for the sake of her blog and I don't want to be that person.

This month and a half was a blessing for me. I worked as a rollerblading instructor, I was at the seaside for almost three weeks, I meet new people, I learned new card game and I've been completely present at all these things without thinking how to turn them into a blog post.

I hope you can forgive me for not writing for such a long time, but anyway I don't regret my decision to push this blog aside for a while.

Short, but sweet

I keep re-writing this post, because I want to put something new on my blog for you to read, but I really can't find a topic to discuss today.

The truth is, I am tired. 

It feels like there is no free time for me lately. I am constantly rushing somewhere, and when I am not, I collapse on a bad, getting my well deserved nap. 

So, I though to myself, if I can't find a topic to write about why not just write something positive for you guys to read, and maybe, just maybe, I manage to lighten up your day. 

No matter what you are going through remember that you are a strong person and you can and must keep on fighting. No matter with who you got into a fight today, remember there's a new day tomorrow and you can sleep it off and work things out latter. No matter how small and unimportant you feel, remember that there is someone who smiles everyday when you walk pass them. And that might be the most important part of their day. 

I want you to know that just by reading this you are guilty for that stupid grin on my face, because you are making me feel like I am not unimportant, and small, and that someone out there is listening to what I have to say.

5 reasons why winter is better than summer

I know a lot of you will fight me on this one, but I stand behind a statement that winter is better than summer. Since summer is starting, and because it's already so hot here, in Slovenia, I just have to go on a rant about it and how much I miss the coldness, snow and dark.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride, my fellow readers!

Clothes. I love layers. I love a good old t-shirt with a cardigan and a warm cosy jacket on top. I love black jeans and warm fluffy socks. But when it's hot like hell outside, you can't really put on layers like you are able to do in the winter. It just seems like summer clothes aren't as cosy as the winter ones. Then again maybe it's not the clothes. Maybe it's the burning heat that makes you sweat like a pig. Which bring me to another point.

Sweating. What's up with that? I could stand in the shower all day long during summer. But still as soon as I stepped up, I'd be covered with sweat. Because it's so bloody hot during summer and you can't cool yourself down for more than an hour (or even less). I hate not being able to do anything about it. At least in the winter when you are cold, you can put on another sweater or tights under your pants. What are you going to do in summer? Rip you skin away from your body?

Productivity. You know how some people say: "You can be more productive during summer and you have more energy because the day is longer." This is absolute crap. The only time during summer that is bearable to do something is early in the morning or late in the evening. Otherwise you are putting yourself in danger because of how hot is it outside. Want to go for a walk during a day? Oh no, you can't because you might get sunstroke. So, good luck to you folks, who are planning to be productive during summer.

Dog. Do you know how much fun my dog has during summer? About 20%. His happiness comes from swimming in the sea, but otherwise it's absolute nightmare for him. He is constantly hot, with his tongue out and wants to be pet, but at the same time doesn't. Besides it's hard to take him for a walk in the heat, so I can only take him for a longer walk in the evening, because neither him or I are a big far of getting up in the morning.

The only place I like during summer

Sleeping. I have trouble sleeping anyway, but in the summer is so much worse because I can't get comfortable no matter what. If I sleep with a blanket I get to hot, but if I don't sleep with a blanket monsters can get me. Can you feel my struggle?

Now, that I got my frustrations out I can admit that there are also things to like forward to, for example going to the seaside, playing beach volleyball, sleeping under the stars, bonfires, pool parties, and most of all freedom because there's no school. 

If I were rich...

I think all of us had thought about having lots of money at one point. It doesn't matter whether is it while you are buying a lottery ticket or starting a new business or while you are shopping, we have all thought about it. 

The truth is we live in a very materialistic world and it's hard to escape that, but I believe that wishing you were richer doesn't mean you aren't generous or kind or hardworking. It's just that having lots of money could sometimes save you a lot of trouble. 

Now,  this post isn't supposed to be deep or a critic of a modern world. This post is a list of my ideas on how I'd spend money if I, for example, won a lottery. (And if I ever do win a lottery, I'll come back to this post and check every single idea off the list.)

1.  I would hire a personal driver to drive me around at night. You see, I mentioned before that I have trouble sleeping from time to time (about three night a week). However, when I am driving somewhere these problems do not exist for me. The roaring of an engine and landscape passing by, calm me down and I can fall asleep in a matter of seconds. 
2. I would take my friends on a trip for their birthday. I would probably take them somewhere for a weekend (like Paris or Amsterdam or New York) and make sure they have the best time, experience as much as possible and eat the most delicious food a country has to offer. 
3. I would go snowboarding. It's not that I don't snowboard now, but I just don't snowboard enough. If I were rich, I would be on slopes ever weekend, having the time of my life.
4. I would buy a house. That's probably a must do when you come into some money. I buy a big house, for all of my family to live in, with a big yard and a pool. Then in the house, I'd have a home cinema and a game room where all the electronics would be (like a proper geek paradise) and also a fitness room and so much more.
5. I would make someone's dream come true. I think if I knew someone that was just really unlucky in their life I would make sure to give them all their ever wanted and even more. 
6. I would found a charity organisation.  This charity organisation would built schools and neighbourhoods in places where people need it.
7. I would open a foster home. I think if I had money and an ability to give kids what they deserve and need, I would take in as many kids as I could. It's just one of those things I always wanted to do and I guess, if you have money why not do it. 
8. I wouldn't stress out about school and work. I always said that no matter what (a.k.a. winning the lottery) I would finish school and go to work, but I think a huge burden would be lifted off my shoulders if I knew my future and financial stability doesn't depend on it. 
9. I would take fans to conventions. If there was a show/movie I was obsessed with I would take people from the fanbase who couldn't afford going to the conventions. I think it would be such an amazing thing to do and also I'd get to spend time and get to know people from the internet with the same obsession.

That's about it. Of course there's a lot of things I'd buy as well, for example camera, new laptop... However, I didn't include those things in the list because there are always new products on the market and I am a sucker for new gadgets. 

What would you do if you suddenly got into a lot of money?

On the road

I've been gone for quite some time and I think it's time to catch up. Don't you agree?

I'm sure I've mentioned before how much I love to travel. My deepest passion is going to new places, exploring new things and staring in awe at what I discovered. So it's no surprise that I take every opportunity to go somewhere. 

Three weeks ago my aunt asked me if I wanted to go to the Netherlands with her, and of course I agreed. It was a quick decision and on Friday morning I was already flying towards the Netherlands. 

I've been to the Netherlands before, if you recall I wrote about an incident on the airport, but I haven't talked much about where I've been. 

The last time I was there I was on an exchange program in Leiden and I absolutely fell in love with it. 

Morning flight over the Alps

This time my aunt and I went to Hague, but also made a trip to Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Keukenhof. The last one is also know as the Garden of Europe and it absolutely beautiful, but also overcrowded. 

Tree with peace wishes on it stands in front of Peace Palace, in Hague

I'm sure it's needless to say I had a blast, and of course I took a bunch of photos, but right now I'm to lazy to upload and edit them. I'm sorry. 

When I came back, I had a week of holidays left which I basically spent going out with friends and having sleepovers.

Then last Saturday I went to Mirabilandia, which is an amusement park in Italy and to San Marino. I'm sure the trip would've been more than just okay, but I was starting to get sick, so the whole two days there were kind of miserable. 

I have to admit, the first day was okay. We spend the whole day in Mirabilandia and we went on all the rides and I laughed and screamed and it wasn't as bad considering the state I was in. In the evening I had to take some pill because my headache was killing me, but that was it.

The second day, however, was absolute and complete disaster. My head was killing me, and I swear I had a fever, so I only half enjoyed the trip to San Marino. Then we went back to Mirabilandia and I had to get medical help because at that point I thought I was going to pass out. 

They were really nice and took care of me, so that the rest of the day was bearable. 

But we still had about 6 hours drive back home and I honestly thought I'm not going to make it back home...

So it's understandable that this week I've been home, lying in bed and drinking as much tea as I could consume. 

That's about all I've been up to in the last three weeks.

What about you guys? What happened to you in the last three weeks?