Kitajski pečeni cmočki / Potsticker dumplings

Scroll down for English version! 

Teli cmočki so bili zelo dolgo na mojem kuharske seznamu, ampak nikoli niso ugledali luči dneva. Če sem čisto iskrena, smo jih z družino vedno naročali v Kitajski restavraciji in se kregali, kdo dobi zadnjega. Zdelo se mi je, da se ne bom mogla niti približati okusu, ki ga dobiš v restavraciji in da je potemtakem ta recept že vnaprej obsojen na propad.

O, kako sem se motila!

Ne samo, da priprava ni bila tako zakomplicirana kot se mi je zdelo na začetku, ampak so cmočki celotno stanovanje napolnili z omamnim vonjem. Še zdaj, ko pišem o tem, se mi cedijo sline.

Za izhodišče sem vzela recept na Youtube kanalu Jamie Oliverja, kjer pripravo demonstrirata tako imenovani Dumpling Sisters (prevod: Cmoček sestri?). Vendar pa je čar cmočkov ravno v tem, da lahko nadev pripraviš čisto po svojih željah in to sem tudi storila.

Za testo:

³  300g univerzalne moke

³  220ml vrele vode 

Postopek za pripravo testa se je meni, ki nisem ravno ekspert, zdel enostaven. Moko in vodo sem preprosto zmešala v kuhinjskem robotu. Ko se je testo dovolj ohladilo (zaradi vrele vode je na začetku zelo zelo vroče) sem testo dokončno zgnetla še na roke, da dobiš res gladko maso. Nato pa je testo počivalo kakšno uro – priznam, da ne vem koliko točno, ker smo vmes gledali božični film. Važno je, da je testo ves čas pokrito, da ne izgubi vlage.

Za nadev:

³  400g mletega mesa

³  Čebula

³  Sezamovo olje

³  Soda bikarbona

³  Sladkor

³  Temna in svetla sojina omaka

³  Poper

Čebulo sem nasekljala na majhne koščke, ampak res na majhne, ker sem se bala, da bi se preveč čutila v nadevu. Nato pa sem vse sestavine samo združila v večji posodi in dobro premešala. Rekla bi, da sem vsake sestavine (sojina omaka, sezamovo olje, soda bikarbona, sladkor, poper) dodala približno žlico, tako da je pokrila vso meso, hkrati pa ni nobena stvar prevladala nad drugo.

Nato pa pride na vrsto razdelitev testa in valjanje. Meni je metoda prikazana v videu povsem uspela, tako da res priporočam, da si za postopek oblikovanja testa pogledate video (med 2:39 in 4:00).

Nato pa nam ostane samo še peka oz. kuhanje. Na ponvi segrejemo žlico olja, tako da se nam cmočki ne bodo prijemali. Cmočke zložimo v ponev in pečemo približno 2 minuti. Svetujem, da enega dvignete med pečenjem in pogledate, če se je naredila zlata skorjica. Ko zagledate skorjico, je čas, da cmočke zalijete s 100ml vode in pokrijete ponev. Ko voda izpari, so cmočki kuhani.

Dober tek!

Potsticker dumplings

Dumplings were on my cooking list for so long, but they never saw the light of day. If I’m being honest, my family and I always fought over the last dumpling in a Chinese restaurant. How could I make anything that would taste as good as those dumplings in a restaurant? I assumed that making them at home was destined to fail.

O, how wrong I was!

The preparation isn’t as hard as I assumed from the beginning. And after I was done making them the whole apartment was filled with this rich, amazing smell. Even now, just writing about this, is making me salivate.  

I decided to follow a recipe posted on Jamie Oliver’s Youtube account where the Dumpling Sisters demonstrate the preparation. However, the best thing about dumplings is that you can tailor the filling to your wishes. That’s exactly what I did.

For the dough:

³  300g all-purpose flour

³  220ml boiling water

I am no expert at making a dough, and even I thought it was fairly easy to make. I put the flour and boiling water into my Kitchen Aid. When the dough has cold down enough, I proceeded to knead it with my hands. When my dough became smooth, I covered it with plastic foil and let it rest while watching a Christmas movie. The key here is to not lose the moisture in the dough!

For the filling:

³  400g minced meat

³  Medium large onion

³  Sesame oil (tablespoon)

³  Baking soda (tablespoon)

³  Sugar (tablespoon)

³  Dark and light soy sauce (tablespoon each)

³  Pepper (tablespoon) 

I finely chopped the onion, really finely, because I was afraid it would be overpowering in the filling. In the bigger bowl I mixed all the ingredients together, and that was it for the filling.

Next you need to roll out the dough and fill the dumplings. I followed the instructions in the video (watch from 2:39 to 4:00) and it work wonderfully. I recommend that you follow them along!

All that’s left is cooking our homemade dumplings. Add a tablespoon of oil to a pan. Add the dumplings in the pain and wait until the golden crust forms on the. You should pick one up, to check for the crust on the bottom. When you see the crust has forms add 100ml of water to your pan and cover it with lid. Once the water has evaporated, your dumplings are done.

Bon Appétit!

Čokoladno-jagodna torta / Chocolate-strawberry cake

For the recipe in English scroll down

Kot prvo, tole ni najbolj 'simpl' torta. Ampak namen mojega bloga in Instagram računa je ravno to, da delam stvari za katere prej nisem imela poguma. Vedno sem si rekla, da bom najden recept enkrat naredila, potem pa je preprosto ostal shranjen in nikoli ni bil izveden. 

Pred kratkim sem dobila pekač s premerom 18cm, ki ga preprosto obožujem in ga po novem uporabljam za skoraj vsako torto. Na internetu obstaja super orodje, ki se imenuje torta pretvornik in ti izračuna sestavine za želeni premer pekača (https://midvakuhava.si/tortopretvornik/). 

No tole je preveden recept s povezavami do videov. 

Sestavine za biskvit:

³  202g jajc (to je cca 4 jajca)

³   144g sladkorja

³  14 g medu

³  Vaniljev ekstrakt 

³  115g gladke moke

³  14g kakava

³  36g masla

³  58g mleka

Biskvit sem pripravila po sledečem postopku:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwJlKhneQi0&t=363s

Naredimo parno kopel, kjer zmešamo jajca in sladkor. Mešanica se mora segreti toliko, da se sladkor raztopi. Dodamo še med in vaniljev ekstrakt (približno eno čajno žličko). Vse skupaj z električnim mešalnikom miksamo toliko časa, da se masa podvoji ali celo potroji. Izgledati mora podobno kot sneg iz beljakov, samo malo manj čvrsto.

V napihnjeno maso presejemo gladko moko in kakav ter vse skupaj počasi vmešamo s kuhalnico. Masa bo rahlo izgubila na volumnu zaradi moke, ampak to je normalno.

V posebni posodici segrejemo maslo in mleko. V posodico vmešamo nekaj mase, da maslo in mleko rahlo ohladimo, nato pa vse skupaj, torej maslo in mleko, dodamo k masi z moko.

Zlijemo v pekač, ki je obložen s peki papirjem in nekajkrat udarimo ob pult s pekačem, da se znebimo velikih mehurčkov, ki so nastali v biskvitu. Pečemo na 170 stopinjah približno 40 minut.

Sestavine za kremo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9yH65q1FUs&t=16s):

³  250ml sladke smetane

³  45g čokolade

³  Jagode

Sladko smetano in čokolado segrejemo, tako da se čokolade lepo raztopi. Damo ohladiti v hladilnik ali na balkon za uro in pol. Mešanica mora postati gosta. Ko se zgosti, jo zmiksamo, da dobimo čokoladno sladko smetano.

Biskvit razrežemo na pol. Prvo polovico namažemo s kremo in posujemo gor nasekljane jagode. Dodamo še malo kreme, da jagode prekrijemo. Položimo gor drugo polovico biskvita. Počakamo, da se tako sestavljena torta malo ohladi, da postane krema notri bolj trdna in nato še celo torto premažemo s kremo.

 

Chocolate-strawberry cake

Firstly, I’ll admit this might not be the easiest cake to make, however I’m trying to challenge myself every day (that's why I started my Instagram account). If you ask anyone that knows me well, they’ll tell you I watch cooking shows and recipes all the time. I’ve always saved them, but never actually took the time to make them. And I’ve decided that should change. 

For this cake I used a round mould in size 18cm which I got recently and absolutely adore. 

Ingredients for the sponge:

³  202g eggs

³  144g sugar

³  14g honey

³  Vanilla extract

³  115g cake flour

³  14g cocoa

³  36g butter

³  58g milk

For the sponge I used a following technique:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwJlKhneQi0&t=363s

Because the video has English subtitles I decided not to write it down as I did with the Slovenian version of this post. I think the video deserves the views, but if you’d like me to write down the recipes in the future, please let me know. 

Ingredients for the cream:

³  250ml of cream

³  45g chocolate

³  Strawberries

Melt the chocolate in the cream then put it the fridge or on the balcony (if you live in a colder country) for an hour and a half. The mixture should thicken a bit. When that happens, you can proceed to whipping the cream. And voilà, you made a chocolate whipped cream. I was following this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9yH65q1FUs&t=16s .

All that’s left for us to do is assemble the cake. Cut the sponge in half. Put chocolate cream on the first part and cover it with lots of cut up strawberries. Put a second part of a sponge on top and let it rest for a bit in a cold place, so that a cream has a chance to firm up. Than put your leftover cream from before all over the cake. Decorate as you wish!

Redefining my blog – again.

 

This blog has grown with me throughout the years. And it’s time to change its course again.

For those of you who don’t know me, let me introduce myself once again. I’m Ana and I am currently 22 years old.  My passion is cooking and discovering new recipes which is also the reason I created my Instagram account called the.foodie.goodie. It’s also the reason I’m redefining my blog.

Although I love Instagram and the outreach it offers, I don’t think it’s meant for long, detailed descriptions of food.

So without further ado: This is now a food blog!

Sushi is one of my favourite things to make

#6 Write about friendship

When I forgot how to love myself you held me tight and told me it's okay to cry. When I had doubts about living you made me laugh so hard I forgot what I was sad about. When I told you I don't know myself anymore you went through every memory you had of us to remind me who I am.

So when you find yourself struggling, when you feel like the whole world's against you, I'm going to be by your side holding a shield and firing bullets at everyone who comes near you. 

You have shown me that friendship isn't about how much time you spend together or how many each other's secrets you know. Friendship is about acceptance and love and understanding. It's about being completely open and vulnerable and trusting the person not to use that against you. Friendship is everything you have given me and continue to show me until this very day. 

#5 Write about loneliness

"Lonely is not being alone, is the feeling that no one cares."

Surrounded with people who care about me, people who love me dearly - that has always been my life. 

Yet most time I felt alone in this world. Loneliness, this heavy dark thing eating me from inside and pulling me down. This unbearable feeling that often came knocking at the door. And I always felt so guilty about it. How can someone be lonely with a phone full of people's numbers, full of unopened Facebook conversations and non-stop flow of notifications? 

The feeling that came from knowing so many people, but having no one to reach out to when I felt like this crippling loneliness was getting at me. Having no one to explain my mind to. Being no one's priority.

There were days when I felt like maybe I found a person who'd put me first, because I had put them first. They have always proven me wrong.

Because we as people are built in such a way that we always crave and chase after someone we can't fully have. We put people on pedestals, thinking they see us in the same way, but they never do. Far too often we rely on people who are barely there and when we decide to take the trust fall, our head meets the ground. 

#4 Write about love

Could I define the colour of your eyes? Or the taste of your lips? Or the sound of your laugh? Could I define and describe those things I love so dearly?

I think not and I refuse to do so. Because nothing will do you justice, nobody could compare you to something they have seen. Not if the truly know you, truly see you.

You are unique. You are the only one who has ever, who could ever, see my soul, touched it and healed it. So I see you beyond what people who only pass by see you. I see you. I see how you shine through your eyes, your lips, your laugh. And how could anyone describe a soul so beautiful and bright.

So please forgive me for not writing about the deepest grey of your eyes, about the addictive softness of your lips, about the joyful sound of your laugh, for I have fallen in love with your soul.

#3 Write about trust

People are strange creatures.

We crave closeness, love and trust, yet we are so hesitant to offer it to another person. We constantly fight against it, kicking and screaming, believing we are doing the best we can to protect ourselves. It tragic, really, how scared we are of bearing our soul to someone, putting in them our trust, giving them the power to either destroy or save us.

We are scared to trust someone because it's like handing over a steering wheel when you are about to crash. It can either turn out fine or with a casualty.

#2 Write about silence

Words.

They can cut deep into your soul,

a small voice occupying your mind,

and you let it take the control,

even though the voice is never calm nor kind.

Words.

If you let them out, clear and loud,

they might ruin your life.

But if you keep them bottle up inside,

they will hurt your flesh like a knife. 

Words. 

How many hidden meanings can they hold?

How many false promises will they make you believe?

Promises like 'Together will grow old",

and "Love, you can never make me leave".

So let's sit together, but not say a thing,

listening to only our breathing, our heartbeat,

and put away our masks, stop acting, pretending,

allowing our hearts in the middle to meet. 

#1 Write about eyes

You might think that the first thing we notice about another person is how they dress or how much they weight or how they carry themselves, and although that might be true, the one thing that will stick with us forever is their eyes. Not the colour or the shape of their eyes, but that little twinkling light behind them. 

That light can change everything. 

When I first caught his glance I thought that his blue eyes were pretty. Like a perfectly planted ocean of blue in the middle of his face that gave his boyish smile an edgy look. But pretty cannot describe the colour that they changed to when he talked about his passion. When he talked endlessly about his hopes and dreams, it was like his eyes were dancing. They lit up with so much joy, so much excitement that it completely changed him. As much as I loved the sparkle in his eyes, his pure childish excitement, there was nothing more frightening than his eyes turning grey like a stormy sky. It was as if his eyes reflected his true inner feeling, his dissatisfaction and discomfort when something was bothering him. The loving blue changed to cold grey in a millisecond, like someone turned on a light switch. 

So, when a friend asked me what colour were his eyes, I couldn't find the words. They were blue and they were grey, but to me, most of the time, they reminded me of home. Like I was finally where I was supposed to be, like his eyes were all there was to this life, and I was more than happy to be drowning in them for the rest of my life.

Regaining my creativity

Life has been moving so fast lately. A moment goes by so quickly that before realising a day, a week, a month is over. We live in this society that is constantly in a rush. In a society where it's becoming less and less acceptable to sit down, be by yourself and simply give in to your feelings and thoughts. 

With the pressure of success and focusing on 'real' life I feel like I've lost parts of me that I once valued beyond everything. Most of all I lost passion, creativity and the burning positivism about life I once had. 

In order to change that, to regain the person I once was and to truly discover who I am, what I like and what I want, I decided that I'll set a goal to write everyday until the end of the year. I found a list of writing prompts that's long and full of ideas that I never thought of. 

So my beloved readers (if there's any of you still left), buckle up because I'm about to take you for a ride!

Something different

Wanting more is gonna kill me

Your love was always a stormy sea

The waves were trying to drown me

But I learned how to hold my breath

I learned how to cheat death

I kept waiting for the sun to shine

I kept waiting for a clearer sky

The opportunity to make you mine

If you would've just let me try

For you the storm was a must

Without it you couldn't live

You took all I could give

Then messed with my trust

You watched me bleed

and begged me for more

I could never be freed 

I knew that for sure

The storm kept raging on 

There was no sign of a clear sky

I promised myself I was done

I no longer wanted you to be mine

I kept thinking what I should write to justify this. To justify that this is so different than what I usually do, but then I remembered the description of my blog, which I wrote awhile ago, that starts with 'This blog is a place where I let my creative juices flow - ".  

Opening the season

Although it's mid January this weekend was my first time snowboarding this winter. Even I cannot believe myself it took me so long to get on the slopes this year. 

My friends and I decided that it was finally time for us to go. I can't recall how we formed the idea of going skiing together, but it was bound to happen since we all love skiing and my friend just got her driving licence. 

So on a cold Saturday morning at half past six she picked me up. We put my snowboard in the trunk alongside her skis then went to pick up another friend. On our way to the slopes we watched the sun slowly come up, and made a stop at the gas station to pick up some snacks which are always a must have when you're going to the slopes for the day. 

This was actually taken on our way back from the slopes...

We were at the foot of the mountain before eight o'clock, when the gondola starts to work, so we had enough time to eat something and get changed. We've already purchased our tickets a day before, so we didn't have to stand in line - to be honest, there wasn't much of a line, anyways - and just went straight into the gondola. Of course when we got to the top of the mountain the first thing we had to do was take a few photos because the view was absolutely stunning.

Breathtaking - I forgot how beautiful the mountains are

When my snowboard finally touched the snow and I went down the slop, I remembered why I love snowboarding so much. I got this pure rush off happiness and I couldn't stop smiling. I just got this urge to scream at the top of my lungs, but I had to suppress it because I didn't want to give other skiers a heart-attack.

By twelve o'clock we were already in the cabin, because even though the weather was nice, and the slops weren't very crowded, we were absolutely freezing. It was minus 8 degrees celsius and I couldn't feel my face or fingers anymore. While we were drinking hot tea and eating some french fries, the sun came out and it started to get warmer, so after an hour of warming up in the cabin, we decided to continue.

The sun came out and it was amazing, also look at how empty the slopes are

A million dollar view

Around three o'clock in the afternoon we decided to call it quits and headed back down to the car. We planned to stop somewhere else on our way home, but we couldn't find anything worth stopping for, so we just drove back home. Overall, the day was amazing and we had so much luck with the weather and the lack of people, because it can get quite annoying when there's a lot of people on the slopes. If I could, I'd definitely relive that day.

I hope I will be able to create many more memories like this in 2017! On that note, I'd love to wish you guy a happy new year's, because I still haven't done it, and I hope this year is everything you ever wished for it to be.

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.