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?