Mar 26, 2014

Writing a novel

I've always dreamt about writing a book. I knew it should be a novel, a cheesy, romantic novel with a big happy ending. I never wanted to write a scientific report, or a non fiction book. If I ever wrote a book, it would be a fictional love story - mainly because I love reading them myself.

Ever since I discovered this genre for myself I've admired Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jill Mansell for their stories. They are all so different, as if written by different authors. However, the writing style - which I really like - remains the same. These two women have written over 50 novels and are both still working on new ones.

My plan was or still is to some day write a novel as amazing as theirs, and then use the earnings to finance my life. Until today I have made one or two attempts on writing, but unfortunately I haven't been creative and persistent enough to even finish a short story. Maybe, just maybe I will start a new attempt this summer and hopefully even finish what I started. I know I won't write a full 400 pages novel right away, but it would be a huge success if I finished a short story.

No matter if I ever write a book or not, it's nice to have something to dream about and to work towards.

Have you ever had or still have a dream like that? What are your dreams?

Xoxo, have a nice week!

Mar 19, 2014

10 easy ways to save money without having to cut back

Summer is fast approaching and I've been thinking about going on vacation and a shopping spree for some new spring/summer clothes. And in order to still having some money left to put into my savings account I've come up with a number of ways to easily save money without actually having to cut back on anything.

1. Turn off your electric devices properly instead of leaving them on Standby. This will save a lot of electricity.
   
2. Try to use less of basically everything - tooth paste, shower gel, shampoo, toilet paper... You won't even know you've used a drop less, but in the end it'll make a big difference.
  
3. Use your old and unused eye shadow to create your own nail polish like this girl here.
  
4. Grow your own food. Spices and vegetables like tomatoes or cucumbers are quite easy to grow on your balcony - and gardening has a calming, therapeutic effect.
  
5. Buy stripe tickets instead of purchasing a single ticket every time you take a public transport.
  
6. Whenever you cook dinner, make a little more so you can eat the left overs for lunch the next day at work and don't have to go out and buy an overpriced sandwich oder salad.
  
7. If you like reading rent books from your local library instead of buying them. Or buy e-books instead of hard copies - they are usually cheaper.
  
8. Take and use whatever you get for free - for example sometimes in cafés you get these little sugar sachets, instead of leaving them if you haven't used them, take them with you and use at home. Or, on long distance flights you might get a dental kit, there's enough toothpaste in there for at least 3-4 times of brushing.
  
9. Use the coupons you get - no, I'm not talking about converting into the next couponing queen, but using a coupon once in a while will save you a lot of money.
  
10. Print your documents double-sided. You'll only have half of the papers to carry around with you and save a lot of printing paper.

What are your tricks for saving some money?

Xoxo, have a great day!

Mar 12, 2014

Vacation wishlist

With spring fast approaching, it's time to think about where to travel for vacation. During winter I've been dreaming of going somewhere warm like Hawaii, Thailand, Greece, Vanuatu or Italy. I know I won't actually be going to Hawaii or Vanuatu this year, but there's always room for dreaming, right?
Hawaii source - Thailand source - Vanuatu source
Now that spring is actually here, I feel like I want to take at least one little sight seeing trip too and explore London or New York City - or maybe even both ;)
London source - New York City source
London has been one of my favorite cities ever since I've lived there for about three months when I was 16. It's such an amazing, fascinating metropolis with so much to do and explore. There is such a broad variety of shops, theatres, restaurants and museums, which gives you something new to discover every time you get there - no matter how many times you've already been there.

And New York - Sex and the City has been my city guide. I haven't yet made it to New York, but I'm curious and can't wait to visit the Big Apple.

Where would you like to go to this year?

Xoxo, have a nice first week of spring!

Mar 5, 2014

In need of motivation

I'm in need of motivation - motivation for my job, motivation for my DIYs, motivation to not let myself drag my bad mood with me. To not being so lazy and just going with the flow, but to make myself feel better by watching the right kind of movies, listening to some feel-good music or just reading a good book. Instead, I'm just spending my days reading stupid stuff on random websites

You know how you feel like you've got a cloud in your head and your brain's just too slow to think properly? That's how I feel today. This may sound as I've got a serious depression, but actually it's just a lack of motivation that's been going on for a few weeks now.

I am trying to motivate myself by reading motivational quotes and wise sayings and getting some little things done in order to feel like I've already accomplished something today. However, I feel like I need to find something that'll get me all excited and occupied for some time.

Do you sometimes have that same feeling, this lack of motivation? What do you do if this happens to you? How do you get yourself motivated again?

Xoxo, curious to hear about your experiences!

PS: I felt a little better once I had finished this post. I believe, because first I had accomplished something and second I used to write a journal every time I felt sad or depressed to help me feel better when I was younger.