cool – Page 11 – that lemon life

The English Way

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to a new week. I hope you’ve all had an amazing weekend and that you’re feeling well. I, for my part, had a pretty good weekend, especially as the weather here in Brighton thought it would be a good idea, to spend us a bit of warmth again. Which I thought I’d make the most of and thus took my camera for a little stroll around the city. And the pictures I am now happy to present you are the result of exactly that walk.

Honestly, I have to say, I’m falling for the English architecture more and more every single day. I mean, just look at these houses. How cute are they? And I just love how elegant and also minimalistic they are, which just adds even more to their cuteness. So yeah, I’m a big fan. But I’d also love to hear your opinions, so please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. And I really hope that you enjoy the pictures. As always, I wish you all a nice week and, of course, thanks for reading. x

A Celebration of EDM

Hola everyone.

Do you ever feel like you should be at another place, somewhere else? Yes? Same. This is something that especially happens to me whenever there’s a concert or a festival I really wish I could be at while being stuck at home. Which is exactly what I went through the past week.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you’ll probably know what happened exactly a year ago. ADE. Or one of the best nights of my life. The night I went to Martijns show. The night I danced for three hours straight. The night I definitely lost some of my hearing. And the night I saw Martijn, up close, standing right in front of me, smiling. It was a night and a weekend I’ll never forget.

Which brings me back to present time. And the one event that has been ruling my past week, even though I wasn’t there. You guessed it right – ADE. The best EDM festival – apart from Tomorrowland, of course – and the week where the whole scene, all the DJs, all the fans, get together in the one and only Amsterdam to celebrate this incredible type of music.

But I don’t want to bathe myself in self-pity. I’m still very, very happy to be where I am right now – especially because of one massive thing that happened on Friday, which I’m going to tell you all about at the end. Actually, I want to use this post as a way of celebrating EDM and Marty – who was again awarded as the Nr. 1 DJ in the world for the third time in a row btw – literally gave me the best reason to with the release of his newest EP, which includes five new songs. He released one every single day for the last week, just another reason why last week was way more exciting than I had anticipated.

For me, all of the songs are a masterpiece for themselves and I love how none of them sound anything like the other. And I’m more than proud that I get to share them with you guys. So, let’s go.

Breach (Walk Alone)

This was the very first song that went out on Monday, so just about a week ago. It’s actually a collaboration between Marty and Blinders, one of the DJs he has signed at his label STMPD, known for the bop “Snakecharmer”. And from the very first beat on you can feel Blinders presence in the song. Until you get to the part where a female voice hits you and that’s when Martys fingerprint becomes more visible. Also, the small hints of violins basically scream his name, which I totally love and which seem like a theme throughout the whole EP. Apart from that the song is just a pure banger and literally perfect to get a crowd heated up.

Yottabyte

The EDM lovers among you will probably know the beautiful melody of this masterpiece, which was premiered at this years’ Tomorrowland festival as the opening track of Martijns set. Besides the usual electronic beats, it also features a series of sounds that strongly remind me of the rewinding of a music box and its comforting tune. This is also what gives the song its special feel. And, of course, the beat just drives you into it.

Latency

This is another collaboration, but this time with Dyro. I can still remember hearing this for the very first time this year, Martijn telling the crowd to clap in sync with the beat. It was breathtaking. The intensity of the beat, building up until it reaches its peak, with its harsh electronic shredding in the background, makes you throw up your hands in the air and jump like you’ve never jumped in your entire life. It’s EDM at its best.

Access

Also known as Chinatown, this song is one of the highly anticipated tracks that got hinted by Marty about one and a half years ago during a YouTube live stream. After all this time, it is now here, out in the world. And following the electric beat of Latency, it almost has a sense of cuteness to it. You can feel that Martijn was younger while producing the melody and how he got older and more musically mature during the finish. It’s like you hear him grow up by listening to this song.

Waiting For Tomorrow

Well, where shall I begin? This is it. This is the song that literally every MG fan has been waiting for (apart from Rewind, Repeat It – can we please release this too? Thank you). This is Waiting For Tomorrow, featuring Pierce Fulton and Mike Shinoda, which most of you will probably know from the band Linkin Park. This masterpiece of a track was first premiered at Ultra in 2016 and has ever since been a recurring highlight during Martijns shows over the past few years and months. Although I already know it by heart just from going to his shows and watching the sets online, it feels damn good to have it finally out there in the world, for everyone to enjoy it. From the very first second on, the song builds up, utilizing amazing vocals, energetic melodies, great percussion just to peak with a drop that turns the whole track into a breathtaking piece of progressive house music. All I can say is that it was definitely worth the wait.

So, there you go guys. That’s what happened last week. I have to say, I do feel pretty sad that I didn’t get to attend this years’ ADE, but I’m already preparing for next year. Also, like I hinted at the beginning, one very cool thing happened just a few days ago, which would’ve never been possible if I hadn’t been in Brighton. Because, guys, guess who got to talk to the one and only Felix Kjellberg, aka PewDiePie. And no, I’m not joking. I did really meet and talk to my favorite YouTuber. And yes, I’m still floating around on a cloud of pure happiness and I don’t intend to ever change that. I don’t want to turn the little convo we had into a huge dramatic deal, but I just want to say that Felix was literally the nicest guy ever. I was quite nervous about talking to him, especially as I know that he doesn’t really like it that much. But I just told him that I loved his videos and thanked him for everything and then let him get on with his day. I don’t get fans who go up to their faves and literally ask them for a picture and then just walk off. That’s not me and that’s certainly nothing he deserves. And I guess, overall it was really a nice talk. Especially as Edgar seemed to really enjoy my cuddles. (Just a little insert by my inner fangirl – OMG, can you believe I really talked to Pewds? How is this even possible? Holy moly.)

Okay, and now I’m going to end my brabble about EDM and special human beings. As always, I hope you enjoy this post. Please don’t hesitate to leave your comments and thoughts down below. I wish you all a nice week and hope you’re all doing good. Oh and guys, just for your info, I won’t be posting anything until next week as my parents will be visiting me and I want to spend as much time with them as I can. Thanks for your understanding. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

London Calling

Hola everyone.

Can you believe that it’s already been a month since I moved to Brighton? How crazy is that? It’s been a month and I still can’t get my head around the fact that this is all really happening. I mean, after all these years of working my butt off for this, I am now truly living in the UK. Please excuse me while I freak out for a bit.

But you know, it’s not just that I live in the UK. No no. There’s another huge detail that really blows my mind. You know, living in Brighton does have its own perks. I live right next to the sea, everyone is nice and happy and the city is bursting with cuteness and quirkiness. But that’s not everything. The biggest perk of them all is that within two hours, I can be in my favorite city on the planet – London. It’s literally a train ride away. A train ride that I took this weekend, which is exactly what I want to tell you all about today.

Before I get started – do you think it’s possible to marry a city? If yes, could I please marry London? The second I got off the train, I had to stop myself from crying happy tears because I felt so lucky and thankful to be at this place. Just the simple fact of being there made me so happy that I didn’t even need anything else. That must be love, right?

When I got there, I started my tour off by visiting Buckingham Palace (of course) – and yes, the Queen was indeed home – and then chilled a bit in St. James Park. The luck was on my side, because the weather couldn’t have been any better. It was sunny and warm and it seemed like everyone was the happiest they could have been. Also, it was so funny to hear people talk in German again, I’m so not used to that anymore. After that I went to Westminster Abbey to pay good old Benny a little visit, just to see him all packed up due to a restoration. My tour then continued with a walk to Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Soho, Chinatown and Oxford Street. And I have to say, I loved every single second of it. But the funniest part of those hours I got to spend in London was that I actually had nothing planned at all and still everything I could’ve hoped for just came flowing right at me. I got to Chinatown totally by accident, I didn’t even know where I was heading to. I walked into the one Wagamama I needed to go to get this one special meal I wanted to try, without even knowing it was that exact one. And last but not least I ended up standing next to the one and only Bill Nighy on my walk back to the train station, which funnily enough is also the second time I met him in London. All of those amazing things happened to me without having planned any of them and that’s what made it all even more special.

I have now been to London about six times (I guess) and I fall more and more in love with this city every single time I visit it. I’ve never really lived there, but when I’m there I feel like I’m home. It’s like me and this city were made for each other. And apart from that, it’s just so damn beautiful, I can’t enough of it.

And now I’ll stop myself from raving even more about this utterly perfect city and will let the pictures I took do the rest of the talking. At the end I can just recommend all of you guys to visit London once in your life (or more), you won’t regret it, I swear. And until then I hope you enjoy this little ramble about my favorite place and the pictures. Please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. As always, I hope you’re all doing good and I wish you all a great week. And, of course, thanks so much for reading. x

A walk in the wild

Hola everyone.

And welcome to another week. It’s Monday and this time I’m back again with some nice black and white photography. But this time with a bit of a more positive meaning behind them. Actually, the pictures I’m about to show you are a bit “old”, I’d say. I took them on a hike I went on together with my mum and Molly, my dog, just before moving to Brighton. But today I can finally show them to you.

Honestly, when it comes to nature, I can be quite a complex individual. Because I absolutely love living in the city, where everything you need is just around the corner and everyone’s busy and buzzing. I really do love it. But on the other hand I completely adore the nature and being in the wild, especially the woods. This also why I need to go for a walk at least once a day. It’s my way of calming myself down and logging off for some time. It’s bit therapeutic, you could say. So when my mum came up to me and told me about her idea of going on a hike together, I was head over heels in love with it.

And the pictures are kind of the result of that very day. As it sometimes happens, I wasn’t quite in the mood for colored pictures, so I stuck to black and white and personally, I think they came out just perfect. I love how they have both cheerful and creepy vibes to them. And oh my god, those pictures of Molly. Can you believe that there’s actually a dog out there in the world that is that cute? Because I can’t. I think the one picture of her with the flower next to her is one of the cutest pictures I have ever taken. Look at her smile. I now have it framed on the beside table next to me and I get heart-eyes every time I look at it. What a cutie.

The only thing you can’t see through the pictures is the actual exhaustion. Because when we got there, we planned on walking for about 17 kilometers I think. Well. Those turned out to be 22 in the end, which, yeah, was a bit much. But hey, we survived and in the end it was one of the best days in my life. It was so nice to spend some time alone with my mum and Molly. So yeah, I loved every single second of it and I couldn’t be happier that I now finally get to share some of those special moments with you. I hope you enjoy them.

As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And yeah, I wish you all an amazing week and hope you’re doing well. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Welcome to the Campus

Hola everyone.

And hello weekend. Or at least Friday. And also, hello to another music recommendation on my behalf. Because today, guys, isn’t just a simple Friday like any other, no no no. Today is a very special Friday, because today is the official album launch day of a very exceptional band called Hippo Campus, which I may or may not have talked about already (who am I kidding? I have because they are freaking fantastic).

So from today on there is an album out there called Bambi and unlike the movie, it isn’t meant to break everyone’s heart. But it is indeed meant to open everyone’s eyes (and ears) to the musical world out there and this new fantastic kind of music, that sounds sort of new and sort of old, both at the same time. In short, this album is a damn masterpiece and I’m going to tell you why.

I’ve been a fan of Hippo Campus ever since I first heard their song Suicide Saturday. And then I heard Monsoon and on top of that their live version. From that moment on I was head over heels in love with them. Actually, the live version, which I’ve shared on here probably a million times, is one of those videos I always go back to once in a while. It’s one of these special songs that I’ll probably make my grandchildren listen to, just to show them what was “in” back in the days.

But let’s now focus on this very new and very cool album. Personally, I would say that it’s quite a new sound for these American guys. I mean, they’ve always had their foot deep in the indie corner of the music universe, but I feel like this album gave them one last push. I mean, I was honestly completely blown away when I first heard their new single Bambi, the title track of the album. Even more so because the lyrics related so much to me. It just was the perfect song for this particular situation in my life. But the album does feel like the beginning on a new era. Of course the songs still carry their signature indie, synth sound and their evergreen trumpet lines, but especially with songs like Golden, Why Even Try and Honestly, they’ve introduced this more guitar-esque and indie-rock kind of sound to their range of musical talents. And on the other hand some of their new tracks have such an experimental and electronic vibe to them, which I totally love.

Overall the album isn’t just an utter masterpiece, but I feel like it’s also a huge step for the band too. It sounds bigger, more mature and it just fits. It’s an actual rollercoaster, where not one song sounds like the next, but somehow they are all perfectly in sync. There are ten songs in total and they all sound so unique and different, but together they become such an incredible cohesive unit. And if that wasn’t enough, the first and last song both fit so perfectly, it’s like you’re watching a mind-blowing sci-fi movie, but it’s an album with an epic opening and an even more epic ending. This is also why it’s extremely hard for me to chose a personal favorite. You know, when I listen to a new album that really means a lot to me, that I’ve waited for a long time, I always let myself completely fall into it. I lie down on the couch, turn down the lights, close my eyes and then let the music take over. But when there’s a part in a song that just completely surprises me or catches my heart, my eyes always fly open and I can tell you, that happened a lot in those 33 minutes it took me to listen through the album. So yeah. The album is that good, that I can’t decide which song I like the most. I can just tell you the ones I prefer mostly: Doubt (it’s love), Bambi (of course), Why Even Try (such a hit, omg), Honestly (yes, just yes), Golden (it’s pure gold).

But listen for yourself:

So yeah, welcome to the world Bambi. What an amazing album. I can’t wait to listen to it over and over again and fall for it more and more. As you can probably guess, I would highly recommend listening to it guys. Hippo Campus really are such a special band with a such a unique sound and honestly, they deserve far more attention than what they’re getting. I can’t wait to see them grow and gain popularity. So guys, stop whatever you’re doing right now and go listen to this awesome band. And then of course please don’t forget to tell me all your thoughts and opinions, because I’m more than curious. And yeah, until then I wish you all an awesome weekend, musically highlighted by Bambi, of course. And, as always, I hope you enjoyed this post/review and thanks for reading. x

Ps: Also, did I mention that I will actually be seeing this very awesome guys in Brighton next February? I can’t even begin to tell you guys how freaking excited I am for that. Seriously. When I saw that they would be doing a show here, I completely freaked out. Mostly because they are still very unknown I believe, especially in Austria. And of course they’re not coming to Vienna on their tour, but they’re coming to Brighton and I’m going to be there, front row, with the happiest smile on my face ever. The wait was real guys. But it was so worth it.

A new chapter

Hola everyone.

It’s me, Laura. And no, I’ve not fallen into a big black hole I couldn’t get out of. Yes, I do still exist. What a miracle. Ha. Ha. Okay, but seriously, I’m back, for real. I’m sorry it took me so long, but if you’ve been following me for the past months or even just weeks, you’ll know that I’ve had this big move to Brighton and I just had to fully concentrate on that. But yeah, this is over now. I mean, it’s still happening, at least in my head, which I still can’t get around the idea that I’m now living in the UK, where people live, think and speak differently. It’s so so crazy and I’m really glad that I get to share this journey with you guys.

As you can probably guess, my life here in Brighton and my new uni will be a big topic throughout, well, the next months and maybe even years. But for now I’d just like to share everything that happened in the past seven days with you guys. I know that nowadays it’s a bit more common to move to a different country or city to study or work there and everyone always tells you that it’s a great thing that will shape you, blah blah blah. But what noone really tells you is how hard it is to leave everyone and everything you know and love behind. I don’t regret any part of this move and I don’t want any of you to think that. It’s just that this really great thing also comes with a lot of heartbreaks and anyone who’s in the same situation as me should never feel like you always have to be happy from the first second on because you’re doing this really cool thing and basically fulfilling your dreams. Because it’s okay to not feel okay. Okay?

So, you can probably guess by now that the move wasn’t easy for me. The last week at home was a total dream for me and probably one of the best weeks ever. I saw all of my friends and I got to spend a lot of time with my family. And yeah, it was just really nice. And I was truly doing fine, even on the day of the move. But then I went into the garden to say goodbye to my cat and said “Peaches, I need to say goodbye” and it was the first time I had to explicitly say it and yeah, it was kind of my trigger word. From that moment on the tears just kept spilling. And you know what, I even let them, because I knew that this was the most normal reaction on earth. And I also knew that saying goodbye to my pets would be the hardest step. I mean, I kind of had an internal panic attack during the flight, but oh well. And you know what, the human mind is something truly crazy sometimes, let me tell you. Because suddenly I had all of these worries popping up in my head. “What if I don’t understand them?” “What if I can’t properly talk to people?” “What if I don’t like my new home?” “What if…?” It was driving me mad.

Rationally, most of my worries were pretty much total nonsense. Of course I still worry sometimes, mostly about uni right now and my new classmates. But you know, I always try to calm myself down by thinking that I can’t be perfect. I didn’t grow up in the UK and wasn’t raised bilingual, so of course I’m going to make some mistakes. But I’ve been progressing every single day and it’s actually really cool to notice how my brain slowly adjusts to the new surroundings and language. And I’m also already in contact with one of my new peers and yeah. Everything’s gonna be just fine, I’m hundred percent sure of that.

Besides that, I truly love my new home and Brighton and my new “family” and just pretty much everything. The house is freaking amazing, my room aswell, Nick and Silvia are literally the nicest people ever and the location couldn’t be any better. If I truly concentrate on it, I can even hear the waves crashing into the shore when I open the window. It couldn’t be any better, seriously. But for any of you who are planning on moving to a totally different place, I can just recommend having your parents with you for the first few days. I think that’s what really helped me to both adjust to my new home and not get a heart attack at the same time. I mean, watching my mum get onto the train and leave without me was probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, but moving to Brighton all on my own would have been a completely different and also harder story. I just really needed them and I’m happy that I had them with me. Also, I’ll be seeing them again in just 32 days and I already can’t wait.

You know, when I first got to Brighton I was asking myself whether I had made the right decision or not. Maybe it would have been better to just stay at home, do my Masters degree and then get a job at some magazine or whatever. Maybe that would have been easier. But then something very, very, very exciting happened. Some of you may know that Felix Kjellberg, aka PewDiePie, aka one of my favorite YouTubers, also lives in Brighton together with his fiancée Marzia Bisognin. And when my parents and I were walking to their hotel just after getting to Brighton, I actually told them all about Pewds and Marzia and was like “oh my god, imagine me walking around and then seeing Marzia with their two pugs. One is white and one is black. That would be so crazy.” I was probably annoying them, let’s be honest. And then we were passing this street and I looked to my left side and suddenly there was this guy, wearing a black jumper and black joggers. And I thought “hmm, why do I feel like I know him?” And then I looked down and saw them – Edgar and Maya, the two pugs. So, there he was. Felix. The one and only Pewds. I thought I was dreaming. I, of course, went completely crazy and whispered/shrieked at my parents “IT’S PEWDIEPIE. IT’S PEWDIEPIE.” And my mum was like “WHERE????” (she knows him – of course she does). And my dad was just staring at us like we were some crazy people. And then I looked back at him and he was looking at me and oh my god, I probably looked like a total freak. My mum then basically ordered me to turn around and walk past him, which we did. And as soon as he was out of sight, I basically went nuts. I couldn’t believe it. I had just moved to this city like five short minutes ago and as soon as I stepped outside Pewds walked by. How crazy is that? I still can’t get my head around it. And yes guys, he has got some looks to serve, I’m just going to be completely honest now. And it might be a bit crazy, but I took this as the sign that I had made the right decision. Because when mum and I visited Brighton two years ago, I was basically scanning every single face I went past and nothing happened. But this time I saw him, completely out of the blue. That just had to be the sign.

Since then I’ve used every singe day to get to know my new home better, street by street, house by house. Let me just tell you one thing – Brighton is damn beautiful and living next to the sea is one of the coolest things ever. Honestly, I feel like the luckiest person ever. Thanks to Silvia and Nick I don’t feel so alone here and they kind of prevent me from getting too sad about the fact that my family isn’t here. Which I’m very thankful for, seriously. I’ve already started to decorate my room and usually spend my days walking around in the city, doing a bit of shopping and stuff. And I’m also really looking forward to fresher’s week that’s coming up. In short, apart from missing my home, life couldn’t be any better right now. I’m basically living my dream and yeah, I’m just really happy and thankful.

And now I’m going to stop talking. Firstly, because this post if getting far too long and secondly, because it’s already past midnight and a new episode of Bake Off is waiting for me to be watched in bed. So I’m gonna go now. If any of you have got any questions about my move or Brighton or anything else, please don’t hesitate to leave them down below. I’ll try to answer them as fast as I can, I promise. Also, down below you can find some pictures of Brighton that I took the past few days and I really hope that you enjoy them. And yeah, I wish you all an amazing weekend. It feels really good to be back. Thanks for reading, guys. x