home – Page 9 – that lemon life

Journalism matters

Hola everyone.

As you all know, it is my dream to become a journalist, preferably a music journalist. I love writing, researching stuff, getting to know more people because of my work or a new article. And this dream is also a reason why I love movies about journalism. But let’s start at the beginning.

Yesterday was my very last exam day. That means that from today on I’ll have no exams until late June and oh my god guys, you have no idea how relieved I am. I mean, I know that I passed all of the four exam I’ve had during the last week and I’m so so happy that I finally get to relax again, focus on my hobbies, write more, photograph more and all that stuff. I’m already so looking forward to it.

Oh, and it also was international women’s day yesterday and I’m more than happy that I got to spend it with the most important woman in my life – my mum. So after the exam I met up with her and we went out for dinner. We visited this vegan asian style restaurant and it was really really fantastic. I stuffed my body with endless amounts of sushi, I don’t even know how many pieces I ate. All I can say that I was food-pregnant after that – sushi-pregnant.

And after that wonderful dinner we strolled through the city and then went to the cinema and watched The Post. And this is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about today. This movie is freaking fantastic. Seriously. I mean, it was Oscar nominated, so of course it has to be good, but this one is really really good. Here’s a little summary of the story from Rotten Tomatoes:

Steven Spielberg directs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in The Post, a thrilling drama about the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee, as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers – and their very freedom – to help bring long-buried truths to light.

So, as you can read, the movie is about journalism and politics and about the freedom of press. This incident was one of the important and very first situations where the public started to question the government. The whole story of course comes from true events, so all of that really happened, which makes the movie even better.

Apart from the acting and of course the directing (it’s Steven Spielberg, what do you expect?), the movie really is an incredible piece of a movie. Because it shows how important journalism like this one is. I mean, the public would have never known about the government telling lies without journalism. This really is so so so important. And I’m so thankful that movies like this one exist and tell those stories, because I would never know about it otherwise.

So guys, I can really just recommend you this movie. It really is a fantastic one and I’m super glad that I got to see it. Oh and if any of you have already seen it, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts down below. And yeah, I hope you’re all doing good and wish you a nice weekend. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

Picture Perfect

Hola everyone.

Can you believe that it’s already March? Because I seriously can’t. I mean, I’m going to be twenty freaking two in 24 days. Oh my god. Time seriously flies by. And just to add to all this craziness, I started my sixth and last semester at my university in Vienna yesterday. I still remember my very first day like it was just a few days ago.

But actually, I am really looking forward to this semester. I don’t really have that much to do, just a few lectures and a lot more practical seminars, which I am very happy about. But my highlight has to be a photography course I am doing. I just had my first lesson yesterday and holy moly, it’s so damn amazing. Seriously. I mean, you all know that I am literally in love with photography and my camera, so being able to do this course is like a dream come true. I think I’ll really learn a lot if I invest some time in it – which I will – and we’re even going to do some film photography and then develop the pictures ourselves, which I’ve never done. Doesn’t it sound like the coolest thing ever? It surely does to me.

And as I was already so inspired by the whole photography theory, I took a look through all the pictures I’ve taken in the past years since having my camera and thought I’d present you my very best and favorite pictures. Some of you may know most of them from all of my different posts, but I think they get a different kind of vibe if you just put all the best ones in one big pot and present them to the world. All of the pictures of course have their own little story and background. Some show my beloved ones, some were taken during a holiday in some fascinating city, some are clips from all of my different adventures and some are just from home and show my everyday surroundings. What connects them all is that I love them with my very heart and that they all mean something special to me and that I’m very proud to present them to you. So guys, please enjoy this little selection of my favorite pictures. Oh and please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts down below. And, as always, thanks for reading and I hope you’re all doing good. x

It’s happening

Hola everyone.

Guys, I don’t even know what to say. I have no idea how to articulate what I’m feeling right now, what’s going on in my head. So I’m just going to say it: yesterday, at about five o’clock, I got the offer from BIMM. I seriously got accepted at the university I have been dreaming about the past few months. I did it. Oh my god.

I can’t believe that this is really happening. I mean, it got so real all of a sudden. Of course I’ve always talked about moving to another country, dreamed about living in London, imagined how my life would be if I could turn my biggest loves into a career – music and loves. And now it’s all happening. This is so unbelievable. Before it was all talking and stuff, dreaming about unrealistic scenarios. I mean, I’ve always been a pretty optimistic person, but if anyone would have told me that this would ever happen to me, I would have laughed in their face and maybe take them to the doctors. And now it’s all becoming reality. I can’t even tell you how happy I am. I feel like the luckiest person on earth. They seriously chose me. ME. How the hell is this real life? How did I deserve all of this? Am I still dreaming? Because if I am, please don’t wake me up.

When I got the email yesterday I immediately started to cry. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There it was, the offer. The offer from the one university I wanted to study at so so so bad. I don’t think I’ve wanted anything career related as bad as this. And I have to say, I really worked my damn ass off for this. And now all this truly paid off. At least I know now why I studied so hard at school and tried to get the best grades. I guess I did it for this, something I didn’t even know I would need it for three years later. Being such a perfectionist isn’t as bad as I thought, I guess.

And now I’m sitting here, listening to the new The Wombats album – it’s freaking amazing, prepare for the full review guys – still not quite fully aware of the fact that I’ll be moving to the UK in September. Holy moly. I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been dreaming about being able to say this. No joke. And now it’s really happening. I’ll move to the UK, either Brighton or London – I still have to decide on that one, but I think it will end up being Brighton, as it’s a little bit cheaper than London – and then I’ll study music journalism at one of the coolest universities ever, one that brought us stars like George Ezra, Marina and The Diamonds, The Kooks and Tom Odell. And now I’m tearing up again.

I’m just really happy that everyone, all of my friends and my family, is supporting me in this decision. My mum is still kind of torn and I fully understand her. Because I am too. I have to stop myself from thinking about it too hard, because I can already feel the anxious and sad feelings creep up in me. Of course it’s hard for me too. Moving to a completely different country, all on my own, leaving everything I know behind. It’s basically the biggest step I’ve ever taken. But I know I can do it. And my little town in the middle of nowhere is still my home. Home is where the heart is. And my heart is wherever my loved ones are. And if you’re asking me, yes, it’s possible to have more than one home. And I can’t wait to call Britain my home.

So yeah, this is it guys. I guess this is all really happening. I still have to digest all of this in order to be able to realize it. Isn’t it crazy how the mind truly needs its time to process news like this one? And I think the moment I fully understand all of this will be one of the best and happiest ones in my whole life. My dream is seriously coming true. And it feels so good that I’m able to share all of this with you guys. Here’s to some exciting months and even more exciting and very english years. Also, I hope you’re all doing good and I wish you an amazing weekend. And thanks for reading. x

I’M FREE

Hola everyone.

I know. I know. I know. Where have I been? Did I get stuck in a hole? Did I decide to disappear for a few weeks and start a new life? I have to say, it’s nothing like that. It’s uni. Or it was. Because two days ago, I finally had my last exams and now I’m free. I’m finally free. Free. Free. Free.

And I can’t even tell you how much I’ve missed posting stuff on here, talking to you guys. But I just couldn’t afford spending my time on anything else than studying and basically existing. That’s what I’ve been doing the past two weeks. And god, it was exhausting. You have no idea. I finally understand why exam week is called week of hell. Because it really feels like hell. But now it’s over and I’m so freaking happy. And I’ve got so many things to tell you guys. So, let’s get right to it.

First of all, the new Fall Out Boy album is out and it’s so damn good, holy moly. At first, due to Young and Menace, I was a little bit worried I’d loose my favorite punk boys. But thank god, I didn’t. The new album is so amazing, seriously. It’s the perfect mixture of punk songs, electronic beats, slow, soulful pieces and amazing guitars and Patricks angelic voice. It gets very close to being perfect, really really really close. Maybe it even is perfect. So I can just strongly recommend it to you guys, please go and have a listen, seriously. If I had to chose, I’d probably say that “Bishops Knife Trick” is my favorite track of the whole album. But let’s be honest, that basically changes after every single listen of the whole album. The songs are just too good. And, in typical FOB manner, the track titles are pretty much the coolest thing ever. I have no idea how they come up with names like “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea”, but I’m glad they do.

And now, the most important news. Yesterday, in order to end the semester in the most amazing way ever and have a nice party, my mum and I went to a concert, a Nothing But Thieves concert. And holy moly guys, I’m still so damn speechless, it was such a blast. And I know what you’re thinking right now – isn’t that the band I just saw a few weeks ago, two months, to be exact? And yes, indeed it is, you’re a 100 % percent right. You may question now why I would buy tickets to a show I basically went to two months before? And here’s the simple answer: because. And since yesterday, I will always go to see a band I love with all of my heart twice if I can. Because yesterday was easily ten times better than the first show. And I didn’t think that that was even possible.

First of all the venue was like a third of the venue in Vienna. The room was packed with people and it was hot as hell. I have no idea why, but somehow Conor, the lead singer, still decided to wear not only one, but two long sleeved sweaters. I was nearly dying there in the crowd, Price, the drummer, was half naked, and then there was Conor, jumping around cuddled into two sweaters. Such a weirdo, I love it. And due to the size of the venue, we were so close to the stage and, especially pleasant for me, close to Conor. We even had some eye contact going on once in a while. And I just loved it so much, watching him and the boys interact and do their thing, being able to notice all the little details about them.

Also, I don’t even know how, in the matter of the past two months, they got so much better, they even excelled themselves. It was crazy. You could see how comfortable they were on stage and how much they enjoyed it. Conors voice just gets better and better with every single show and just their whole set too. They are such an unbelievably amazing band. And I loved seeing how happy they were. For me, a show gets a hundred times better when you see that the band enjoys it as much as the crowd. If they are happy, I am happy too.

Another highlight was of course the updated setlist which included one of their most amazing songs – Number 13. And god, was it worth it. It’s such a blast live, holy moly. And a new cover of a song called “Be My Husband” replaced the one of “Free Falling”, which was extra special for me, as it was one of the songs Ed covered during the first show I ever saw him. And let’s be honest, Conors voice is just breathtaking. Thankfully I got to film the whole part of the show, even him chatting with the crowd for a while, laughing and joking around. He’s such a damn cutie. Seriously. Having his laugh on tape is literally the best thing.

But, I have to say, my most favorite part of the show has to be when they played “Ban All the Music” and somehow literally everyone went totally apeshit. No joke. I mean, the crowd was amazing throughout the whole show. Jumping around, dancing, crowdsurfing, doing moshpits over and over. Conor even said that it was the best moshpit he had ever seen. But when they played BATM, it got a totally different level of crazy. First of all, the crowd went completely berserk. Then Stu, their tour manager/handy-man, started crowdsurfing out of nowhere. God, I laughed so much. And the boys just followed, jumping around on stage, laughing and joking. At some point Dom, one of the guitarists, even went up to the mic and just screamed a note, while Conor stood next to him, looking at him like “what the hell are you doing???” and laughing his butt off. God, that was such an experience. It wasn’t just a concert, it was so much more.

So yeah guys, there you go. That was last night. I also have to mention that it ended in the coolest way possible, because when we walked out of the venue, we walked past the tour bus and I was like “oh my god, how cool. I’ve never been this close to one of these buses.” And there was this little gap in-between the curtains and I just randomly looked at it and there he was, sitting there, eating I don’t know what – Conor. I can’t really explain why, but somehow that was such a special moment for me. Because it’s something completely different when you see someone on stage, doing what they love and what they are best at, and then off-stage, all calm and relaxed, without the whole star appeal. It just was really special.

For me it was the most perfect way to end my semester and to start my break. And it was the perfect way of rewarding myself for all the exams and hard work. I think it’s important to give back to yourself once in a while. And I’m so happy that my mum enjoyed it as much as I did.

Apart from that, I am just really glad that I get to be at home now for the whole month. And it’s already my last semester of uni. How crazy is that? Time has really flown by. Oh and oh my god guys, tomorrow I’m having my interview with BIMM, you know, the university in Britain I applied for. On the one hand I’m really really really nervous, but on the other hand I’m also so excited. I’ll of course keep you updated. And expect to hear a lot more from me again, I am officially back. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and that you’re all doing good. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And of course, thanks for reading. x

Winter Wonderland

Hola everyone.

Snow is finally here. And in contrast to my parents, I was actually really damn happy to wake up to our garden looking like a beautiful location in a christmas fairytale. And as snow has been pretty rare this winter, I just had to grab my camera and take a few shots. And of course I took Peaches with me, who I followed around in the garden. I don’t know whether she enjoyed it as much as I did, but I hope. Anyways, please enjoy these clips of our own little winter wonderland. And, as always, thanks for reading and I wish you all an amazing week. x

Welcome to 2018 and Happy Anniversary

Hola everyone.

And welcome to a new year. I seriously can’t believe it’s 2018. Time is just flying by, it’s crazy.

You’re probably wondering where I’ve been the past week – at least I hope so – and I’d really really love to tell you that I spent my days watching movies, going out, meeting friends and family and basically just chilling, but unfortunately I can’t. I mean, of course I did all of these things, but today has only been the first day of uni and I’d really be up for a good holiday, what do you think? If there is one thing I haven’t been doing the past three weeks, it’s chilling and relaxing. I had one day I did nothing for uni and that was christmas eve. Apart from that, uni has been running and overtaking my mind day after day and I. CAN’T. STAND. IT. ANY. MORE.

I know, I know, stop whining Laura. Actually, I do have a reason to be happy, because in less than a month, I’ll be sitting at home, having completed and hopefully nailed all of my exams and finished my bachelor thesis. You can’t even imagine how much I’m looking forward to the 1st of February. The first day of semester break. I can’t wait.

But enough of that. What has been going on in your life? I have to say, as much as I had to work and study for uni, there actually happened quite a lot the past weeks. I am currently about to finish my application for uni (wish me luck guys), my first ever bachelor thesis finished alway through (yey), I’ve had the best christmas in years and new year’s eve was amazing too. I spent both events with my parents and my family, but I’ll tell you more about that in further posts. I of course have some pictures in my pockets, so stay tuned.

To be honest, I am actually so excited for this year. There is so much on my list, it’s nearly overwhelming. The concert season starts next month and if I’m not mistaken, I seriously have at least one concert scheduled for every single month until August – expect for May and June, but I’m more than positive that there is still more to come. I can’t believe I’ll be seeing two of my favorite people again this year – Martijn and Ed. It will be the third time seeing my favorite ginger and actually the fourth time seeing the cutest DJ on earth. I am so excited, I don’t even know how to articulate it. And holy moly, in March I’ll fly to London with my parents to see Fall Out Boy. So crazy. So awesome.

And there are so many amazing movies coming up. The first Infinity War movie – I’m already so excited. And Oscar season. And so many horror movies. And so many more. And oh my god, so many albums are coming up. Fall Out Boy, The Wombats and and and. I’m just really really excited.

And let’s not forget that I may or may not be moving to the UK in September. But honestly, if I start thinking about it I may get a panic attack and start to cry, so I’ll stop talking about it right now. Isn’t it crazy how a thing can both light up and break your heart?

So yeah guys, that’s just a little update from me. Here’s to 2018. Oh and guys, tomorrow is a really exciting date – it will be the two-year anniversary of this blog. It makes me so speechless. And I don’t even know how to thank you all enough. I mean, these past two years on here have been two of the best years of my life. And I got to share it all with you guys. You can’t imagine how happy this all makes me and how much this on here means to me. Seriously. Thank you all so much. And happy anniversary.

As always, I hope you’re all doing good and that 2018 has been good to you so far. I wish you all an awesome week and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or thought down below. And, as always, thanks for reading. x