love – Page 26 – that lemon life

Plants all over

Hola everyone.

So, in the past few months I’ve been redecorating my room. I mean, I loved it before but now that I’m finished I just adore it even more. I think it’s 100 percent me and perfectly represents my personality and what I like.

While decorating it one thing became really important to me – plants. Especially succulent plants. I feel so deeply in love with them, I just couldn’t stop adding more and more to my room. And now my room looks like a little succulent garden house. I even made my own plant holders to put them on the wall – which I totally love too. And apart from that I bought two air plants, such creepy but cool looking creatures, even more now that I put them in their own little terrarium.

And as I’ve been such a big fan of my little plants and since I got them could keep all of them alive and healthy – which I’m extremely proud of – I thought I’d share some pics of this beauties with you. I hope you enjoy them.

Do any of you also own succulent plants or any other plants? I’d be really interested to hear your experiences. And until then I wish you all an amazing weekend and, as always, thanks for reading. x

Happy Mother’s Day

Hola everyone.

Yesterday was mother`s day – at least in my country. A day to show love to the one person we all would never be here without. So today I’d like to do exactly that. I know I quite often talk about my mum and I know I already did a post like that a year ago but she will for sure read this and as long as this makes her smile, I reached my goal. Because she deserves it. And so much more.

Actually, I’ve always called my relationship with my mum a really special one. Even more when I talked to my friends and classmates about that and some told me that they basically don’t tell their mums anything, keep secrets and so on. For me that thought seems so crazy to me like somebody would tell me that pigs can fly. It’s just unimaginable. Just because my mum is literally my best friend. I think there’s nothing I’ve not told her. That may seem weird to some of you but I was never scared of telling her my thoughts and worries and dreams, because she never pushed me away or stopped me from doing that. I always felt like I could talk to her about everything and anything. And that she would always be there for me, no matter what. And that’s the truth, that’s how it always was and always will be – at least I hope so.

But apart from that I also think we have such a good bond because we are basically the same person. I always tell her that she could basically call me mini-me, because we are so alike. I influence her and so does she me. For example, we still go to concerts together and festivals and have a mother-daughter-trip every single year. But it’s not just that. Because I literally share everything with her, she slowly started to become interested in the things I told her about it. Today she’s willing to pay 100 euros to see Twenty One Pilots live or has her own pair of black Doc Martens. She knows all the YouTubers I watch, tags me in videos of Ed Sheeran every now and googles festival lineups to see if we could visit one. Isn’t that crazy? I always tell her that she’s literally the coolest mum ever. I mean, what mum does that? God, I’m so lucky.

So yeah, so much to why my mum acts and looks so much younger than she is and why that’s the best thing ever. But besides being such an amazing friend and cool mum, she just really is the best mum ever. And I’m not just saying that to sound cute or something. I mean, of course we argue, everyone does that, mostly because we are just so alike. So sometimes we both get really frustrated and angry at each other, but we always get back together. And then we are just as bonded as before. You know, we understand each other.

And she just makes me so happy. I know that I’m not an easy kid and that sometimes my dreams are a little bit ridiculous, but somehow she always manages to make them come true or at least come close to it. And that’s crazy. She always tells me that her biggest goal is to make me happy. And now comes the special part, because I want the same for her. A few days ago I was sitting in my flat in Vienna, I think it was about 1 o`clock in the morning. To give you some context, we text everyday so we say goodnight to each other every night. And that night she didn’t do that. And I got so worried that I just had to call her. And she would do the same. So we protect each other and I think that’s one of the most precious things on earth.

And she supports me in everything. She always told me that if I keep fighting for something, no matter how big and impossible it may sound, I can do anything. And that she will always believe in me and be proud. And that stuck to my head. I got a lot of confidence from that. I mean, she reads every single post I write on here. And I think she bought my book about four times or so. So yeah, what an amazing mum.

Overall I can only say that I’m basically the luckiest person on earth to be blessed with such an amazing mum who loves me unconditionally. I could go on and on like this forever but I think then it would get a little bit out of hand, so yeah. Basically my mum deserves the world and so much more and if I can ever achieve to be the same mum for my children as the one she is for me, I’ve reached the ultimate goal. So, again, happy mother’s day to the most amazing women in the universe and the best mum ever. I love you forever and infinitely. And also happy mother’s day to all the other awesome mothers out there. You’re incredible and we wouldn’t be here without you. So here’s to our mums. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

A Monster Calls

Hola everyone.

As you can see from the title of this post, today we’re going back to our movie-fan-roots. I recently watched the movie “A Monster Calls” and I thought I’d share my experience with you.

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To be honest, I didn’t really quite know what the movie was honestly about until I watched it. I mean, I was literally drawn to it still. I watched the trailer as soon as it was out and I was already in tears afters those two minutes. But I only had an idea of what it was about. So here’s a little description:

“A Monster Calls” is about 13 year old Conor who’s mum is having a hard time fighting against cancer. His dad left the family when Conor was little, his grandma doesn’t really seem to like him that much and the other guys are bullying him at school. So you could say that Conors life is pretty tough too. That changes when one night, seven minutes after midnight, the big yew tree next to their house suddenly comes alive and turns into a monster. The monster wants to tell Conor three stories. And after that, Conor has to tell him a fourth story, his truth, the nightmare he’s trying to hide. The one thing Conor never wanted to face. (Here’s the link to the trailer if you want to watch it – youtube.com)

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Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? I went to watch the movie with my mum – of course – because honestly I wouldn’t have been able to watch it with anybody else. I would have just sat there, screaming inside “oh my goooood, I want to be with my mum, NOOOOW!!!”. But this way I had her right there sitting next to me and I could cuddle my face into her while the tears were rolling down my cheeks.

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For me, the movie is a pure masterpiece. It completely draws you into the story from the first second on and it breaks your heart into a million pieces, but somehow the pain also heals you. I especially liked the artistic style of the movie, as all the stories the monster tells are drawn in water colours. It’s magnificent to watch.

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In my opinion, what matters the most and what keeps you awake, thinking about the movie over and over again, is the ending.

If any of you haven’t seen the movie, beware, spoilers ahead.

As you can probably tell, the movie ends the exact way you think it will end. Conors mum just wasn’t strong enough to fight, the medicine didn’t work the way they had planned and everyone knows she won’t make it. After the monster tells the third story, it’s Conors turn. But he doesn’t want to tell it, to face the truth, his truth. But at one point he simply has to. And that’s when we get the reminder that we are all just human. Conor simply wants it all to end, his pain, the stress, just everything. Also if it means he has to let his mother go. I think at this part the monster tells Conor the exact thing he and also we, the audience, need to hear: “You were merely wishing for the end of pain… Your own pain. An end to how it isolated you. It is the most human wish of all.”

Conor understands whats going to happen and that it’s not his fault and although he doesn’t want to, he has to let his mum go. In the last few moments, Conor holds his mum and the monster is with him. Then we see his mum looking up and smiling at the monster, which means that she can see it too. Conors mum then passes away, seven minutes after midnight.

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At the very end of the movie Conor comes back to his grandmas house, who has prepared a room for him. He goes in and finds a book on his desk, a book that seems to be his mums art book (she wanted to study art). Conor opens the book and finds paintings of the three stories the monster had told him. And right on the last page he finds a painting of his mum sitting on the shoulder of the monster.

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Personally, I think this end leaves you enough space for interpretation. For me, his mum together with the monster and her seeing it before her death means that she also met it when she was younger and struggled with the death of her father. And now that Conor is struggeling too, the monster is visiting him. What a cute way to end such a dramatic, heartbreaking movie.

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Apart from the beauty of the whole movie, my favorite and most emotional scene has to be when Conor and his mum have the “talk”. She knows she’s going to die and leave Conor alone. And he’s angry at her. But she understands him. And while tears are rolling down her cheeks she says: “It’s okay that you’re angry. I’m angry too, and if you need to break things, by god you break them. I wish I had 100 years, 100 years I could give to you.” That scene literally broke my heart into a billion pieces. And again I was so damn glad that mum was with me. I would’ve really needed her at that moment.

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Overall, the movie is a complete masterpiece. And I would recommend it to anyone at every age. Just keep in mind that you won’t walk out of the cinema with a smile on your face. It really hurts, but somehow the pain feels good. The movie breaks you and then cuddles you into a warm blanket full of emotions. It’s overwhelming, but in a good way.

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If any of you have seen or read it, what do you think? And how do you interpret the end? I’d be really happy to read from you. And until then I hope you liked this post and, as always, I hope you’re all doing well and thanks for reading. x

My heaven – the kitchen

Hola everyone.

Today I’d like to talk about something very exciting. About one of my biggest and favorite hobbies, actually. The art of turning ordinary ingredients like potatoes, cheese or salad into something magical. That’s right, I’m talking about cooking.

I know what you’re all thinking right now. I’m 21 and live alone, of course I need to know how to cook. Nobody wants to live off just pasta with tomato sauce, right? But for me it goes far beyond just making lunch for myself. The funny thing is, nobody really ever pushed me into the whole cooking thing, I was never dragged into the kitchen. I mean, my mum spends her day at work telling people about eating healthy and learning about food and stuff, but she always says that I somehow developed this love for food and cooking all on my own.

One aspect that clearly is one reason for this hobby is the fact that I’m a single child. When I was younger and got home from school, of course there was usually always something ready cooked for me. But as I grew older, the times changed and I had to take care of my meals myself. And since then I just fell in love with cooking more and more and today the kitchen is a sacred place for me and I usually cook two or three times per week.

When it comes to my cooking style I’d say my heart beats for pretty down-to-earth and mediterranean food and spices, but I’m also a huge fan of the asian cuisine (god, I love ramen / pho). And besides that I also love to bake, chocolate brownies are something like my go-to-dessert. It’s chocolatey and fudgy, what more could you wish for?

As none of my family eats meat (I only eat fish), I usually stick to vegetarian meals, but to be honest, the meat is not missing at all. I know how some people might say that vegetarian dishes are boring or that they miss the meat, but honestly, if you know how to handle your ingredients, veggies and fruit, a green salad with some nice toppings and an incredible dressing can create fireworks in your taste buds.

Idolwise I’d say that Jamie Oliver is my favorite cook out there. I often use his recipes – though I always try to give all of my dishes my own special twist and personal stamp – and let’s be honest, he’s a god when it comes to cooking. His shows are amazing, everything looks just mouth-watering (even a plain carrot – please tell me your tricks Jamie) and let’s not forget his awesome books. I also love him for the fact that he always tries to adopt current food trends and wants to make the world a better place for us all by teaching people how to cook and eat better.

Besides Jamie I also completely adore Heston Blumenthal. He’s one of those guys who aren’t afraid to experiment a little with food and turn an ordinary dish into a whole new adventure and experience. I really wish to once be able to visit his restaurant “The Fat Duck” in Bray, but I guess it’s quite expensive and I clearly don’t live in England, so I can just hope I’ll someday get my chance. Until then I’ll just stick to his amazing shows on TV.

For me, personally, food and cooking is so much more than putting something into your stomach. It’s somewhat a way of life and a way of treating yourself, your body, soul, your family, friends and whoever gets to eat some of your meals. It’s a away of relaxing and calming down, forgetting everything else around me. And when I really put an effort into a meal and get to put something magical on the plate, that’s when I’m completely happy.

So yeah, that’s my story about my love for food and cooking. Do any of you love it as much as I do? And what’s your favorite meal? I’d really love to hear your stories. And until then I hope you all had an amazing weekend and start of the week and are all doing well. And, as always, I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading. x

Folie à deux

Hola everyone.

First of all happy easter holidays everybody. I hope you’re all having amazing days off and could spent some wonderful time with your loved ones. I did, thankfully.

But this post won’t be dedicated to a bunny laying chocolate eggs in our gardens, but to a fantastic band I’ve already talked about pretty often. So I’m quite sure you’ll all know it by now. But to bring an end to all your questions, I’m talking about my beloved band Fall Out Boy.

For me, FOB is a band that will always have a place in my heart and some space on my sd-card, just because I love their music so much. The first time I got to know this band was actually in 2013, when I went to the cinema to watch “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”. The movie starts of with some sort of turnier scene, while FOBs song “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” is playing in the background. The movie was amazing, but somehow it was the song that kept stuck in my head, I just couldn’t forget about it. And so I googled and googled and googled some more until I finally found it. And that’s where my love for FOB has its beginning. Since then the band and their music has been following me throughout the days. And I don’t mind it at all.

If I had to name my favorite song of them, I’d probably start with one song and then just name every single one of them. And that’s the special thing about the band, I just really love everything they do.

But in the past few weeks one album of theirs has stuck out of the crowd – Folie à deux. The title literally transaltes to “shared madness”, which is, at least for me, a quite funny aspect of the album. The LP itself is quite old, published in December 2008, but still as awesome as before. Maybe some of you have already given it a listen or love it just as much as me. Or maybe some of you don’t know the album or the band at all. In any cases, I can just highly recommend you listening to it if you’re a fan of indie/punk rock.

Personally, I have three total favorites of the album:

Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes
What a Catch, Donnie
20 Dollar Nose Bleed

Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes actually had me having a little throwback the first time I heard the studio version, because that was the exact song I couldn’t recognize at the FOB gig at Reading festival. And I’ve been totally in love with it since then. I actually found the Reading live version on YouTube, so enjoy…

And let’s be honest, What a Catch, Donnie is a pure masterpiece. It’s a song where you can clearly hear the huge talent of the band and Patrick, the lead singer. His vocals are breathtaking, seriously.

And last but not least, 20 Dollar Nose Bleed. You all know how big of a fan I am of Panic! at the disco and just to my luck, Brendon is actually featured in this song. That makes it even more perfect than what it already is. And another fun fact, Brendon also has a small appearance in the video for What a Catch (tell me if you could spy him).

So yeah, those are my three favorites of the album, please enjoy. And please don’t hesitate to tell me your opinion on the album, I’m really curious. It’s quite sad, because I don’t really often meet someone who’s a fan of FOB too, so I’d be superhappy to be able to talk to some of you guys out there.

And as always, I hope you enjoyed this post and are all doing well and had an amazing weekend. And thanks for reading. x

My time in Croatia

Hola everyone.

You know I love photography. And I love it the most when I get to travel to different places and experience all of its beauty through the lens of my camera. Somehow it just increases its beauty for me. And like I said in my previous post, today I’d very much like to show you all the nicest pictures I took while enjoying my time in Croatia on a short holiday trip.

Overall I loved every single second of my trip. It has seriously been a while since I last saw the sea and enjoying a little time at the beach for a few days really calmed me down again. I was able to forget all of my duties and everything about uni. There was just happiness and fun and I loved it. I’m really thankful I got to be on the trip.

But now let’s get to the most important part – the pictures. I really hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I know they are quite a lot, but I just couldn’t decide to take less. And please don’t hesitate to tell me your opinions. I wish you all an amazing weekend and happy easter holidays. And, as always, thanks for reading. x