mum – that lemon life

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

The Band with the K

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to this new week. I hope you’re all doing great and that so far your Monday hasn’t been all too bad. On my behalf, I’ve got so much to tell you guys that I don’t even know where to start. And everything’s so exciting and I’m so glad that I get to share it with you. Otherwise I think I’d burst or simply bore all my friends and family into delirium – probably the second one, but oh well.

Anyway. In order to at least start ticking off all the topics on my list, today I’d like to tell you about the uber-amazing concert I went to last Friday. Those of you who’ve been following me and my posts long enough will probably know this band. No joke, if you haven’t heard of these guys you’re seriously missing out on something great, because these boys are freaking fantastic. And yes, I’m talking about the one and only band called Kraftklub. Yes, they’re German. Yes, they’re all pretty much crazy, as are their shows. And yes, I freaking love their music. I know I’ve already talked about them so many times, but I just can’t help myself. And when I saw that they would be doing a show, open-air, in the middle of summer and, on top of that, also at my favorite venue ever, I just had to see them again, although it was my actual fourth time. But hey, if a band is that good, you can’t see them often enough, am I right?

So, the concert was at the Arena in Vienna and like I said, it was an open-air concert, which is such an amazing concept on its own. I just really love the venue like crazy, because it doesn’t just have those special indie and alternative vibes to it, it also features a small lawn you can chill on before the show and the whole place has this kind of tilted ground. I know, what a rubbish description. What I mean is that the ground gets lower the closer you get to the stage, which also means that you can easily have perfect sight of the stage, because, like I said, those in front of you will always be standing just a bit lower than you. And that’s so cool, because let’s be honest, I’m not the tallest person and whatever gives me the chance to look over most people at concerts simply gets a yes.

So, the venue was amazing. And of course the show itself was too. Even more than that. God, I had so much fun, I can’t even put it into words. You guys have to know that Kraftklub shows are something else. Like, seriously. Firstly, because, like I mentioned, the guys are pretty crazy and weird and funny, in the best way possible, and secondly, because they have this special fanbase that just knows how to party and perfectly syncs with the band. And then there’s their music, which is like a mix of pop and indie and rap and is just so so cool and so much fun to sing and dance and jump to. And just the whole dynamics and atmosphere are so overwhelming and exciting and they completely draw you in and believe me, even if you don’t like the music, sooner or later you’ll start bobbing your head and it won’t end there. And last but not least there’s Felix, the lead-singer/rapper and for me the heart of the band or at least the show. Because while the other guys just simply step from one place to another, Felix floats, climbs, jumps and tops everything with dramatic hand gestures and a huge smile on his face. Watching this guy dance and party to every single song really gives me life and it’s just so so much fun.

In hindsight, I’d say that out of the four shows I’ve attended, this one has to be my favorite. And not just because of the phenomenal thing that happened during the encore, which I’m going to tell you all bout now. Buckle up. So, as you can probably guess, I know how Kraftklub shows work, I know what happens and when. Thus, when they went off stage before the encore, I knew they would pop up at some other place as a surprise. For bigger crowds they usually use some kind of mobile platform, which they use to “drive” through the crowd. And that’s why, while all the others there were screaming for the encore, I was twisting and turning my head in search for the platform. And then I found it, right at the back of the lawn, next to the tower for the sound and lights techs. And I got all excited and showed it to my mum and was like “THAT’S where they’ll be in just a minute!!!”. And it was so funny, because I was pointing at it, clearly seeing the mics that had already been placed on it, and everyone around me followed my gaze and then looked at me like I was crazy. And I thought “yeah yeah, now you think I’m crazy, but you just wait for what will happen in just a minute”.

Mum and I then decided to just make our way to the platform and started pushing through the crowd. And guess what, we got there right when the boys stepped on the platform. And it was so funny, because even then most people didn’t realize what was happening and Felix was like “hey everyone, we’re right behind you. I know, it’s a bit confusing.” Guys, we were so so close. And it was so much fun. But that wasn’t the best part. After the song they played on there, Felix proceeded to high five my mum and just a second later I was right by her side, shouting “mum, they’ll stage dive now, watch out”. You have to know that my mum is a teeny tiny person and if one of the boys jumped right at her, they would both end up on the ground with a loud thump. And at first she wanted to get out of the crowd that was building up, but I kept her right by my side and I’m so happy I did. Because just after that they all got ready to crowd-surf right back to the stage – which was quite a way to go, to be honest – in order to continue their official crowd-surf competition. Felix then decided to use the part of the crowd we were standing in. And when he looked at me – I was smiling at him with such a huge grin – I just knew he would go right our way. And before I knew what was happening, Felix jumped and I was holding his hand and tried to push him over the crowd. And then he was gone again, rolling over the crowd together with the others like a human ball dressed in black and white. Unfortunately he didn’t win – Karl, the second singer and guitarist, did and, if I’m not wrong, also won the whole contest (the show in Vienna was their next-to-last show of their tour before their upcoming chill-out-pause) – but he came second which is also something, right? And I know, some or even most of you probably won’t find this any special, but for me it’s still like the biggest thing ever, because before that I had always watched them do this kind of stuff from afar, wishing I was there, and it was also my very first time of being an actual part of a “a band does a crowd-surf”-moment and it just makes me so happy and feel all excited.

Apart from that there was simply everything you could wish for at a Kraftklub concert. Moshpits, people crowd-surfing and rowing on the ground, quite a lot of dancing, loud and pretty amazing music, huge smiles, funny outfits, underpants being thrown on stage (mens ones, for the first time ever, according to them), a spinning wheel to decide which song would be played next and someone being brought up on stage to spin it and of course political speeches and actions from both the band and the crowd. So yeah, a perfect show. But what I enjoyed the most was seeing how happy the guys were. I don’t even know how many times Felix thanked us for being such an amazing crowd and for dancing and singing. Which, I have to say, is seriously true, because the crowd really was something else. It was such a great evening, no joke.

So yeah guys, there you go. That was last Friday for me. Oh, and also, just before the concert I drove to my uni and handed in my second bachelor thesis, which means that I’m now officially finished with my studies. How crazy is that? I still remember the first day like it was yesterday. And the concert was literally the perfect way to end it and to celebrate. If any of you guys ever get the chance to check Kraftklub out, please do. They really are such a cool band and deserve all the appreciation they get and so much more. And until then I hope you enjoyed this not so short post about the concert. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below and I wish you a great week. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Rock In Vienna

Hola everyone.

Another day, another festival – am I right? As I told you on Friday, Saturday was a special day for me as my mum and me got to attend a festival – Rock In Vienna – and go to see Kings Of Leon live again. And holy moly, it was amazing.

First of all I have to say that I’m actually used to big, powerful crowds and festivals with over 90.000 attendees. But Saturday was a little different. Honestly, I think it was actually the smallest festival I’ve ever been to. But that didn’t change the awesomeness of the show.

The first band we got to hear was a german band called Grossstadtgeflüster, who I think did a perfect job of heating up the crowd. And after them another german band called Silbermond took over the stage. This band is quite popular in my country so I knew them beforehand and it was actually pretty cool to see them. Especially as I never thought that I’d ever see them live.

And then it was already time for the main act to come up – Kings Of Leon. I don’t know about you guys but I think KOL are a breathtakingly good band. When I saw them live first at Sziget two years ago I actually didn’t know many of their songs and I was blown away by how good they were. So I started to listen to their songs more and more and basically developed a fully grown love for their music. And when I saw that they would have a concert here in my country, I just had to go.

As you can imagine I was immensely excited to hear their songs live, especially their new album. And actually I have to say that their show last weekend was even better than the one in Sziget. We were lucky enough to be quite close to the stage so I could all actually see them and it was so wonderful to see how they enjoyed the show too and that they were happy to be here. For me that makes a concert thousand times better. And as you can probably guess their show was amazing, seriously. Caleb is an incredible singer, I totally love his voice, it’s so different and special. And the whole band was just perfect. I loved every single second of it.

The most beautiful moment for me was when they played their new song Walls. It’s a quite slow and calm song, so at the beginning Caleb was the only one singing and playing guitar and the whole crowd went silent. And that was just so magical. I held my mum and just listened and that moment was pure perfection.

But what I probably enjoyed most was how KOL acted on stage and when their show ended. You know, when as show ends I’m usually one of those people who stays until the very end, I just never want it to end. And it seemed like they were thinking the same thing. They thanked us over and over again, threw their stuff into the crowd and waved and waved and waved. And I was so shocked because at Sziget they were off stage in a blink and now there they were, smiling and waving and walking around on stage. And I adored that so much and still do. That really showed how much they liked it. They played Waste A Moment and then stayed on stage for a little after – the perfect ending for me.

God, I’m still so happy that I got to see them again and that Saturday really happened. I don’t know what I’d do without concerts and festivals. Probably curl up in a ball and cry. But thank god live music is such a perfect thing and I have the chance to tell you all about it and share the happiness.

So yeah, that was what happened on Saturday. What a beautiful day. I really hope you enjoyed this post and my little story. Oh and please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below. And until then I hope you all had an amazing weekend and wish you a good week. 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

Happy Women’s Day

Hola everyone.

First of all I want to say sorry for not posting anything on Monday. Actually I had a really important exam – I think it worked out just great – and basically spent all of my free time studying for it. So yeah, sorry again. But today I want to talk to you about something very important. I know I’m usually not the type for getting political, but as there are a lot of things happening now, changing for the worse, in my opinion, and I kind of just have to get it all off my mind and get some positivity out there.

But before I start – happy international women’s day for all of my fellow queens out there. You are all amazing and I hope you’re all doing well and feeling happy and enjoying life to its fullest. I think, days like this give us all the perfect opportunity to reflect on all the women out there who inspire us, give us strength. And for me it’s a reason to say thank you to all of these incredible women.

My mum

As you can probably imagine and also share with me, my mum is literally the most important woman and also person in my life. She doesn’t only give me strength, but also shows me day by day how I can be stronger, strong enough to believe in myself, my dreams and hopes and chase them. For her, nothing is impossible. And because of her, I also believe in that. Apart from that she knows what she wants and fights for that and she always stands to her opinions and what she believes in. I always tell her that when I grow up I want to be like her, be the mum she is to me, because in my opinion, she did everything right. And by that, she became my best friend. We go to concerts and festivals together, to the cinema, fly away on a girls trip every year. She’s just my favorite person and an amazing woman.

My grandma

As my mum is already such an amazing woman, it’s obvious that my grandma is one too. I look up to her all the time, because she always says what she’s thinking, she’s not afraid to be honest and tell her honest opinion. And at her age she’s still working every week, although she doesn’t have to do that, but she’s so vital that she can do that. And also she just wants to do it. That’s one of the things that always impress me – she still goes to work, stays up till late at night, cares for all of us and manages to always have a smile on her face. And that’s what I love about her. Also, she’s a goddess when it comes to cooking.

My friends

Who and where would I be without my friends? I don’t even know to be honest. I don’t know what I’d do without them in my life. All of them are such special persons to me and bring so much happiness to my life. But most importantly they are always there for me and, as silly as it sounds, they endure me, which is at some moments really hard I’m sure. With all of their different personalities, dreams, actions and thoughts, they are all awesome women in their own special way. And that’s why I love them and could never live without them.

All of the women out there, all of them

Honestly, I think every woman out there depends on all of the thousands of women out there who share her opinions, keep her back in their own way, in ways most of us will never know about. We all make each other so strong, keep us afloat, happy and fight for each other. That’s why I think days like the international women’s day are so important. They remind us all that we’re not alone. Noone of us would be where she is today without all of the strong women that came before us. All of the women’s rights would never be here without them. But that doesn’t mean that we can just stop fighting on. We are all so strong and if we unite, we can do things that seemed impossible. But together, nothing is impossible. And most importantly, never let an old man tell you what to do and what you can do and can’t do. You are a queen. Live it.

So guys, as you can see I had some things to say. I hope you are all doing alright, maybe sharing my ideas and thoughts. I hope I could encourage you to reflect on all of the amazing women in your life and maybe to thank them. I want to thank them, all of them. And as always I hope you enjoyed this post and please don’t hesitate to comment something. And until then, thanks for reading. x