new year – that lemon life

Meet GEM

Hola everyone.

God, it’s been so long since I last wrote down those two words. Way too long, to be completely honest with you. But I guess that happens when you are in the middle of your last year at university and also doing something very important and exciting on the side – the special something that I want to tell you all about today. First of all, I want to take the time to say that I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas and that, despite all the chaos that’s happening right now, you’re having a nice time with your loved ones. I’ve been back at home in Austria for two weeks now, spending some quality time with my family, but now we’re also back to a full lockdown, so I guess we’re all in the same boat (except for a few special ones… looking at you, Australia and New Zealand). Anyway, it’s been quite nice so far, but I’m also praying that I’ll be able to go back to London once the time has come, I really miss it. It’s actually pretty cool to have not one, but two places that you can call your home. I feel very lucky. Which also brings me back to what I wanted to show you all today.

I’m incredibly proud to present to you my very own magazine – GEM. Yes, I really did it. I went and launched my own magazine, with the help of my incredible friend Lauren, who is also my co-founder and co-editor, and our fantastic bunch of super talented writers, creatives and journalists. To be honest, even while I am typing this out, I cannot believe it is really true. I can’t even begin to explain how insanely excited and thrilled I am to share this with all of you. I have been dreaming about having my own magazine for so many years now and now it’s really become true.

So far, the whole experience has been nothing short of an insane dream. All of a sudden, I have this thing that belongs solely to me and that gives me the opportunities and freedom to interview my favourite bands and to review gigs and albums and so much more. It’s become my ultimate creative outlet and basically one of the most important parts of my life – even in such a short amount of time. And I mean, I’m not going to talk around the bush for long… having freaking Wallows on our first cover and then Nothing But Thieves, my ultimate loves, on our second one is just… I mean, that’s the material my brain usually comes up with during a dream at night or when I create a nice scenario in my head during a mellow ride on the top. Basically, it’s the stuff you usually make up, not the stuff that just becomes reality all of a sudden. But now it has become reality for me and I still can’t believe I’m now living a life where I can say I’ve already interviewed most of my favourite bands, and all of that for my very own magazine. Peak craziness, I’m telling you.

Naturally, I could spend all day and night telling you about the interviews and the overall insanity of this all, but I guess that would take a bit too long for all of us. What I can say though is that I loved every single one of them and that Conor, the lead singer from Nothing But Thieves is probably the most incredible person I’ve had the honour of talking to. Best interview of my life so far, without a doubt. Which makes me even prouder to have the guys on our cover – a band that has meant so much for me for so many years already. Not to mention that their album ‘Moral Panic’ is easily the best album of the year for me. What a gem (pun not intended… or maybe, yes).

As with all things that take up such a big part of your life, the magazine has kept me and Lauren busy all throughout the past months and also through the Christmas holidays, but it’s always been good busy. Of course it can sometimes get a bit much, especially if the world around you has been in flames for way too long, but I would never complain about the magazine. It means way too much for me to do that. And now that our second issue has been out for a month, we’re already busy working on the upcoming one, which will be out at the end of January. I already can’t wait to share it with the world and every single one of you, it will be a great one.

And now the moment has finally come for me to share the magazine with you all. The excitement is real, honestly. First of all, here are the links to our website, our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. And here is the link to where you can read our latest issue online and here is a link to our shop where you can buy a print copy of the magazine if you would like to support us or if you are just a paper person, like me.

I truly hope that you like the magazine and enjoy reading it just as much as I do. Naturally, I would absolutely love to hear what you think, so please don’t hesitate to leave your feedback and comments down below or to get in touch with me to discuss it further. I’m excited to hear from you. And until then, I wish you all the best time and already a very exciting happy new year. Let’s hope 2021 will be a lot better than 2020 in a whole bunch of aspects. And yeah, sending you all the tightest hugs and, as always, thanks so much for reading. x

Hello 2020

Hola everyone.

Happy new yeaaaar. (Oh my god, I’m so late, I can’t even believe it.) I hope you all are doing good and that you had a fantastic Christmas break and a great New Year’s Eve/Day and so on.

First of all, I want to apologize for being gone for so long. Like many others, I went home for the holidays and thus didn’t really have the time to focus on this blog. I mean, I’m sure I could’ve just posted some stuff, but this blog means way too much to me to post some mediocre content just for the sake of uploading something. That’s definitely not what this blog is about. But now that I’m back in London, I finally have the time again to sit down and write again.

As a little update on my behalf – the time I got to spend at home was absolutely fantastic. I mean, it was so lovely that for the first time in forever, I actually feel a bit homesick now that I’m back in the UK and away from home and my family. That’s how beautiful it was. I met up with my friends and my family, celebrated Christmas and New Years with them and went on a short holiday to Croatia with my parents and Molly. I fell asleep on the couch watching a movie with Peaches in my arms, went on countless walks with my mum and Molly, won and lost at card games, cooked delicious meals for my parents and overall just had a really really nice time. I really love my home. And I can’t wait to go back again in March.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m not happy to be back in London after that month at home. Not at all. I think it will just take a bit of time for me to get into my routine here again. Go back to uni and work. Meet up with my friends and go to the cinema together. All the stuff I couldn’t do while being at home. And I truly am looking forward to the upcoming few weeks and months. I love it here, I really do. And I’ve already got so many exciting adventures and events planned, that there isn’t even any other option than to fully enjoy my time in London.

These plans also include this blog, which I really want to get rolling again now that I’m back. I still owe all of you my list of my favourite songs of 2019 and I’m thinking about doing a cute, little “goodbye 2019”-post, to basically reflect on the year and talk about the good (and bad) stuff. So I’m definitely going to write that. And maybe I’ll write a little thing about Tom’s gig that I went to at the beginning of December, the day before I went back home, which, unsurprisingly, was absolutely fantastic. Tom really never fails to blow me away.

Regarding today’s post, the one you’re reading right now (thanks for being here, btw), I thought it would be nice to just welcome the new year in. 2020 has arrived and with it a lot of things to look forward to, but also a few things that I would rather not have in this world. Australia is on fire, the USA (Trump) is trying very hard to start a fight with Iran and other countries and besides that, there’s just a lot of stuff happening that definitely doesn’t put a smile on my face (or any face, really). And I know that might make everything and the start of 2020 look a bit dark, but especially in situations like these, it’s crucial to focus on the good stuff. On all the things that actually do make you smile. The ones that are worth thinking of. Naturally, it’s very important to not just ignore today’s issues, but there are still ways to think positive while dealing with them. For example, I donated some money to the Wildlife Rescue Center in Australia. And the moment I did it, it lifted my heart a bit, because I was at least trying to help. So no matter how bad it might seem, there are always ways to help and make things better. And that’s kind of also my mantra for 2020 – to focus on the good stuff and try to do good as well. Say no to bad vibes. Or at least try to turn them into good ones.

I truly hope that you are all doing good and that you’re as excited for this year as I am. And maybe also for the comeback of this blog after the short hiatus. I am incredibly happy to be back and I can’t wait to continue sharing my adventures, stories, and thoughts with you guys. 2020 is going to be a blast, I can already feel it. So let’s all make sure it really will be. As always, I’d be super happy to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. And, of course, I hope you enjoyed this post, wish you a nice week and thanks for reading. x

Hello 2019

Hola everyone.

I know, I know, where the hell have I been? I’m so sorry for not positing anything for such a long time, but I thought it was the best to kind of just relax during the holidays and concentrate on spending my time with my family and friends at home. But now that I’m back in Brighton, I thought it was time to come out of my hole again. So, welcome back, guys, and hello 2019.

Now that I’ve been here for a week already, I have to say it feels like I’ve never been away, which is both good and sad. To be honest, I wasn’t in a really good state after I got here. I don’t think I’ve ever missed my home this much. But I’ve been talking a lot to my family and my friends, videochatting with my mum and stuff and now that uni has started again and I’ve got more stuff to do, I’ve been feeling better every single day. So yeah, back to business, right?

But enough of me – how were your holidays, Christmas and New Year’s Eve? Did you get to spend time with your family as well? I’m literally so happy that I got to be home for a whole month. It’s crazy how, when you leave your home and then come back again, you start to appreciate it all so much more. I mean, I’m honestly the luckiest person ever. We are the luckiest people, seriously. At least from my perspective. I’m so utterly grateful for my home and my family and my friends and just everyone and everything in my life. I think we as people often forget to appreciate those things and people we have around us everyday. Having dinner with your family. Having a comfy, warm bed to lie down in after a long day. Having a dog or a cat sitting next to you, who love you to the moon and back. Sometimes we all forget that all of this isn’t self-evident. Most people would probably do anything to have what most of us have and sometimes we kind of just forget about that. And that’s basically what the holidays and the time I got to spent at home taught me – to be more grateful for everyone and everything and to share happiness and love. At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing.

Bet you missed my deep, philosophical talks, right? Feels amazing to be back, honestly. I can’t wait to share all that has happened during my month at home with you and continue chatting about music and movies and more. I’ve missed you guys and being on here so much. This is literally my little home on the internet and I’m so grateful for that.

As always, I hope you’re all doing good and wish you an amazing week. If you’ve got any questions or anything else or if you just want to talk, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below. And, of course, thanks for reading. And again, welcome back, thanks for being here. 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

My New Years Resolutions

Hola everyone.

The new year is literally just around the corner and in prospect of this I’ve been thinking pretty much about 2017 and what I achieved and what I’d like 2018 to be like and what my goals are.

I have to say that 2017 has been a pretty crazy year for me. I mean, I started off the year with my last month of living in Berlin and then I got back and continued university and recently I found this amazing university course in the UK and just an hour ago I started applying for it. I mean, how crazy is that? And I flew to Zürich to see Ed and then to Amsterdam to see Martijn. And I got to visit three new cities in the UK – Liverpool, Blackpool and Manchester – and flew to Paris with my mum and got a new, unbelievably beautiful tattoo there. I just started writing my first Bachelor thesis and I’ve just got this semester until February and then the last one and then I’ll be already finished with my Bachelor in Vienna. I seriously can’t believe how fast the time has flown by. And apart from all these huge things, I accomplished so much more and made so many more experiences and and and. I met new people, started new friendships, had quite an amount of exams, attended looots of concerts and started a job as a magazine journalist. I cried a lot but laughed even more. Went on many adventures and got out of my comfort zone. And when I look back at it, I don’t think I’d change anything (apart from all the bad stuff that happened and is happening in the world right now, but let’s not get started on that).

But there is a new year coming up and I want it to be a new start, a new beginning. A new year to meet goals, turn dreams into reality and so so much more. So I thought why not make a list of my personal new years resolutions? Let’s go.

I really want to stay the optimist I am – it doesn’t work all the times, but sometimes it’s the only thing that brightens up a shitty day
I want to dive even deeper into the topic of my heart – music.
I want to experience more, learn more, see more, hear more, feel more.
I want to meet new people, new cities, new cultures.
I want to get even more out of my comfort zone. Of course it’s scary, but those are the moments life turns from good to exciting.
I want to stay healthy.
I want laugh louder, cry harder and live every moment to its fullest.
I want to show the people around me that I love them and that they literally mean the world to me, because they all deserve it.
I want to go to as many concerts/festivals as I can – those are my happy places and I’m kind of addicted, so…
I want to read even more books, listen to even more songs and bands and watch even more movies.
I want to meet up with my friends and family as often as I can. I know it’s hard, because we all have our own lives and own tasks and jobs and so on, but when I look back I don’t remember the hours I spent scrolling through twitter on my phone, I remember the evenings I spent with my friends, drinking a Chai Latte and laughing about stories of when we were young.
I want to stop pressuring myself so much. I know I’m a perfectionist and that’s actually something I like about myself, but that changes when I start treating myself badly.
I want to continue working as hard as I do now or even harder (I know this kind of doesn’t go with the resolution above, but I’m sure there is a way to combine those two things).
I want to cuddle even more with my family and my pets.
I want to take even more pictures, cook more meals and maybe find a new fascinating hobby I can be passionate about.
I want to try out new things and new activities, maybe some kind of sport or something like that.
I want to try and start being punctual – this is actually the toughest aspect of this list, I am literally never punctual.
I want to go to sleep earlier and change my sleeping schedule – it’s slightly getting out of hand right now.
I want to be nicer to the people I love, I want to forgive more and stop freaking out because of little, stupid things I will probably have forgotten about an hour later.
I want to finish my Bachelor and try to get the best grades possible.
I want to nail my two Bachelor theses.
I want to keep faith and believe in myself, even when the times are hard and I feel like everything is getting too much (like now, when my to-do-list is literally far too long – I can do it and I know it).
I want to get into BIMM (the university in the UK) and find the cutest little flat ever.
I want to continue being this curious and childish and easily excited and funny.
I want to love more.
I want to continue writing this blog, as I love it so much that I can’t even describe it.

So guys, there you go. Those are my new years resolutions or let’s say those that I can think of right now. I’m pretty sure I could come up with about a hundred more if I had more time. But I want to try and make every single one of them and stick to them. Mostly because they all mean quite a lot to me. And I think this way 2018 can’t be anything but another amazing year.

But guys, what are your new years resolutions? Do you even have some? And do you stick to them? This is actually my very first time of writing them down like this, so wish me luck. And guys, I wish you all a happy new year and I hope you’re all doing good. I wish you all the best. Thank you so much for 2017. It’s been an amazing year and I’m more than thankful that I could spend and share it with all of you. Thank you. And, as always, thanks for reading. Here’s to 2018. x

New year, fresh start

Hola everyone.

And Happy New Year, of course. I hope you all had an amazing start of 2017. But let’s be honest, Ed Sheeran already saved it by announcing that he’ll let the world hear some of his music THIS FRIDAY. I am so damn excited, I nearly got a heart attack yesterday.

But seriously, I really hope this year is already going well for all of you guys and if it doesn’t, there’s still plenty of time to turn it all around. So let’s focus on staying positive and happy. Right?

For me, this year or let’s say the beginning of this year really means a lot to me. In particular in connection to this blog. You all know that I love writing and blogging and talking to you and just being on here. And now that I’ve had this blog for nearly a year now and 2017 has come, I felt that it was time for some changes. Actually, this is a pretty big ting for me, but I feel that the time has come and that I am ready to do this.

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So, I don’t know if you noticed it, but I always kept this blog here as my own little space on the internet. Partly anonymous too. Which I want to change now. I want to get this blog out there, out in the world. That’s why I created my own Facebook page and Instagram account solely for this blog. It’s my way of connecting some little more and sharing what I love with more people than before. Of course all the links will be right down at the end of this post and you can also get to the pages by clicking on the links right up there.

Actually I was never really a fan of either Facebook or Instagram, but after talking to friend, who told me that I should really get my “talent” out there and some reassurance by my mum, I made the decision to just try it out. I really really really hope you like it.

And the other thing I wanted to share with you guys is some little more information about me. I always felt that it was right to keep my privacy, even on here. But I noticed that it also kinda disconnects me and I don’t want that. So here comes some more information about me:

yes, my name is Laura
I’m 20 years old, turning 21 in 3 months (yey, finally legal in America)
I’m from a small town in Austria
I’m studying journalism and communication in Vienna
I speak German, but some weird dialect kind of it, which I totally love
I still live with my parents at home with my dog and my cat
I’m really weird and crazy and pretty much in love with life

And that is me with my face:

And this is me a few days ago with the teddy I got from my friend. He’s called Ed. Yes, I love him:

This is literally the first time I ever showed my face on here. Actually, I never noticed that, not before my friend told me, which is crazy. But hey, I did it now. And I’m seriously really excited for your reactions. For real. I hope you all like my decision and what I’m heading to with this blog and that you are as happy about it as me. I love this blog and being on here and I really hope you do too.

Oh, and here are all the links I talked about:

Instagram account – link
Facebook account – link

So, there you go. New exciting things are happening and as I said, I hope you’ll stick by me. And maybe this blog will just grow bigger and better. Every single day. If any of you want to know more or just chat, I’m here. And until then, I hope you enjoyed this post and, as always, thanks for reading. x