travel – Page 9 – that lemon life

A Late Night Talk

Hola everyone.

Right now, it’s a few minutes after 9 p.m here in Brighton. The sky has long darkened and slowly but surely you can feel the city calm down. I’ve always loved these times. I’ve always been a creature of the night. And I’ve always been a big fan of late night chats. The talks when people suddenly start discussing their own fate, their personality, their deepest desires and strongest fears. Something about the night makes the truth, the sincereness come out and I’ve always loved that and been fascinated by it. And now that I’ve been thinking about what to write as today’s post, I thought such a late night talk would be the perfect fit. So, get into something comfy, grab a tea and let’s get chatting.

You know, since the beginning of 2019 – which we’re still in, actually, right? – I’ve been thinking about the last year, probably as many other people too. Maybe even yourself. For me, 2018 was truly the craziest year of my entire life so far. Without any doubt. I finished my first bachelor’s degree. Started my own music column for the magazine I’m writing for. Worked at a damn huge festival for the very first time (hopefully not the last). Visited Sziget again, thank god. Worked at the biggest music promotion company in my country. Saw Ed twice (can never be enough, though). Saw my love Marty again. Strolled through the streets of Budapest with my mum. Finally saw the one and only Justin Timberlake live (was well over due, trust me). Moved to Brighton to study music journalism at the legendary BIMM (probably the craziest part). Did my very first interview with a musician, that I’m a huge fan of (this right here is the big contestant for the first spot on the list of craziness, next to the move). Had the very same interview published in The Sun (say whatever you want about the paper, it’s a damn huge deal). Read a ton of books and listened to so much more music. Laughed more. Loved more. Lived more. And so much more that I can’t seem to remember now.

And seeing it now, black on white, makes it even more crazy. If anyone would have told me I’d be where I am right now, I would have laughed in their face. But now I’m really here. And now it’s already 2019 and I have no idea what’s going to happen. I can just hope for the best and that my plans will become reality. Maybe, at this time in a year, I’ll be in London, together with Leni. Stuffed into a small but cozy apartment in the middle of the city we’ve always dreamed about and now call our home. It won’t always be the easiest, but we’ll always make it work, I’m sure of that.

I’ve always been someone who gives everything for her dreams. Who fights for them with all her might. I wouldn’t be where I am if I wasn’t that person. And I’m very proud of that. And it’s not just about big dreams. Even the smallest one is important. Just recently I finally edited all the videos I had saved together into a little potpourri of different moments of my life and added one of Tom’s songs to it. Just put a black and white filter over it and there you have your super emotional video. One that I’ve been wanting to make for ages and finally did. And I’m so happy and proud because of it. Or, another example, since 2015 it has always been my big wish to see Marty every year. And since then I’ve been able to stick to it, every single year. Not just because I wanted it that much, but because I also fought for it. The same with seeing Ed live or getting my mum to visit Sziget again, for the whole week this time (yes, seven full on festival days, I can already start mentally preparing myself for the recovery). And I know, I’m literally just talking about music related things right now, but that stuff basically rules my life, so. Or even if it’s just finishing a book and being proud of it. It’s about the small dreams, the small goals and the small fights. Because we can only grow from small ones.

But finally, what I wanna say – no matter how you’re feeling right now, it will get better, trust me. And if you have a dream, go and fight for it. No matter how small or big it is, crazy or normal it might sound. If it means something to you, it deserves to become reality. Please let nobody tell you any different.

And if you need an immediate portion of happiness to feel better, here you go. I’ve been listening to and looking at this little adorable bean while writing this post and my heart is nearly bursting, so I’m pretty sure you could call Tyler a literal happy pill. Such a cutie, I don’t know how Jenna is able to handle him (good for her though, he’s a true gem).

And yeah, I think that’s it for this late night’s talk. I hope I could inspire you a bit with my babbling about music and dreams and I dearly hope that you enjoyed this post. And I also hope that the little bean named Tyler could put a smile on your face. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. Start your own late night chat, go on. And besides that, I hope you’re all doing good and wish you a lovely week. And, of course, 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

2018: Wrapped

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to another Music Saturday (yeah, it’s Saturday today, just go with it). And yes, I know, shouldn’t there be a ‘New’ in there? And yes, you’re right, there usually should, but this time I left it out on purpose, because today is a very special Music Day. Because, just as the year is coming to an end, it’s also time to wrap up the year music-wise. And what a year 2018 was. A year full of amazing music. Special music. Exciting music. It’s all in there, in the folder of 2018, waiting to be discovered by you.

And just as every year, the lovely people of Spotify made it a lot easier for us all to wrap this year up. Since getting myself a premium account, the yearly statistics of my own musical behavior have been a highlight for me and something I’ve been looking forward to for weeks. And just like the two years before, they are more than accurate. But have a look for yourself.

I might just have to add that Tom has now been my favorite artist for two years straight and, honestly, I’m not surprised, not even a bit. Tom is simply an incredible artist and I absolutely adore his music. It’s that type of music that just fits every occasion. Whether it’s when I’m cooking, writing, going for a walk, shopping in the mall or just chilling, I can always have it on and it will always fit perfectly. That’s just what Tom does. He makes perfect music. And I feel more than honored and grateful that I’ll finally get to see him live next year in London. I can’t wait, honestly.

And besides that, the whole statistics are pretty much spot on. We all know why Ed is on there (obviously), The Academic were a huge phase for me at the beginning of this year due to their amazing show in Vienna (I still am deeply in love with their music, of course) and both Hippo Campus and TØP released two breathtaking albums, which, by the way, are the top two albums of the year for me. Nothing can beat those two, nothing. At least for me.

So, overall, the statistics don’t really surprise me in any way, they just make me endlessly happy. I love that I got to spend 21.538 minutes listening to amazing music this year and that I got to share most of that fantastic music with you guys. Music is just such a huge part of my life and now that I’m on my way of turning exactly that part into my career, I’m just even more thankful and happy. This is all very crazy and very special to me. And at the end of the day it’s all thanks to those incredible bands and artists out there who produce and create this art so we can all go and listen to and enjoy it.

But, as this is a Music Day, we still of course have to get to the music part. And just as every year, I thought I’d create a little playlist of my favorite tracks of 2018. Some might not be from this year, they might be really old, and some might be so new that I’ve just stumbled over them a few days ago, but just love so much that they need to be in this list. Every single song has a special meaning to me, some may even be connected to a certain memory or moment of this year. Some may be new to you, some may won’t, as I might have already shared them with you. But, in total, they all mean a lot to me and I dearly hope you enjoy them just as much as I do.

Jumpsuit – Twenty One Pilots

If there is one song that completely blew my mind this year, then it’s this one right here.

Pictures of Girls – Wallows

According to Spotify, this is the song I’ve listened to the most this year and, frankly, I’m not surprised at all.

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Live Outside – Enter Shikari

Completely fell for this one right here after hearing it live. Way too good to not listen to it. Way too good.

Bambi – Hippo Campus

Like Jumpsuit, this one once again completely surprised me, in the best way possible. Such a bop, honestly. The whole album is.

Surprise Yourself – Jack Garratt

I rediscovered this one a few months ago and can’t get enough of it ever since. This is literal art.

Tough – Lewis Capaldi

Lewis is definitely my musical find of the year. I’m so so so glad that I discovered him, he’s honestly such a gem. And yes, he is this good live. Breathtaking, I know.

Love It If We Made It – The 1975

Although I’m not a big fan of the album overall, this song has completely won my heart. It feels a bit like we’re back in 2013 and I love that.

Neon Gravestones – Twenty One Pilots

Lyrically this is the most important song of the year for me. Once you get behind the meaning of the lyrics, this song turns into this one special piece of art that will definitely go down in history. It’s that important. And this band is that important. Also, listen to Tyler’s voice. Please listen. Holy moly.

Hope There’s Someone – Avicii

I thought about leaving this space here blank and only adding a little caption at the end just like with the ones before. But I just can’t. 2018 is coming to an end now and although, music-wise, there have been so many incredible moments, I just want to take a second right here and once again remind us all of the fact that there were also some really heartbreaking moments. And for me, the most crushing one was definitely loosing the bright star called Tim Bergling aka Avicii. I felt my heart break the moment I heard about it this April and it’s just now that I notice how tears are rolling down my cheeks writing this and listening to this song and reminding myself of the fact that we really lost him. Tim was such an important part of my musical life and I still can’t fully believe he’s gone. But I know that he will never be forgotten because of his music. He’ll live on forever, in our hearts and on the dance floors of this world. But still, Tim, I miss you. Every single day.

There are no words.

Ain’t Coming Home – Badflite

Apart from Marty’s releases, this is probably my favorite track from the empire called STMPD Records. Listen to it and you’ll know why.

Flowerss – HALFNOISE

This is definitely one of those special tracks that I will forever have a special place in my playlist, it’s just way too extraordinary to ever forget about it.

Bear Claws – The Academic

What can I say? They’re The Academic and this is just a bop right here. Can’t get enough of it.

Y2k – The Montreals

If you haven’t given The Montreals a listen until now, please please do immediately. They’re one of those bands you really have to look out for in 2019.

Alright – Lacuna Bloome

I actually have to thank BIMM for introducing me to this band, as, believe it or not, this here is actually a band from my university. How amazing is that? And how freaking awesome is the song? Pure indie goodness.

Waiting For Tomorrow – Martin Garrix & Pierce Fulton ft. Mike Shinoda

I know I’ve already talked about this, but I’ve literally been waiting for this song forever. But the wait was so worth it. So damn good.

Butter – Leyya

Please, everyone, go and listen to this while driving and turn the volume all the way up. It’s literally the coolest feeling.

Feeling Lonely – boy pablo

This is actually my most recent find, thanks to the breathtaking lineup of next year’s Sziget festival. Thanks Sziget, can’t wait to spend a week with you next year.

Woes – Tom Rosenthal

Last but surely not least – incredibly sad and incredibly beautiful – just like everything that Tom does. And yes, of course he had to be part of this list. He should be part of everyone’s list.

So yeah guys, there you go. Those are my favorite songs of 2018 and the tracks that made this year the years it was and is. As I said, all of them have a special meaning to me and I love them all with every cell of my body. And I really really hope you enjoy them too. Also, I’m already so excited for what’s to come in 2019.

As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. And if you’ve got your Spotify statistics too, please do share them with me, I’d love to read them. Especially as I think that the music people listen to can tell you a lot about them too. Let’s be honest, music always was and still is something very intimate and personal and plain special. And that’s what I love so much about it.

Besides that, I hope you’re all doing good and wish you a nice rest of the weekend. I’m actually on my way home right now, so home home and I’m literally so damn excited. I can’t believe I haven’t been home for nearly three months. It feels like both the longest and the shortest period of time ever. And I can’t wait to finally see my pets again. Oh my god. And then it’s Christmas. God, I’m so excited. Anyways, like I said, I hope you’re all doing good and that you enjoyed this post right here. And, as always, thanks so much for reading.

Ps: On another note, something very very VERY exciting happened yesterday. Yes, you guessed right – the new Avengers trailer is out. Welcome to Avengers: Endgame. I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this trailer and now that it’s finally here, I can’t wrap my head around it. There’s literally nothing happening in it, but at the same time, everything is happening. And we all know that the scene at the beginning might be the death of me. I swear to everything and everyone, if they kill Tony, I’m gonna sue someone for my mental and emotional suffering. I’m not even kidding. Just please let this guy have a kid and retire with Pepper in peace. Can we please do that? Thank you.

My favourite moments of 2018

Hola everyone.

Can you believe that it’s already December? I can’t. Although I’m practically surrounded by christmas decorations and fairy lights and christmas trees here in Brighton, I can’t seem to fully get this christmassy feeling. Probably because the weather is still a bit too nice outside for my brain to think that it’s winter. And maybe it’s because I’m not at home, which, speaking of that, will thankfully change this Saturday, as I’ll be flying home then, for a whole month. I. Can’t. Wait. Honestly.

But although I might not have the christmassy feeling yet, and whether I want it or not, the year is really coming to an end. And holy moly, what a year that was. Not to be dramatic or anything, but I really feel like so far this has been the most eventful year of my life. Not just because I moved to the UK and began to study music journalism at BIMM, which is like the biggest step in my life so far. Also because during the whole year I got so many things done and could tick so many boxes on my “things I want to do in my life”-list. And I’m so damn grateful for that.

And as I’m a huge fan of photography, as you all know, I thought I’d make a little compilation of my most favourite moments of this year. I could actually capture most of them, which is a pretty cool thing, and I’m so happy I get to share them all with you. You’ll probably already know most of the pictures, but please know that these photographs right here hold a really special meaning for me, even if they’re just my favorite picture I took in a month. Some are from the beginning of the year, from a concert, from a vacation with my family, from my home, from my time here in Brighton. Some were taken with my camera, some with the phone, some were meant to be this way, some are what we call candids nowadays. Heck, one was even made with an analog camera. Together they make a big mix of moments and memories of 2018, but as a big picture they are my 2018. And I dearly hope you enjoy them. I won’t specifically tell which story belongs to which picture, as I’ve always loved how a piece of art and photography can have a different meaning for every single person that looks at it. So, I invite you all to make up your own stories. But if you want to know the “real” ones, just hit me up and I’ll let you know.

As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your comments down below and let me know what you think. And, of course, I hope you’re all doing good and wish you a nice week. And thanks for reading. x

Welcome back home

Hola everyone.

You guys aren’t gonna believe how long I’ve been waiting to finally be able to write this special post right here. Yes, this one. The one you’ve just decided to read. Speaking of that – hey there, thanks for checking by. Buckle up, it’s gonna get magical today.

So, as most of you, who have been following me for quite a while, will know, I am a huge Potterhead. If you’ve ever imagined the typical Harry Potter fan, then that’s pretty much me. I’ve grown up watching the movies, always being the same age as Harry, having this magical boy as my first crush, dreaming about going to Hogwarts and loathing Snape until the last two movies. I know which house I am – Ravenclaw, obviously -, I’ve read or more like let myself fall into all of the books and watched the movies way too many times. I’m one of those people who call Hogwarts their home (hence the title of this post), plainly because it feels like home whenever I see it. It’s a part of me, a part of my childhood, a part of my youth and thanks to the Fantastic Beasts series it has now become a part of my adulthood too. Which is also exactly what I want to talk about today. Because this Ravenclaw girl right here finally got to watch The Crimes of Grindelwald and holy moly, I’m still shook. I nearly fell off my broomstick while watching it, no joke.

But, before I get into this – Muggles and fellow wizards and witches, please beware, from this moment on there will be crucial spoilers floating around in this post. If you have already had the chance to see the movie, I’d love to hear your opinions and start a discussion in the comment section, but for every magical reader right here that hasn’t, please only move on with caution and at your own risk. Though this post will not start moving by itself like the stairs in Hogwarts, the spoilers will indeed take most of the fun out of watching the movie afterwards. I’ve now done my duty as a good Potterhead and warned you all. So, off we go.

First of all, like every single Harry Potter / Wizarding World movie, Crimes of Grindelwald starts off with the Warner Brothers logo floating towards you, surrounded by dark fog, while the beginning of Hedwig’s theme is playing in the background. These 3 seconds, that short melody we all know so well, was all I needed to get into the movie. And I think it’s all any Potterhead really needs. I got chills and from that moment on I was captivated by the story. I might have to mention that I watched it at the BFI IMAX in London (biggest screen in the UK, heyooo), hence the whole being captivated part, but honestly, from that moment on I just forgot everything around me. It was just me and the movie. Me and my home.

I’m not gonna talk about the whole story of the movie, because first of all, we all pretty much know it, don’t we, and second, if I did that, we would still be sitting here on our brooms until tomorrow. Might not want to miss the next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson because of that, right? So, I’m just gonna shed some light upon the parts that I loved the most and that plainly stood out for me and made me love the movie. Lumos.

Where should I begin? Maybe at the most important one – the story. In my opinion, this movie was made for fans and Potterheads. The ones who watched every single movie before Crimes of Grindelwald, the ones who read the books and know the stories. Because if you haven’t, you won’t get anything. You could be the best wizard or witch in the world, heck, you could even be smarter than the one and only Hermoine Granger and you would still not get a thing if you haven’t read the books. Because if this movie doesn’t do one thing, then it’s telling you what’s going on and what Grindelwald is actually planning on doing. You wouldn’t know that he hates Muggles (sorry, guys) and that he thinks wizards and witches, pure bloods especially, are way better than them. What he wants is a wizarding domination and it won’t be easy to stop him from achieving that. Which is also why Dumbledore parted ways with him once he noticed how radical his so dearly loved Gellert had become. Lets just hope that he can break the blood pact they made and will be able to fight him sooner or later. And while I know all of this because of the fan I am, other people might not do. You just have to know to know.

And this leads me to all the questions I now have stuck in my head and of course the mind-blowing ending and the twist that left me shaking long after the credits had rolled down. I told you I nearly fell off my broom. What happens to Queenie? Why didn’t she manage to understand that Grindelwald doesn’t care about Muggles at all and would gladly kill Jacob if he could? I’m actually creating this theory now that we will have a showdown between them in the future where Grindelwald will probably kill Jacob and Queenie will finally understand. My heart is already breaking for them.

And what will happen to Nagini? She doesn’t seem like a bad person, so how will she end up being Voldemort’s most treasured Horcrux? And when will Newt and Tina finally get together? These two are literally so in love, I could see sparks flying around me during their scenes. And those weren’t coming from my wand, I promise. Also, Newt is literally the cutest character ever and I’m now making the decision to say that I’m literally him and he’s me. Quirky, weird, smart, awkward and with a heart that is way too big for all the darkness in the world – “You never met a monster you couldn’t love”. I’m already so excited to see how his story is going to continue. I know many people criticized that the focus shifted from him in the second movie, but I actually like that. It’s called Fantastic Beasts and not Newt Scamander for a reason.

The only thing that is for sure now is that there will be a focus on Dumbledore and his old nemesis Grindelwald because, as we witches, wizards and well-informed Muggles all know, there will be a big battle between them, which Dumbledore will win, leaving him with the famous Elder Wand, only the most powerful wand in the wizarding world. But hold your on to your brooms, owls, cats, toads or whatever creature you’re about to set free right now – as we also all know, at the end of the literal end, Harry destroyed the wand. Nobody should ever have so much power in his/her hands, right?

But, speaking of Dumbledore – and we’ve now reached the big twist and also the end of the movie – WHO IN THE NAME OF MERLIN IS AURELIUS DUMBLEDORE? And since when was it okay to just decide that poor Credence was the brother of Albus? And who is that Phoenix he has with him? It’s Fawkes, isn’t it? So many questions and no book in the whole Hogwarts library can give us an answer, not even the ones in the restricted section. But, here’s my theory: Grindelwald totally lied to him and Credence isn’t a Dumbledore. And there will be a scene in the future movies where Credence, or now Aurelius, and Dumbledore will be fighting each other, just to see that Fawkes will come for Dumbledore’s help. It is him who decides who is a true Dumbledore, just like Albus said in the movie: the Phoenix comes to help only a true Dumbledore in great need. But that is just my theory. I’ve also read another one on how Credence is actually Ariana, Dumbledore’s younger sister, who died in a battle between Dumbledore, Grindelwald and Aberforth Dumbledore. At least everyone thought she was dead until now. As it is believed that she was also a Obscurial, just like Credence, it could be that she never truly died, but that her Obscurus moved on to another host, which now could be Credence himself, which would indeed make him the brother of Dumbledore. Is this as exciting to you as it is to me? Even my wand is spraying sparks now.

So yeah, there we have it. So many open questions and still three movies (or even more) to go. Honestly, I know so many people didn’t enjoy this movie as much as the first one, but I loved it. The actors are amazing, Johnny Depp is beyond magical as Grindelwald and Jude Law just guaranteed Dumbledore the title as the hottest professor at Hogwarts. Watch out, witches and wizards. I’m utterly in love with the score – as with all the Wizarding World movies -, which I’m funnily enough listening to right now. And oh my god, the imagery. So so good. Like I said, I felt like I was in the movie. There is a scene where get a glimpse of the different universes and areas Newt created for his beasts and creatures and holy Merlin, to say it was magical would be such an understatement. I now want to own a Bowtruckle. Is it allowed to own two pets/magical creatures at Hogwarts? I hope so.

And last but not least, the one scene that really melted my heart away and probably my favourite scene in the whole movie – the scene when they showed Hogwarts for the very first time with the beloved theme playing in the background. I suddenly felt like I was coming home again, after all these years since the last HP movie ended. And yes, I had tears in my eyes and I’m not afraid to say it. Hogwarts is and will always be my home – as it will to every single wizard and witch out there. It will always be there to welcome us all home.

So, there you go, guys. These are pretty much all my thoughts about those magical two hours I got to spend at my even more magical home again. I know this movie is kind of polarizing right now, but I’d still love to hear all your opinions. As always, I hope you enjoyed this post and wish you all an amazing rest of the week. And, of course, thanks for reading. Nox. x

Different Colours

Hola everyone.

And welcome to another Friday. Sorry for being gone for a week, the term of uni is coming to a close now and I’m actually trying to keep up with it, so yeah. Having a kind of busy time right now, but I would never complain about that. Besides that, I hope you’re all doing good and that the cold hasn’t hit you as hard as it has hit me (yes, it’s actually freezing and I’m struggling to handle it).

And speaking of the weather, two weeks ago I got another chance to visit London, at a time when the sun was still shining and I could still wear my cropped Dr. Martens. And as the weather was so beautiful and all the autumnally colors of the trees in St. James park were glistening in the sun, I couldn’t stop myself from taking pictures. And I now can’t stop myself from sharing all this beauty with you guys. I really hope you enjoy the pictures, maybe they can bring some warmth into your evening.

As always, I wish you all a nice weekend and please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. And, of course, thanks for reading. x