Study Saturday

Here's the thing I've figured out when it comes to thesis writing. 

There comes a point where you see everything clearly and things look pretty straight forward.  It's sort of a magical point. At that moment you're more or less confident that the thesis will get done on time and, additionally, it actually might make a bit of sense.

Then there are other moments when what seemed so clear to you turns into a blurry mess and a little bit of panic starts creeping up your stomach. These moments might include you starting to question your choice of method or the quality of your data. You might look at the calendar and realize that somehow the deadline all of a sudden looks way closer than you thought it would, calling for a slightly panicked restructuring of your schedule. You might just look at your computer screen and the only thing that comes to mind is I have no idea what I'm doing. You start debating with yourself whether it's better for you to wake up early and study or sleep in and work late. You seriously consider to finally start forcing your taste buds to like coffee, just for all the caffeine you're missing out on. You become sort of sure that writing this thing will be the end of your mental health.

And then there are some days when laziness and procrastination take over, and any motivation you thought you might have has all of a sudden fled the building.

Well, for all these moments, it's good to listen to the study bunny. 

Study bunny knows best.

Yes bunny, me too

xx

E

Dreaming

After spending few years as a student I like to day dream about a post-graduate future where I'm not living in a tiny student room. Most of the things on my "when-I-get-a-real-apartment wish list" are not very extravagant, with the top things being:

a) a private kitchen with more space for my food than just one shelf in the fridge 

b) a comfy sofa

c) a tv (yes, bringing some wild demands here)

d) that magical thing called a dishwasher

Other things are a bit more dreamy, including the ultimate item on the list for my dream house: 

an indoor hammock.

I realize it's a pretty far fetched idea since I doubt most landlords appreciate their tenants bolting up hammocks in their living room but one can always dream.

I can just imaging the awesomeness of hanging there covered in pillows and reading, reading and reading some more.

Aaaah!

I don't care that this might not even happen until I turn seventy but I swear, one day it will happen.

One day.

xx

E

A new type of vacation

Tomorrow morning I'm off to a four day skiing vacation with my guy.

25 is a great age to learn how to ski, right?

Well, at least I'm very excited to learn some new things and have fun at the same time, now here's to hoping  I won't break any limbs :)

xx

E

My little escape

Sometimes when I need to take a little break from the things I'm doing (these days "things" mostly refer to thesis writing) I  like to grab my camera and take pictures of random things or places. I find it to be a nice way to relax a bit.

It's a bit cold outside so tonight I decided to stay inside and try to catch my room on camera (by clicking on the photos, you get a larger display)

Living in a small student room means that it's a bit hard to divide the living space into areas. I decided to hang up an old lace curtain in order to separate the entrance from the rest of the room, it's not much but it sort of works.

My Game of Thrones calendar proudly on display. Yeah, I'm a terrible sucker for both the books and the show.

My front door is magnetic so it's almost completely covered with pictures. This little message is there to send me out into the day in a good way. 

The room is not big and being rented I can't put up any hooks. That's why I'm really glad about these knobs above my bed, they make storing things slightly easier.

A part of my desk and the string lights that literally hang all around my room. It's amazing what one string with 100 clear bulbs can do for a little room.

Yeah, that's about it. My little Swedish home.

My little Friday night snack also got captured in a few photos. Strawberries and blueberries dipped in 70% chocolate and coconut flakes. Followed by one cold beer.

Sweet, sweet Friday

xx

Eva

Friday!

I hope you have a good weekend!

 In fact I hope your weekend will be just as exciting as this little fella is about his spaghetti

In my case the weekend sort of gets cancelled until Sunday, then I'm off to a five day vacation!

xx
E

Finding beautiful music

Sometimes you come across a musician that so completely blows you away that the only thing you can think of is: Why on earth haven't I heard this before?

Today I had such a moment during the stretching part of my gym class. Midway through the song I was so focused on trying to memorize the lyrics (for looking it up once I got home) that I couldn't pay attention to a single thing of what the instructor was saying.

The musician is Michael Kiwanuka. His voice is one of the best things I've heard in a long while, it's so rich and soulful. 

Anyways, his album came out in March last year and after having rolled through it I'm blown away. I really don't know what cave I've been living in for the past year since I've managed to miss this until now. So, if you've heard of him before, awesome! If not, well, here you go, listen and enjoy.

Breathtaking!

xx

E

Being positive

I'm a strong believer in the power of positive attitude. I try to look at the bright sides of everything and it's for a pretty simple reason: it makes me feel better and I feel that it gets me further than having a negative outlook on life. 

Of course, like everyone else, I can have my bad days every now and then and that's alright. It´s not about  being a complete Pollyanna and not recognizing the existence of any negative happenings. Instead, whenever frustration hits me I make an effort to not linger in a negative attitude toward people and things. Usually I ask myself:

Is it worth it to hold a grudge because of this?

Is this worth being angry about? 

or Come on Eva, is this really the end of the world? 

The answer to this question hardly ever a yes. Why? Because to me holding on to hatred and other negative feelings is one of the worst waste of resources that I can think of. It gives you absolutely nothing constructive back while taking so much of your energy and time, it's absolutely useless.  

For me it comes down to acknowledging both the positive and negative things that happen to you and make an effort not to let the negative ones take over. It might not always be the easiest path but for me it's by far the most rewarding one.

Happy International Day of Happiness!

xx

E

little treats

Sometimes little treats are in order

chocolate muffins without any white sugar and flour

instead there's oatmeal, sugar-free applesauce, Greek yogurt and 70% chocolate

best enjoyed with a glass of ice cold milk

ommnommnomm

the recipe can be found here

xx

E

Anywhere in the world

Tonight I had an interesting discussion with some of my kitchen mates (I live in a student housing where I share a kitchen with other students). The question was asked: If you could be from any place in the world, what would it be?

Some countries got mentioned but when the turn came to me I didn't hesitate. Unlike the others I said I wouldn't change a thing, Iceland it is. The reason is simply that despite having lived in four other countries nothing comes close to beating home, even though I've really enjoyed my time in all of the places I've been. 

There's just something about it. The nature is truly one of a kind and I'll be the first to admit that I didn't appreciate its true beauty until I spent time away from it all. Only then was the first time that I saw the uniqueness about it.

Not only is the nature beautiful but you can also really grasp the power of it. That power is something that I haven't felt to as much extent in most other places. Maybe the emotional connection I have towards the country enhances that sense of natural power.  However I think the most deciding factor for me is the fact that you only needs to take a short walk outside of town to see clear examples of nature's power, such as lava rocks or strong ocean waves. 

That's how near the nature is. The nature is there, it's constantly present and constantly reminding you of itself, whether it's through stormy weather, northern lights or volcanic ashes settling down on your windowsill. 

Of course nobody's perfect, Iceland still has issues that need to be addressed whether they are economic, political or social.  When taken into a larger perspective these issues however become minor and to me mostly serve as a reminder of the privilege of being born in a safe and healthy environment.

The nature, the location, the size of the population, the language, the culture, the history. In my view all these things create some sort of quirkiness that makes it a privilege to be able to say this is where I'm from. To me this quirkiness gets confirmed in the reaction of almost every single person who asks me where I'm from. The reactions describe some fascination with a country that is so close but still so far away.

I'm a lucky one for being able to call this place my home and hopefully it won't be too long until I get to visit it again.

xx

E