London Zoo

The ZSL London Zoo was among the places we visited in London

This spot quickly became one of my all time favorite spots for photography. I love photographing the animals because nothing quite beats the beauty and the colors of mother nature.

It is a bit saddening though to walk through the zoo and see how many of these beautiful animals are either endangered or have hit a level of vulnerability. It's a little bit more uplifting though to know that these animals are carefully cared by professionals, and to find out that places such as the London Zoo actively run conservation programs all over the world to conserve the species and their habitats.

Here are some of the pictures we took during our visit.

I wanna go back!

xx

E

London bound

xx

E

Meet my friend, Fred.

This is my little buddy, Fred.

He is a friendly robot who gives me points and tells me I'm awesome every time I work out. He's a part of a larger online community called Fitocracy. 

 

Now, here's the thing. I've never been a person of any grand achievements when it comes to sports, not at all. My achievements, if any, have mostly been on the negative side such as fainting at what others would call easy exercising or being the most out of sync person at a step class despite being 30 years under the avarage age in the room.

 

There came a point where I realized that my physical weekness was definitely something I wanted to change. I wanted to be fitter and healthier. I wanted to be able to push my body a tiny bit without trembling.

 

So, I started going to the gym every now and then. I started writing down my exercises in a notebook to keep track of them but that just didn't cut it for me. So, I went looking for some sort of a fitness tracker to have an oversight of what I'm doing. That's how I found Fitocracy and I'm convinced it's the best thing that has happened to my health in a long time.

 

It's a nice looking app where you log your workouts and track your progress. It has a fun gaming twist to it, you receive points for every workout and level up. You can go on quests or take on some challenges.

 

Honestly, it's a game you actually want to get addicted to, unlike Candy Crush Saga

 

Now, I like these parts of Fitocracy a lot but what I really love is the online community. Besides the app, Fitocracy has a social network website and honestly, they've sort of done what I thought to be impossible. They've made a social network which is driven by positive attitude and respect.

 

Everyone there is doing the same thing, they're aiming to get healther, fitter and happier in life. If you're stuck in a rut, if you need any advice, suggestions or ideas, you'll always have people there to cheer you on, point out the good things you're doing and give you valuable, constructive feedback. Not once have I noticed anyone there giving others any type of negative attitude. It also doesn't matter what goals you have or what sports you do, you'll find groups in there full of supportive people that'll suit your goals.

 

So, just imagine Facebook without political or religious arguments, public shaming or petty fights. Replace all that with communications based on a positive dedication to a healthy and happy life.

 

This place has turned out to be awesome for a gym newbie like me.  I like the social support and get motivated by it, but I'm not comfortable with posting gym realted stuff on media such as Facebook(because let's face it, most people there really couldn't care less about your workouts or what you eat).

 

Since I joined, I'm a lot more motivated and my workouts are more regular. I'm fitter, I eat healthier and I'm happier. I've done things I've not dared to do before, including taking gym classes in Swedish and being confident enough to take on the free weights section of the gym. When I press F  into my webbrowser, the auto-complete takes me to Fitocracy, not Facebook and I think that's pretty cool.  I realize it's a platform that might not work for everyone, not everybody needs to get motivated by a friendly social kick in the butt. But if you're like me, then check it out, you won't regret it :)

 

xx

E

The backyard

There are few places in Gothenburg that offer a better view than my neighborhood, Masthugget. After a day spent mostly inside I decided to grab my camera and head over to the hill right behind my building to enjoy the view before the sun went down.

After all, one of the things I've learnt over here is that sunshine is not really abundant in Gothenburg, you've got to catch it while you can.

It really is a privilege to only have to take a few steps out of your building to enjoy such beautiful scenery.

I can't wait until the weather bumps up a few more degrees because this lovely place is the perfect spot for some barbecuing and beer.

xx

E

Monday morning

This week is going to be busy and I'm gonna make it a good one as well.

Why?

Because happy leads to productive.

It's time to show this thesis who's boss.

xx

E

book nook

Besides the previously mentioned indoor hammock my dream house has another essential item, a little reading nook. 

Ideally it would be a small and cozy space with soft seating and plenty of space for pillows and a blanket. It would also have to include some sort of shelves where I could keep books along with an occasional cup of tea and some cookies.

It would be a space where no phones or computers were allowed. The nook would serve as a little escape from daily life and buzzing technology, a little escape where I could relax, forget about time and space, and allow my mind to enjoy the awesomeness of books. 

a little corner with only one purpose

pillows, pillows and more pillows

A bench like this would be a dream

If this one were in my house I'd tuck away in there on every cold winter night

Now next on the list following the reading nook is a beautiful private library. 

How amazing that would be. 

I will leave those speculations for a post of their own though.

xx

E

Wanting spring.

Please don't let the sunshine and, the seemingly exotic, 10° weather that's been here for the past couple of days be a mean joke. Instead just keep up the good work and do even better by bumping up the temperature a tiny bit, I'd like to give my winter coat a rest now.

Snälla.

xx

E

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