Listen

I never really realised how affected people can be by something so simple. I did something as simple as cut my hair, and people all around me, seemed to change their attitude about me. Strangers commented on Facebook in Blogger groups about how brave I was, but that’s not what touched me the most.

Since I cut my hair, people close to me shared things about feminism, and gender identity. I’ve never been so proud to listen to my friends, ever. Telling something as private as issues of sexism and gender identity is very brave, and takes a special kind of trust that nothing else takes.

The thing is, sexism is very much alive, even today. I myself have been hit on in the streets, been treated in different ways just because I’m a woman. I’ve had boys complain directly to me about how they can’t get a woman into their bed. Not into a relationship, just into bed. Directly to me, to a woman, as if I’m supposed to be magically okay with it. Let me assure you, it’s not in the least amount okay.

But that's not the thing that this post is about, even though sexism is one of the most important issues, one of the closest to my heart. This post is about the most important thing you can do as a friend or even as a human.

As long as I live, as long as I breathe, I will listen to everyone who tells me about these types of problems, these situations that make them uncomfortable or allows them to feel like they're less than they are. And I’ll do what I can to prevent them.

If someone tells you anything about them, or their experiences or thoughts, do what you can. Listen, give advice or whatever they need. But that’s the most important, the first step towards helping.

Listen. It can change some of the most important things to a person, change the way they see everything, make them feel they have another choice, making them feel like they’re being heard, cared for or even loved.

Just listen.

People pleaser

I’ve had this thing since I was a little kid. I’ve always wanted everyone around me, me myself included, to be happy and if they haven’t been, I’ve taken personal responsibility. I want everyone to be overjoyed with life, and I want them to feel like they can count on me. Every single time a friend asks me for a favor, I say yes. When they call to rant/cry/talk about something, I pick up the phone, no matter what time of day it is. I’m a people pleaser.

Every time I have to put something on hold for a while, I feel guilty. If someone I’m close to feels bad about something, I make it my personal mission to make them feel better again, no matter how much of my time it takes and what I have to do. If someone is stressed, I take some of their burden off in every way I can, if someone has relationship problems, I listen and give advice. I’m always there.

Every day, when I wake up, I have a list of things to do that will take more time than I have in my day, and if I have to skip something or push something forward to tomorrow, I feel incredibly guilty and I overthink it.

Some might say being an altruist, a people pleaser or being busy is a good thing, but they’ve clearly never tried it.

A Small Shopping Spree

As most of you know by now, I’m a bit (completely) shopaholic, especially during sales. I buy everything, for everyone, and I spoil myself beyond any normal reasoning of mine. I already have a huge closet, both at my parent’s house and in my apartment. So of course, as summer sales sprung to a beginning, I decided to hit the town in the loving company of my sister.

I immediately chose the pink sweater, made from what must be the softest material on Earth. I don't think I've ever worn something as cozy as this in my entire life, it seriously feels like wearing a huge, pink cloud of some kind.

The other things, however, took some time to choose, since they were a bit more out of my comfort zone.

The pink top, after much encouragement from my sister, became a yes. I thought it would be a bit revealing, but it’s summertime and she convinced me to buy it (but I highly suspect it’ll end up in her closet more than once, as many of my garments do). The choker, there was no question. It was mine the moment I saw it, as I sort of collect them, and same goes for the sunglasses.

The grey shirt however, was a bit of a thinker. Even though I thought I looked great in it, I couldn’t make up my mind about it, since it wasn’t really my style to begin with. I ended up buying it either way, deciding to broaden my horizons.

Getting to spend time with my sister was the best part of the day however, since she’s such a great person to be around, and I rarely see her at all anymore. She’s always working on her play, as she as an aspiring actress should be, making her spend most of her time away from home, or running lines. We had a great time today however, and for that I’m really grateful. I've missed hanging out with her in the past year, being apart from a sibling is surprisingly hard, since they annoy the crap out of you every single time you decide to spend more than a couple of hours together.

 I apologize for the lighting in and the quality of my pictures today, and for the fact that they're actually selfies. I'm not too fond of posting selfies here, it seems like more of a snapchat/instagram thing, but I really didn't feel like bothering someone to come take pictures of me, since they're all busy with their own things.
   Also, another quick side note: thank you for all the wonderful support about the hair! I never imagined that the post would be read by so many different people (in only a day, it's become the second most read post on my entire blog!) and that I would be getting this kind of feedback from complete strangers, over a ton of different social media platforms.
   In the last few days I've gotten more compliments about my apperance than I've ever gottten (I think) and people have gone so far as to call me brave for cutting my hair this short, saying they themselves would never have that kind of courage. I'm humbled, and a bit overwhelmed, your support is really great! Thank you! 💚


Also, before you leave. Please take a few seconds out of your day to fill out the survey in the upper left corner on the left side of the screen, I'm really curious!

2 minute poetry

I see you as you see me

It’s as easy as can be

For if I see you as you see me

That means that you can also see

just how perfect you are to me

I Buzzed My Hair

I buzzed my hair yesterday. Having thought about doing it for almost three years, I figured maybe it was finally time to take the plunge. I’ve had short hair before, you’re all aware of that. But buzzing my hair has been on my bucket list for ages, and now I can finally cross it off.

So why did I do it? Is there an ulterior motive behind all of this hair-cutting? No there really isn’t, and here comes the only reason: I wanted to.

In an age where women are able to do almost everything they want, in a large amount of places on Earth, people were worried about me cutting my hair. We can become CEO’s, president, politicians… And people were concerned when I wanted shorter hair. But honestly, I was worried at first too, thinking things like “What if people won’t want to be with me because of my hair?” and “Will it make me less attractive?”.

Then I realised something very important; if people make a choice to not be with you because of how you look, they’re not worth your time. and they’re probably extremely shallow. I came to the conclusion that even if it turned out hideous, I would gain life experience, I wouldn’t have to wonder what I’d look like with buzzed hair, and it would eventually grow back.

I cut my hair because I wanted to, and no, I don’t regret it. I think I look the best I’ve looked in months, and I feel adorable. I consider this to be a step forward, and something that I’ll probably always be thankful for doing.

I’ll always get to view this as life experience, and I’m proud of myself for finally doing it.

300

Yesterday’s post, MIA, marked the 300th post on my blog. Another milestone has been reached, after a year of continuous blogging. It’s weird to think how quickly large numbers are reachable, if you’re dedicated enough.

I honestly didn’t ever imagine that I’d reach 300 posts, and now that I have, I can not imagine stopping here. 300 is a large number, but I know in my heart that I won’t stop blogging anytime soon and that the amount of posts will continue growing for many years ahead. What started out as a hobby has very quickly turned into something bigger, something that’s become part of my daily routine, and now I can’t imagine being without it.

So, what’s next? I ask myself. Well, post number 400, is the logical answer, of course it’s getting closer and closer to that point. But instead of creating more and more content, I’d also like to keep evolving. I’d love to improve my content, and make more of it each day. I’d love to be able to post several times a day, every day, varying the labels on the posts more and more. I want this to be a place where everyone can find something that they enjoy reading, or watching.

I’d also love to become even bigger on an international scale. I know that more than half of you are from other countries, and I love that the amount of “non-Finnish” readers keep growing. To me, it’s amazing, that people across the globe read my blog on a regular basis, from everywhere between Brazil and the US to South Korea and Bangladesh. Though I have no idea how you found me, I love that you did.

Thank you all so much for your support, and I hope that you’ll stick around, reading the following 300 posts as well!

The Modern Woman

The modern woman, she needs nothing

No husband or children to bring happiness

all she needs is her own mind and heart

Nothing more and nothing less

The modern woman, she stands alone

Bliss surely fills her powerful mind

her own life, her own home, a career

She’s strong, independent, loving and kind

The modern woman, she guides herself

through storming waters and a rising sun

having no idea what she’s started

Our awaited journey has at last begun

Tired

Today I woke up tired, not sure why. I feel like I haven’t slept at all, even though I went to bed quite early (for me at least), and I slept until 9 this morning. Still, my head feels like my brain is made of porridge and my eyes feel unfocused and dry. I still haven’t had lunch, maybe that’s why. Or maybe my body misses the amount of sugar my diet used to consist of. Or it might be because I haven’t had coffee yet, who knows.

Today I start working, meaning I’ll soon have to get properly dressed and drag myself outside. I’m actually looking forward to doing something more physical, since most of what I do involve a large amount of mental work, but very little activity of any other kind. It’s going to be fun, since I also get to work outside.

I’m hoping for a productive day.

Day #169

Yesterday was quite fun, filled with many positive things, but the one I picked for today’s post, is going out to eat with my boyfriend. Having spent our first month together as an official couple, we thought we’d celebrate. Remembering him having spoken about Friends & Brgrs, a place I hadn’t tried yet, I picked that one, and we were off to dinner.

Being a casual, fresh hamburger restaurant, I was still surprised about the interior. Minimalistic, yet oddly pretty, the place gave off a very relaxed vibe, and I very much enjoyed my meal. The fresh ingredients were noticeable, and I actually felt full after a meal, something that rarely happens at other burger places. Not to mention, it was incredibly tasty.

I always enjoy trying new things, especially food. And of course, the company made it even more of a positive experience.

MIA

Okay, before anyone says anything; I know I’ve been MIA in the past few days, I haven’t updated anything, posted stuff anywhere and I’ve been quiet for quite some time. So get ready for a rambling, explanatory post about my weekend, yay!

Friday was filled with “have to’s”; my exam, cleaning the apartment, every inch of it, paying some bills and packing the things I needed for summer. Completely exhausted, I clocked out around 2 a.m, only to wake up five hours later, when I had to get ready for the busride, something that I did not at all appreciate.

Travelling by bus isn’t something I prefer, but since I am a student (and my budget shows it) I do it because it’s cheap. Not getting a lot of sleep the previous night caused me to fall asleep several times on the bus, thankfully not deep enough to miss my stop. Almost seven hours after getting on, I finally stepped out, grabbed my bags and waited for my parents to come pick me up, which they did quite soon after. The evening was spent with eating, talking to my family, taking a walk with the family dog and my brother, taking a quick shower and then jumping into my car.

The weather during Saturday evening was thankfully pretty okay, since the last of my night was spent outside. Only a slight drizzle disturbed the beautiful skies. Sitting by the lake me and my company were under attack by mosquitoes, but we survived that as well as the rain.

Today has been even more busy. As soon as I got up I helped my mother prep for the birthday party my brother was having, taking out some rugs, doing the dishes and some other, small chores. The guests arrived around 1 p.m., and everyone managed to have a fun time. I very much enjoyed getting to see my cousins, whom I haven't seen in almost a full year. After discussing some darwinism and other important theories in biology, and talking quite a bit about family history with my mom and dad, I changed into something less formal (i.e. from a dress to jeans) and went to see my boyfriend, since we had made plans for the evening.

None of us are really keen on celebrating each month you’ve spent with a person, but since this one was our first, we decided to celebrate anyway. We chose going out to eat as our activity, and before we left, he surprised me with roses, something only one person has done for me before. Itwas a very pleasant gift, I enjoy flowers. We took a small walk along the beach, admiring the view, taking in the gorgeous surroundings and accidentally stepping too close to a bird’s nest  and getting chased away very angrily. Mommy birds can be very defensive, but thankfully they didn't actually hurt us, just flew around us in circles, making intense loud noises.

It is now past midnight and I’m sitting on my bed, completely exhausted. Falling asleep tonight is going to be such a blessing, because even though all the things I’ve done have been a lot of fun, I, just like everyone else, have a limited amount of energy. I’m hoping for a good night’s sleep.

The sun is still setting outside my window, making the sky a beautiful, glowing pink. I’m getting increasingly sleepy. Tomorrow will be a new day, filled with different adventures. I'm supposed to start working, which I'm looking forward to. After a whole year of mental assignments, I think I'll appreciate doing something more physically active. I'm also thinking about going for a bike ride, but the jury's still out on that one.

I'll stop here, for now. There are a lot of other things that I could tell you, and I'm probably going to, but right now I need my sleep to be a priority, and since I'm going to try to get out of bed at a reasonable time tomorrow, now seems like a good time to try going to sleep (I'm saying "try", since somehow, a mosquito has found her way into my room, and the noise is bugging me).

Goodnight from my childhood room!

Going Home

I fear I’m getting sick. I slept almost 10 hours tonight, and yet I feel exhausted and have a huge headache. I don’t have the time to get sick, but illness doesn’t consider whether you have time or not. Hopefully it’s just a small cold, and I’ll be as energetic as always in a week or two.

With only two days left in Åbo, I have a lot of things to take care of. I still have an exam tomorrow, and I have to clean my apartment before leaving to go home, and of course, I have tons of things to pack. Laundry is also a priority at this point, since I haven’t had the time to do it already, but I need to wash all the clothes I want to bring home with me. Having such a large closet it’s going to make it difficult to choose what to bring with me, since I’ve decided to bring just one bag with me.

I look forward to coming home, I honestly can’t wait. My apartment is starting to make me feel a bit claustrophobic, and since almost all my friends have left the city already (or are still living with their parents) my life has been plagued by boredom. I miss spending time in the forest, or just laying on the grass in our yard. I miss the pets and the people, and I’m really looking forward to getting home this Saturday.

Storm

They say storms don't last forever

but this one seems to do

Smooth seas don't make good sailors

but that is what I wish for

I don't really believe in hell or heaven

but that's where I'm going to

And they claim our souls can last forever

but my soul has losts its core

Do what’s right and not what’s easy

but the right ones are so hard

Pressure has claimed my life lately

the consequences I can guess

My heart imbedded in the strongest walls

and my feelings stand as guard

I just long for health, joy, happiness

nothing more, nothing less

Time

I always feel like I could do more, like I could make things better, do more stuff, spend more time with everyone I care about, study more and put more work into everything I care about… But I’m not superhuman, my days only have 24 hours just like everyone else's, and I don’t have an unlimited amount of energy.

As humans we need to understand that we actually do have limits, that we can’t expand our time beyond a certain point. We’re limited, and that’s never going to change. No matter how much you want to, you can’t do everything, and that’s something that you really need to accept, unless you’re willing to overwork yourself and inevitably start to go crazy.

But that doesn’t mean you should feel limited, it just means that you need to learn how to prioritize. Choosing what you spend your time on is one of the most important choices you’ll ever make, because that’s going to shape the rest of your life.

Choose wisely.

Progress

   My blog has made amazing progress after I moved out, and now, almost a year later, I'd love to thank all of you for the amazing support you keep giving me.
   I've been through a lot this past year, and having something to come back to every day, something that gives me so much joy and give the people interested in it keep giving them joy as well, made it a lot better. I've been under a lot of stress and pressure, especially in the past few weeks, and your support, especially the increasing amount of positive comments makes me feel a lot better. Feedback is always great, especially the positive kind.
   It makes me so happy to know that people appreciate the things I do and the things I create, read my posts and watch the videos I make. Just know that it makes me very happy that you guys support me, and I appreciate all the feedback I get from you, it helps me improve!

Here

I want you here

here until the Earth breaks apart beneath our feet

I want you here

here until the world shatters and we are all that’s left

I want you here

like a flower craves the presence of sunlight

I want you here

like nothing I’ve wanted before

I want you here

here until my soul leaves my body behind to rest

I want you here

here until all that’s known has disappeared from us

I want you here

like a galaxy craves the presence of stars

I want you here

like nothing I’ve ever wanted

Why High School is a terrible idea

I have never understood why high school is a thing. I feel like they skip out on so many different, very important things that teens need to learn, and I can’t stop thinking that they cause a lot of harm.

If we start with the things they don’t teach you, the first thing I find it really funny that the information they pump into their students about prevention of pregnancy is a large part of school, but they don’t breathe a word about what happens when you actually want children, or even when you actually get pregnant. They teach you about how the fetus matures when they’re in the womb, but nothing is said about when the child arrives. How to raise a child is a complete mystery to most teenagers. They don’t learn how taxes work, or even the political system works in their country, something that young minds need to know. They’re taught calculus, they’re taught things that are actually important, but not everything a young mind needs to know, not everything they need to find their own individuality, mold their own opinions and trust their own thoughts. But that’s just the thing. The people teaching them don’t care about individuality, they just want their job to be as easy as possible,

And then there’s the harm high school cause. Most people who kill themselves in their young years, do so because of high school. Bullying is often made fun of, “it was just a joke”. But that’s just the thing. No matter what you joke about, even if you just make fun of the way someone smiles. I once met a boy who covered his mouth compulsively when he smiled, because a girl made fun of his teeth when he was fifteen.

The things you say, the things you do, affect people on a daily basis. You can make someone’s day, or destroy it completely, with just a couple or words or a simple action. And sometimes, that damage can’t be repaired, sometimes because it’s too severe and sticks with them, and sometimes it’s not resolved because there simply isn’t time. The affected one’s time runs out, and no one handles it.

For some reason, someone thought this would be a good idea, the concept of high school. “We have a ton of angsty teenagers who are insecure, who have no clue about who they are or what they want with their life. And then we put pressure on them with numbers and letters to compare them to a system of how good they are in different things. Perfect.” Because that’s exactly what happens. Most people are awful to others during their teen years, and they don’t consider the consequences (I should know, I was awful in some aspects too).

High school is an awful concept. But the thing is, there are no better ideas. So we chose this one, and we ran with it.

If Only I Could

Things I would change
There are so many
I would smile more if I could
I'd laugh and I'd talk
I'd even sing, I'm sure I would
There are things I'd change
If only I could

I'd change how I act,
In so many ways
I would help the others,
I know I would do
Reach out, and help them
I know that it's true

I'd change my ideas
to fit in a better world
Where all people have a voice
a simple way to just be heard
I'd change all of this
If only I could

BoJack Horseman

   BoJack Horseman lives a Charlie Harper-like lifestyle, spending most of his time with alcohol, his exgirlfriend/agent, his best friends girlfriend, "working" as an actor. Most of the series is spent figuring out solutions to his drunken mishaps, finding out the root of his deep sadness and the solution to all his problems.
   The series, featuring a pink cat, a yellow lab, two normal people and a horse, evolves into something much more than the sum of it's parts. The show is deserving of much more recognition than it's currently getting, showing the parts of life that are often not shown in more traditional tv shows.
   Despite being a cartoon, it is no more for children than Rick & Morty, and I would highly recommend it to everyone that's not all too easily offended, likes jokes of every kind and love the concept of tvshows that actually dare to dig deeper than joking about politics and reaches core problems on a personal level.
   Not recommended for any of my younger readers! Is however recommended for my more adult readers.

My Hair Journey!

   Every now and then, I like to go through old pictures, maybe find something that inspires me, or just reminds me of something I did that I found interesting or just a fun little memory. I was going through some old pictures, and I realised that I have gone through a lot of haircolors in just the past year, everything from blonde to blue to black. I even had my natural haircolor for a short while before the blonde.
   I'm thinking of cutting together some pictures from the past year in a small project, but I haven't decided on it yet.
   However, it also made me realize that I really miss my blue hair. I looked really good with blue hair and I'm starting to reconsider growing out my hair and keeping it black, because now I kind of want to make it blue again, or maybe green...
   Anyway, here are the pictures of my hair journey from the past year!

Be

I want to write some poetry
some words to move your heart
I want to change your thoughts
and break your mind apart

I want to move some part of you
make an impression of some kind
Make something that wipes you away
leaves your past behind

I want to make you see the world
Just like the universe I see
I want to change the world a bit
make it better to be

When I Was Younger

   When I was younger (around the time when I was maybe 13 or 14), I was completely set on becoming a famous writer. I was going to write tons of moving novels, poems and short stories... I was going to move poeple with my words, making impressions and focusing on things that are really important, improving the world small steps at a time. That was one of the most important things I wanted to do with my life, change things for the better.
   And now, when I'm young and should be starting that journey, I can't seem to find the energy. I have lots of ideas that I'm passionate about and I really like, but I never really locate the fire to make it through the entire project. Poems and short stories are a piece of cake, but the novels drive me crazy. I used to type out chapter after chapter, and be able to write several hours every day, now I barely type a couple words a day, never really finishing a project longer than a few pages.
   I have no idea what changed, I don't know what happened to me. Maybe I changed, maybe I'm stressed, maybe my writing style changed, maybe nothing happened and I just had too many things to do that had nothing to do with writing. A part of me wishes I could get that back, but I have a feeling I'm not going to.
   I have a lot of things to work on, I think. I still want to be an author, I still want to be able to live doing what I love, and I know that if I'd be able to get that fire back, the same passion I used to have for the literature of others and myself. I want to write, I really do, but I can't figure out what changed in my mind making me inable to write the things I want to, the projects I like and love when I start working with them.
   I think I might gain it back, but I'm not sure. I'm going to try, at least. I really want to become an author, at least at some point in my life. I still love writing, I really do. I love making impressions through my poetry and short stories, reaching my readers with blog posts and sharing my ideas using words as my medium. I only wish I'd get bettter at it again.
(photo credit: Team Liquid)

Just A Week

   In just one week, I'll be done here in Åbo, and I'll get to go home. I have my exams left, and some reading still to do, but I've begun taking care of all the things I need to take care of before I leave, and soon enough, I'll be ready and travelling back north.
   I'm spending the summer at my parents house, sleeping in my own room, and I'm really looking forward to it. Despite having to leave my apartment, and most of my stuff, I'm actually thrilled about getting to spend all that time. I miss the country, I miss my cat, and I've missed my siblings. And, of course, I'm going to miss my apartment here (this picture is actually taken right when I moved in, the only furniture in the apartment being my bed), but I'm also really looking forward to going home.
   There is so much to be grateful about when I get to go home for so long. I'm going to see all the friends I have that still live at home, I'm going to see my sister's debut in her first play, I'm going to work, I get to see my boyfriend regularly and I get to actually be in a silent environment (which is rare when you live really close to the hospital). I'm going to try finishing my novel, work on my drawings and read all the books I haven't had the time for this year.
   Going home also makes me realize that I've been living on my own for almost a year, had this blog over a year, and (almost) completed my first year of university. I don't think I ever really understood that I'm actually going to be an adult, although I knew it logically. I don't think we are very aware of our own aging.
   I'm slowly but surely realizing I'm actually an adult now, and I'm both overjoyed and terrified.

Love Yourself: It's Hard

   There is a lot of talk about loving yourself floating around, all this pseudo positivity floating around about "love yourself, before loving someone else". The thing is though: loving yourself is extremely hard! I know this first hand, I have a lot of days where I doubt every single thing I do, and I know many of my friends that do the same thing. Some of the women I know, the first thing in the morning that they do, is standing in the bathroom, critiquing everything about themselves. "Look at my hair, it's so frizzy!" "Why does my stomach look like that?" "I wish my hips were wider"... And so on, for several minutes.
   This is something a lot of people struggle with. Being the first person, every day who offers negativity in your life is something extremely hard to go through, and something that no one deserves. You are the first person to give criticism about yourself, and you keep feeding those negative feelings about you. I myself doubt me, very often. "Is this good enough to post?" "Why does my arm look like this is this picture, I can't post it now." "I'm so stupid, why didn't I change this before?" So trust me, I know what I'm talking about.
   Self critique isn't all negative though, it is quite positive, when used correctly. Taking time to reflect about what you do and what you want, what you can improve and what you should probably stop doing, it's not a bad thing. However, sticking with the negative energy from your thoughts is very self-destructive. Putting yourself down isn't going to lead to anything good. Ever.
   Loving yourself is hard, I know. There is no manual for things like this, no step for step method you can use to start loving yourself in a week. You can't do that. But if you really want to love yourself, I'd recommend getting to know yourself. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is the first and most important step towards loving yourself.
(photo credit: Everyday Power Blog)

Give Everything

I give you everything,

time, money, peace of mind

Whenever you worry,

I tell you to leave it behind

I give you everything,

love, security, all my trust

I'm concerned I've given all

for life there is no lust

I give you all and more

more than I can endure

And you keep dissapointing me

it's more than this, it has to be

I gave you all I had

friendship, a hand to hold

I'm left just feeling bad

and I fear I'm going mad

I gave you my everything

my broken heart and all

the one thing that I have left

is the sensation of a fall

Day #158

Great weather is one of my favorite things in the world. I love sunshine, with just a little smidge of wind. Today, besides studying for my exams, I decided to take a walk in the lovely surroundings of my home, walking along the river and eating some icecream in the park. I love the sense of sun on my skin, and the fact that summer is finally coming makes me more happy than anything at the moment. I look forward to going home so much, and I can’t wait to spend time with my friends and family again, it’s going to be so much fun!

Hopefully time will pass soon, I’m getting tired of my apartment and studying, I want something new in my life. My days have really lacked variety rarely, and I’m so looking forward to having some agan.

The Good Thing About Change

   Change is something people are often afraid of or worried about, since we get comfortable with things we're used to, and we realize change will bring us something new. However, change is often positive since it brings the possibility of improvement. So, I came to the conclusion that I had to take the plunge on this one.
   I have thought about this a lot, and I've decided to make a change in my blog's appearance, since I thought the last one was a little bit too gloomy, and was concerned about having a dark background and white text, since the things I write are usually quite long and could be annoying to read. I decided on trying out the blue/grey background you see here. If you like it, please leave it in the comments below, because your opinions matter!

Day #157

I have always been curious about other cultures, and I take every opportunity I can get to find out new things about the world around me. So when finding out I’d get to try borsjtj soup, I was absolutely thrilled! Made mostly from beetroot, this soup is such a classic, and getting to enjoy it homemade, with good company, was even better.

I was quite surprised by the taste, since I’m honestly not a fan of beetroot. But borsjtj is actually really tasty, and I highly recommend it! Especially for students, since the ingredients are really cheap, meaning it’s quite affordable for people in college or university.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank the person introducing me to this, one of my closest friends in the city. Thank you, I really owe you one!

How to find Happiness

   "Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit quietly on your shoulder."
   Above is one of my favorite quotes. The reason I love it is simple, it makes me smile, and it is very true.
   Most people spend their entire life chasing happiness, hoping to find it as they run around after ambitions. Completing goals and finding ambitions is a part of happiness, but it's far from everything it's about.
   Happiness is about inner peace. Inner peace isn't hard to come by either. People tend to choose their ambitions and goals for the wrong things; money, popularity, fame... We just assume that those things are going to make us happy automatically, but they don't. Money, popularity and fame doesn't mean anything in the end. It doesn't matter how many people want to be friends with you, what matters is what kind of friends they are. Close friends over shallow acquaintances, always. Fame doesn't matter either, nor does money (though it's better to have enough money than too little, of course).
   What really matters is really what you feel. Do you feel peaceful and happy, or do you feel stressed and unhappy? Do you choose ambitions and goals based on things like fame and getting rich, or things that will actually make you happy?
   Happiness isn't something that can be found, it has to come from inside. You create your own happiness, it can only come from your own mind and nowhere else.