Sunday Reflection!

This is my blog.  I got up one fine day and started this blog.  I took action and did what I wanted.  But how many times do we really get to do this? How many times do we have a say in what goes on in our life?  The positive person would say always, we always have control over where life takes us, or rather, where we take our life.  The negative person would argue in an opposite way.  We are at the mercy of life's situations.  I, disagree and agree with both.

I find myself torn between admitting that I am able to control what happens in my life, I am happy only until I let myself be happy.  I can be happy if I do not let the tough things effect me too much.  That's one approach I tend to like.  But then I also believe in destiny.  What is destined to happen will happen eventually and I really and truly do not have any control over that.

At this point I need to point out that, as I have mentioned countless times before on here, I am a horrible control freak.  Family and friends who know me well know what I'm like.  So you can understand how difficult it sometimes is to accept the fact that we are just not always able to control what happens in life.  But it can't be all bad can it? Letting life pave the way is sometimes so magical that it takes your breath away.  You might not see it at present, but you look back and say "Heck, this was the best thing that could have happened to me!"  This has happened to me once or twice, and let me tell you, the feeling you get after...yeah, it's magical!

Have a good week,
Claire xxx

Strictly NO parking,they say!

I've been pondering over this post for a while now and since posts where I rant about something seem to be quite popular, I'm going to take the plunge and Attempt (notice the capital letter) to understand the logic behind some people's parking decisions.

Living on such a tiny island means that every little change, even the smallest, will have a huge impact.  Cars have increased drastically and with it parking problems.  But what I shall look at today is not problems to do with logistics but actually problems which come about from a nation who is lazy and egoistic at best.

An issue I come face to face with often is that of having people parked in front of a garage.  My boyfriend happens to have a grocery store in front of his house, so what happens? People are too lazy to walk a few extra steps and so they park in front of the garage.  Now there will be ample empty spots to park in, but they choose to block the garage.  And if God forbid I get angry and go ask around, I will get nasty looks and complaints.

Next up, taking more than one parking slot.  As you know, I work in Sliema, which is in my opinion the worst place, after University, to find parking.  Parking areas are too expensive, they flood when it rains and they're a hassle to drive through.  So I look for parking on the street.  Now you'd be surprised to see that plenty, and by plenty I don't mean a couple but plenty, of cars who are parked in between parking spaces, which means that they take up two spaces.  Now I'm no St.Theresa, but I find it difficult to understand how people can be so egoistic as to do that.  If the case happens once in a blue moon I wouldn't say anything, but to have multiple cars doing it, it just frustrates me.

Next up and probably the worst of all is parking in the middle of the street like you own the place.  I suffer from horrible road rage and it's not the first time that I yell "Mela hallijielek Nannuk?" ("Was the road a gift from Grandpa?" - it's more effective in Maltese).  These people not only cause traffic jams, but they're also a danger to those driving properly. Oh and listen to this, another Sliema episode.  So I parked my car in a good parking spot, within the lines and everything and I go back to drive off in the scorching Summer heat to find a car blocking me completely. When I move closer, I find that this lovely driver left a note with her number so I could call her to come and drive away. Can you believe that? I was infuriated and I played a little trick on the person by telling her that I actually called the police and gave them her licence plate number.  She moved the car and the look on her face, priceless.

Please, for my sanity, stick to the white lines!
Claire

Once in a Lifetime!

http://youtu.be/KHy9mLJ7enk

I'm linking a song at the very start of the post because it inspired this post and it's a great, relaxing and romantic song, so enjoy. 

Just in case you didn't click the link is for a song called "Once In A Lifetime".  The song inspired me to write a post about stuff we do once in a lifetime which impact our whole lives.  I started thinking about little things you experience just once and you can actually think of the moment or situation and instantly feel the way you felt at the moment and chances are you'll remember this forever. 

So once in a lifetime item number 1: getting your car license.  This basically changes your life from either depending on people or using buses to completely free to go wherever and whenever.  I got my license at 18 and I remember the moment the examiner told me I passed.  I actually asked him, rather rudely whether I did pass because he was going on about some silly rule and i just looked at him and said " Imma ghaddejt jew?" Which translates to "But did I make it?" to which he replied, " oh yes, but this rule is really important". I have no clue what the rule was.  

Next once in a lifetime situation might be a bit too romantic for some, but I'm a silly romantic so here goes.  It's the moment you realise you really love a person and he/she is your soul mate.  Strictly speaking this may occur more than once but I believe that the soul mate thing happens really only once and when you realise that, the moment is, in my opinion, priceless. 

YOYO. Yes I'm going to be 'hip' and use this: you're only young once.  I know older people will say I'm only 21 and that's still pretty young, but how awesome is it to be young? You really do experience stuff that you only get to do when you're young, so being young and doing silly things is a once in a lifetime that really makes you think doesn't it? I think being young is the time that once in a lifetime situations really happen and I need to start embracing that idea more. At the same time, you may choose to make being young not a once in a lifetime thing and live young at heart.  Either way, embrace the moment. 

Song's almost over so I'm stopping here.  I'm sure I'll look back later and find that I missed a couple of moments, so share with me any ideas you come up with.

Enjoy Sunday,

Claire xxx

Bad Habits!

I've been thinking about this post for a while now.  I am always trying to self-evaluate in order to try and better myself.  And as they say, you can only fix a problem after you've admitted to having said problem. So here goes:

First bad habit I want to get rid of is talking to myself in the car.  I am terrible at this.  It's like my mouth realises I'm driving and there it goes.  It also has to do with the fact that I get great ideas whilst driving so I end up thinking aloud about a post or something I'm thinking about.  Now whilst driving it's not such a bad thing but when I'm in front of shops or in traffic lights, I get people looking at me like I'm some psycho.  Thank God bluetooth exist because I usually touch my ear a bit so people think I'm on the phone.

Next bad habit is looking at my phone, all the time.  I honestly don't know why I do it but I constantly check my phone, even if it doesn't ring or vibrate.  Smartphones don't help as there's always something to check.  It drives my boyfriend crazy when I do that and I realised it's a bad habit when he tried to make me not look at my phone and I ended up getting all anxious and fidgety...not cool Claire, not cool!

Next bad habit is especially bad because I am a bit clumsy (some might say I'm very clumsy, but I try to think of myself in a positive light).  It involves me putting glasses, mugs, anything which holds a beverage either too close to me or at the very edge of the table.  I knock down glasses on an almost weekly basis, and it's mostly my fault because of this nasty habit.  I thought it would all change when I spilled a whole glass of water on my iPhone but sadly I still keep on doing it.

I think three bad habits are enough for today, I'm sure I have plenty more.  What are your bad habits? Share with me so I don't feel too bad about myself. Please?

Claire

1 week of Summer Memories: DAY 7!

And here it is, the final post! This post has to be sentimental, doesn't it?  It's back to school on Monday and a whole week of reflection made me realise more how much I'm going to miss this Summer.  But, as my wise boyfriend says "All in good time". (whoever really says that I have no clue, but the boyfriend does so I'm quoting him)

This final memory has been looming over me all week but I decided from the very beginning to keep it for the last day.  I'm talking of the memory of feeling happy.  You know how in Summer...you do absolutely nothing much all day except lounge about on the beach, then hang with friends or family, eat more fruit and ice-creams (ok, mostly ice-creams in my case) than actual food and you're driving home in that Summer breeze and you're happy.  In your head you think this is one of those great days I'll never forget.  Of course, you don't actually remember that particular day, but I'm talking about that silly feeling that you get in your stomach when you think of the day you've had.  I probably sound like a little girl talking like this but I'm sure you've been in your bed, ready to sleep and you smile to yourself thinking about how life is sometimes very, very good and little things can make you happy.

Well, I was lucky to have a good number of moments like that this Summer and the memory of those feelings is the best memory of all.

All days won't be as awesome, if they were we'd never appreciate the really special days, so today, on my last Saturday of Summer 2013, I won't be sad over what has passed, but be happy that it happened!

Claire xxx

1 week of Summer memories;DAY 6!

I'm writing this off my phone so it's going to be a short post, just a quick little memory to keep the series going as promised.

As you might have gatherer from my other posts, I tried to do everything and anything possible! Something else I did this Summer was attend the Joseph Callejja concert. For those who don't know he's a Maltese tenor, known worldwide and often compared to the late, great Pavarotti.  The tickets for this concert are usually quite expensive but this year they made it free on the standing side.  

I loved every minute of it.  Classical music relaxes me so I enjoyed every second of the 3 hour show.  

Anyway, that's the memory before the last, and I just love it! Have a great night, 

Claire xxx

1 week of Summer Memories: DAY 4 & DAY 5!

So given that these two memories are rather simple I decided to mix it up a little and put two memories in one post.  That way, you don't get bored and I can get away with not feeling guilty for having to skip a day.

So 2 memories, one post.  Let's do this.

First memory: I usually hold back from talking about my results online, be it Facebook, my blog, Instagram, anywhere.  I try to keep school a private matter because it's something very serious to me so I don't feel it's appropriate to discuss stuff like results online.  But this memory is funny and one time won't hurt.  So a quick explanation for those unaware of how stuff works at the University of Malta.  So, results are posted onto an online platform called esims.  Hated by all, this little platform lets us view results and when a new result comes out it is in green font.  Now I was at Sliema heading home from work when I decided to check whether any results had been posted.  And I see a little green line of words.  Zooming in, I wasn't sure whether the grade was a D or an A.  Now this blessed esims, gives the result by giving only the grade and subject code.  Obviously, I had no clue what the code was.  Anyway so I check the code and it's a subject I worked super hard in and I was extra happy that I did so well.  Forgetting I was walking around in Sliema, I start skipping and saying "Yes! Yes!" aloud.  Realising that I was in the middle of the street I decided to go into my car and celebrate there.  So I rolled down my windows, sat down in my seat and screamed my heart out with joy, banging on the stirring and doing God knows what.  At one point I look to my left, and realise that I was parked right in front of a pub or bar of some sort with tables outside and people sitting on the tables.  Needless to say, I started my car, sped off and never, ever parked in that spot again.

Second memory is easy and simple.  A favourite of many, it's the memory of days at the beach.  I'm blessed with living on a tiny island so the sea is never more than 15 minutes away, no matter where you are.  I enjoyed Sundays at the beach with friends (and beer), quick dips with my parents, other days with my two boys (mentioned here) and my favourite days at the beach, days spent with my bestie and her daughter.  I got to be a little kid again playing around with my little 3 year old friend.  I rolled in the sand, threw water on myself, dived a gazzilion times, all to heae her giggle and laugh.  I probably had more fun than she did, being able to act silly and all that.

Enjoy!

Claire xxx

1 week of Summer Memories: DAY 3!

Hello everyone! Day 3 is here.  I was going to do a particular Summer memory today but then I realised it's the 24th of September today which means...this time last month I was on my way to Chicago.  How has it been a month already?

Okay let me slow down.  I will try not to repeat myself, same thing with Rome, since I've already posted about my trip.  This particular Summer memory is probably my favourite and most special one.  For good reason.

I will forever remember the holiday as one were I managed to do something cumpaqpum as we say in Maltese, which means at the spur of the moment.  As I've said before I'm unfortunately a very bad control freak.  I need to have everything planned and in order and within my control.  But not this time.  I decided to go on the trip a mere 2 weeks before...I had no confirmation of whether I was going or not, having never been to the States, I couldn't plan transport and maps and stuff because I had to get a feel of what the city was like, so I took a deep breath and let it all fall into place on its own.  And it worked out fine.  I roamed about like a local, saw all the best parts of the city, travelled on my own, in other words, I sucked it up and everything was OK.

Now let me tell you about a little special moment I had.  I was out and about after a whole day sightseeing when I decided to do a lot bit of shopping.  Next to each other were two stores I love but never actually been in, American Apparel and Forever21.  For some reason I've never been into the Forever 21 in the UK.  So I go into the first shop, I'm fine, then I go into Forever 21 and it hits me.  I'm in America.  I made it here and I'm doing just fine.  I did not plan anything, I had no control over what happened and I'm fine.   To make the special moment even more special... the shop was huge! (yes, exclamation point needed)  I'm saying mega huge.  I seriously could have got lost there.  So I start looking around like a maniac, picking up stuff, looking at the sizes and grinning like an idiot because they are the US sizes and we rarely get clothes here with US sizes.  I swear I must have looked like a complete psycho.  People probably thought I'm some crazy person who's been allowed to shop just this once.

I ended up only getting one skirt because the sizes there are weird (or maybe, it's me) and quite huge (short dresses still went down to my knees) but that one skirt is magical to me.  Because I look at it, and remember the awesome feeling I felt in that store, not just for the shopping bit, but the whole experience.  I brought one skirt back from Forever 21, but the memories I have of this experience are infinite.

Claire xxx

1 week of Summer memories; DAY 2!

Due to stuff I had no control over, I'm posting this quite late and it's going to be a short post.

The memory for my second day is going to be a bunch of memories together.  Basically this Summer I spent quite some time with my boyfriend and brother together, that is, the 3 of us hanging out together.  Now I love boys, not in the I can't see a pair of pants type but in general I think boys (or males so they don't get offended) are the coolest.  They're easygoing, funny and quite frankly fun to be around.  So getting to hang out with the two most special boys in my life was awesome.  I'm lucky because my bro and my boyfriend get on really well, so well that they usually gang up on me, but we'll let that slide. 

We spent days at the beach together shooting mini-movies, we went to the cinema, we hung out laughing about the stupidest things, we had fun.  And that alone qualifies for an awesome Summer memory doesn't it? 

I'm adding a video my bro made of a day at the beach.  He loves his camera and even though I'm probably super biased, I think he's really talented.

http://youtu.be/YeG0kdcCSAw

Enjoy,

Claire xxx

1 week of Summer memories: DAY 1!

Ok, so you know how this blog is actually based on the idea that I post something based solely on the fact that when something crops into my mind and I find it somewhat interesting, I write about? Well, whilst the brother and the boyfriend are here playing PlayStation I realised this time next week I will be gearing up to go back to school on Monday.  And an idea came to me.

So I decided to try something which will not be completely random.  From today, I will be writing about  one Summer memory a day.  This is quite different from my usual approach to writing, I enjoy feeling the urge to write about something and not put pressure on myself to write about something specific.  But I want to learn to embrace change and also discipline myself a bit when it come to writing.  

So today is Day 1.  Bear with me if this first post is weird, I'm still figuring out how I'm going to go about it. 

Day 1 - Memory: Rome,July 2013

I posted about this after I came back from Rome but I just had to make it my first Summer memory.  I went to Rome earlier on in the Summer which is the best time to go on holiday because when you come back you still have the whole Summer ahead of you. 

3 memorable things about this holiday were, the food, the scenery and the shopping.  The food was obviously amazing, it's Italy and you can't get better food than Italian right? I'd been to Rome before so I'd seen the Vatican, Colosseum and all those before but I can never be bored of them.  They are such beautiful stuff that I get overwhelmed every single time I go there. 

Now next up, the shopping.  Now most people are surprised by this.  Excluding the street sellers, Rome is known to be super expensive and believe me, the prices  at the designer places were crazy!  But my mum found this huge shopping mall just outside the airport, Parco Leonardo which had SALDI everywhere.  Now if you don't know what saldi is (shame on you, you should know this word in all languages), it translates to sale.  So we had huuuuge shops like H&M and River Island and plenty more, all on sale.  Needless to say, both me and my boyfriend went a little crazy!

I can go on forever writing about this holiday and what memories I have of it but that will make this post mega long so I'll stop here for today. 

I'll talk about another memory tomorrow so make sure you check my Facebook page for links to tomorrow's post too. 

What are your favourite Summer memories?

Claire xxx

Never too old to...

If you follow me on Facebook you will have come across a status I posted earlier about something that you are never too old to do and it got me thinking about all the other stuff in the world that no matter what age you are...they bring out the kid in you.  So, I decided to post about just this: stuff that you are never too old for. 

1.Milky Buttons

These little sweets, in their little bag are uber addictive and once someone opens up a pack, everyone runs over to nibble one.  The packs are usually really small so once people start picking at your packet, you can say bye bye to enjoying it on your own.  Eating milky buttons is also followed by multiple variations of the phrase "oooo I loved that as a kid".

2.Trampolines

In Malta, at a particular beach, an inflatable obstacle course is set up every year.  It is something me and my friends try to do every year and one of the inflatables is a trampoline.  Now the ages of the people in my group range from 20 to 26 but when I tell you we get butterflies just seeing this trampoline, I'm not joking.  But you might say that we're a bunch of silly people, but when we tell people where we've been...they always ask about the trampoline with so much excitement.  And I've witnessed this at other places...trampolines are just to cool.

3. Tom and Jerry

This classic cartoon is known to be loved by all...but seriously, who doesn't stop in front of the TV if the show's on? Enough said!

4.Easter Eggs

Ok, just a little side note, I'm a piggy, so yeah...I think of food a lot.  But really, who doesn't love Easter Eggs? The little fluffy animals on the side or the toy inside make easter eggs so exciting to adults as much as kids.  The chocolate is usually nothing special, but the little plastic toys inside are just too awesome and you can't not get excited. 

5. Naps

The Facebook post I mentioned in the beginning was about naps.  I find the approach towards naps so funny that I had to include them.  So kids are encouraged to nap, old people are allowed to nap because they are, of course, old, young people nap because they are lazy so in other words, napping is a universal activity loved by all.  In my opinion, nap time should be a mandatory activity for all! 

Enough reminiscing,

much love,

Claire xxx

Another back-to-school post!

Hey there! How's it going? I know you've probably been bombarded by back to school posts and vlogs and ads...so I will try and make this a different sort of post...you know me...I try to approach things a bit different from the rest.

First off.  Chill.  I am a very silly girl and I panic very easily and getting into Uni meant a whole load of stress and panic.  You will feel lost and alone.  It is completely normal.  Make sure you find one good friend who's ready to help you and vice-versa...don't try to go it alone, you will go mad. 

Next up is fashion.  Make sure you stock up on plenty of warm stuff...it can get chilly in a huge hall and after hours of sitting down you will be frozen down to your pretty little studious bum.  If you're into fashion, Uni is the time to try out new styles and enjoy dressing up, just don't over do it. 

Get involved.  Now this is something I never do.  I go to Uni...attend lectures, maybe get a coffee with a friend and leave.  Don't over do it and end up sitting for every exam twice, but it's good to be involved.  Most courses have their own Facebook group and it's nice to join in the conversations there that way you get to know other people and it shows you're interested in what you're doing. 

Last but not least...cherish every moment.  Even the 3 hour long tutorials or long sessions at the library.  They may be hard time coming your way but try to look at the big picture. In a few years you will be out into the world and now is the time to enjoy being a student. 

Other than that, work hard and enjoy it because you'll be out of there before you even know it. 

Oh and a little side note, my dear friend Christina has started a new blog and it would mean the world to me if you could check it out.

http://tinasbeautyscrapbook.blogspot.com/

Until next time,

Claire x 

Consumed by wanderlust!

A little note to begin with.  This post was written a few days ago whilst I was flying and as I did not have internet on flight, I decided to upload it now just the same since it was quite a special post.

I am writing this post whilst on a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam, where I'll catch a flight back home to Malta.

Ok let's back up a little.  I got the opportunity to visit the states, Chicago to be exact.  Not going into too much detail, the opportunity came along quite last minute and after making all the arrangements, off we went.  By we I mean me and my dad.  Now this holiday was a holiday of firsts for a number of reasons.  Firstly, I have never been on a trip with just my dad, it's usally the 4 of us or else it's me and my boyfriend.  I know some people might have been anxious about that but thank god I get along so well with my dad that I wasn't the least bit anxious.  I know everyone says this but my dad is super daddy and I couldn't have had a better man as my father, and the time spend together made me realise how truly lucky I am. 

Next first, I got to spend most of my days going round on my own.  Now that might have been a scary thing at first, I hate being alone, but I was super excited to be in the USA that I didn't bother with worrying about that plus Chicago proved to be such an easy and safe city that I honestly felt so safe and relaxed the whole time.  I had so many people saying the Americans are rude and all that but I honestly have to disagree.  People were extremely helpful and sweet.  It took a while to get used to people saying "how you doin'?" (Joey from Friends style) all the time in fact I ended up speaking to a couple of strangers just because I thought they were speaking to me directly when in fact they were just being nice.

Next first and most obvious is the actual visiting the US part.  I have travelled quite a bit but I'd never been over to the us and oh my god am I hooked.  Everything is just so American...I mean we see stuff in movies all the time but the funny thing that it's really just like that, down to the police sirens and Starbucks cups everywhere.

I also realised how tiny I really am.  That was sad.  I'm a tiny person even by Maltese standards, but when I went to get breakfast and couldn't reach the table or put on size XS stuff and everything went down to my knees I felt like a tiny bird in the middle of a great big city. Or Stuart Little.  Yeah you can call me Claire Little. 

Now I'm heading back, with Summer almost over. Sad moment.  But this holiday served to make me realise two things.  The first is that my love for travel has only increased.  The thrill of landing in a new place and exploring has never been stronger.  But at the same time I realised something else.  As much as I want to travel and love to, I want to come back home.  Not just this time round but in general.  Home will always be Malta for me no matter where I go.  The world is beautiful and I can't wait to see it all, but my little world in Malta, is even more and more beautiful.  So yeah, take me anywhere you want, any day, but make sure you bring me back! 

Claire xxx

5 Awesome Stuff - Summer 2013

Hi there! I've been watching and reading plenty of vlogs and blogs recently and everyone's doing the top 5 Summer Essentials or something in those lines, so I'm going to give it a go.  2 items are beauty related, the other 3 are random picks.  

1.  Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation

If like me you follow all things beauty online, you've probably heard and read all about this, if not, this is basically a really good and cheap foundation by Rimmel.  If you want general reviews on this, I suggest you google search it and you will find plenty of info there.  I will be talking about why this foundation is great from the point of view of a girl who hates foundation and lives in a country which is super hot in Summer.  

I'm not a fan of foundation but obviously if I'm going out I want to look good and I will of course use foundation.  Since it gives medium coverage and is quite light textured, it's perfect for the heat in Malta.  I must admit I use this mostly in the evenings but I've used it on occassions where I went to concerts for instance and I must say it stayed put and did not make my face look sticky, like some foundations tend to.  I swatched this with my friend before buying it and I was a bit scared as it did make my hands all glittery and I thought oh god, my face is going to look all shiny, but it's actually very rare that I can see the little shiny specs, so if you do try a tester and it looks shiny, don't worry it will be fine on your face.  

2. Essence Nude Glam Nail Polish 

Anyone who knows me even a little knows what a mess I make every time I try to paint my nails which means that I will not buy expensive nail polish, the nail polish needs to be very quick drying and it needs to still look pretty.  This range, I feel gives me all this.  I've been looking for a nude colour which I like for ages and I think I've found the one.  I bought this for something around 2.50 Euro which is of course a bargain.  I think it needs two coats to look the way I like it but that's with most nail polishes.  Other than that, I love!

3. Infinity Bracelet

I bought this bracelet from Rome last month.  There's a whole 'infinity' trend going on there, everything has the symbol on it.  Apart from it being super cheap and it having a funny story behind it, this bracelet is spot on trend and super dainty which I love as I have tiny wrists.  It's also easy to incorporate with other bracelets which I love to do. 

4. Mobile Wallet

 Being the psycho  perfectionist that I am, I refuse to have any of my electronics without casing.  The first thing I buy after buying any item is it's case.  Now I've had TPU gel covers on my iPhone from day 1 but recently I got this cover for it and although at first I thought it was a bit uncomfortable, after using it at the beach and when my phone's in my bag a lot, I've fallen in love.  It keeps the screen safe as well as the back, it protects it from sand and it has little pockets on the side where I can put ID or something which is perfect when I want to keep my bag as lightweight as possible.  I do switch back to my other covers from time to time but I must say I am loving this case.

5. Friends

Not much to say.  I mentioned in another post that I started watching this series last month and I absolutely love it.  I have no idea how I've never watched it.  I hate the clothes but the characters are awesome and there's 10 seasons which is great as I never run out of episode. (I will of course run out, but not for now!)

That's it! It's been a long post hasn't it? I hope you weren't too bored.  Like I said before, I'm hoping to launch my website very soon, so look out!

Claire

Update!

Hi everyone! It's nearly the end of July!!! How did that happen? My first month of holidays is almost over, this is crazy.  I've been doing sooo much lately that I haven't really had time to just sit down and write.

Just in case you haven't seen my Facebook page or my Instagram, I went to Rome for a couple of days with my boyfriend.  It was my third time there and I honestly fell in love with the city all over again.  It was also super special because it was the first time with my boyfriend and it was also the last place I went on holiday with my grandpa.  I honestly can't believe how much I felt his presence and it was so special because it did not make me sad, it made me happy that I could actually imagine the last time we were there, sneaking away to buy gelato.  He was with me the whole trip and I know he was watching over me because he would never let me be sad and I never was, I only remembered the good times we had.  So for that, thank you Nannu, we had an amazing holiday didn't we?

Back in Malta, the heat is kicking in which makes me a little annoyed as you know how much I hate the heat but at least I work at a store which has AC so half my days are at least cooler.  Also, shops are starting to bring Winter stuff out...how great is that? I got a really cool powder blue blazer on sale which I put in the middle of my Summer wardrobe so every time I open my wardrobe I see it and get reminded of all the lovely clothes we get to wear in Winter.  I'm a weirdo aren't I?

I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my last post but I'm catching up on the series Friends, finally. And I'm loving it.  It's just so 90s yet still so funny and awesome.  I love it. Musically I haven't been listening to much accept for the songs my brother puts on when we're in the same room and he tends to stick to one song on repeat which means I'm not listening to much.

That's it basically.  A little Summer update.  I'm putting below a few Summer snaps and I'm going to caption them so that you know who's who and stuff!

Claire xxx

Me at Villa Borghese, Rome.  Boyfriend caught me stretching...and it turned out like this, I swear!

And the Boyfriend makes his debut on my blog.  Don't we look like a Malibu bottle? 

Girls just wanna have fun! Me and Lara, one of my bestest friends!

Sundays at the beach in Malta.  Aren't we lucky to live on such a lovely island?

Bestie driving whilst I Instagram! With another dear friend, Mandy.

Hi Summer, pleased to finally meet you!

Hello Everyone!

How's Summer treating you so far? Mine has been weird.  Weird in a good way because apart from sa few hours at work I have been either lazying around or hitting the beach with friends.  Not bad, eh?  But since I've been on holidays for less than a week, I'm still not used to just not doing anything.  So much so, this morning I ended up waking up at 7am, went on the kitchen table, and made lists of stuff I have to do, just because it felt so natural after 2 whole months of non-stop studying! Yes, I'm weird.

I'm happy to report that so far, the weather here on this beautiful island has been superb.  The sea is a tad bit too cold for my liking, but the weather's perfect.  We have to cover up in the evenings because it gets super chilly.  They did report a mild Summer but I didn't believe it, but so far, so frickin' GOOD!

I had posted some time ago that I'm hoping to launch a website, that is I won't be posting through blogger but I'll try and get my own domain and stuff.  I'm hoping to learn a few basics before though but I'm sure my boyf will love to help (he's reading about this on here first, so let's hope he'll feel obliged to!). That means I aim to have it up early August or latest mid-August.  It will probably be the same concept, just random posts, but I might pick up other stuff if I find that they're kind of popular.  So please, tell me what posts of mine you like best, and I'll see what I can come up with.

Oh, I just started Friends for the first time ever! How cool is that show? I'm addicted!

Claire xxx

Also, 'Like' my page on Facebook for all the updates!

Hello, my name is Claire and I have a serious problem...

...I really and truly do.  It's called clothing separation anxiety.  You see, I'm shifting my Winter and Summer wardrobes and I have just realised that I have a very, very bad situation on my hands.  I basically did not grow much over the past few years, I probably haven't since I was ten or so and apart from a few select pieces which tend to stand out, I tend to buy items which I can style in several different ways with several different pieces and accessories.  Now you'd say, that's not really a problem, it's more of a gift really (oh, I'm soooo gifted, right??) . BUT, and there's always a but, when you fear throwing away stuff, you end up accumulating a lot and a lot of clothes.  Plus, recently I've been looking at trends and nearly and up crying my eyes off at the fact that some pieces which are hot right now, my mom used to wear...AND SHE THREW OUT!!! Because you see, my mum's the opposite of me, she throws anything and everything out once she gets bored with them..good and bad for me depending on whether I manage to convince her to tell me before she throws stuff out.

Now I see two options how I can deal with this problem:

1. Stop buying stuff.  I could of course settle to accept that I have enough stuff and stop buying.  But I know for a fact that I can't for the simple reason that I am young, I work hard  and spend carefully so I find it rewarding when I buy stuff I like.

2. Start throwing stuff out.  The second option is probably the option that is more likely to happen though I'm going to have to work very hard.  I hate throwing stuff out so much that I usually keep things that I can no longer wear outside...and sleep in them! You see the problem? I should of course, give stuff away to charity and it's not that I don't like being charitable or helping others, it's just that I can't bring myself to get my stuff, throw them in a garbage bag, and never see them again.  I get this from my grandma, who's just like me and she often brings stuff over which she used to wear or she kept which are often amazing vintage pieces and I just drool over them and appreciate the fact that I am like her...you see a pattern here?

One of the pieces my Nanna kept. Also, my favourite ring. 

So that's my problem.  Any suggestions from people who suffer from this sort of anxiety will be appreciated.

Claire

My favourite books!

I have no idea how I have never written a post about my favourite books.  I'm such a bookworm, always have been always will be.  I have no clue how I'm going to group this but I'll probably group by authors when there are multiple books by the same author.

The first book and an all time favourite is Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern.  I've read this book about ten times already and play to read it again this summer.  It's all written in a series of letters and emails between the two main characters and although this may seem weird, it's so cleverly written that it's super fun and interesting to see the story progress.

My next favourite has to be The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.  Now most people will say they've watched the film and it's a good film, but the book is great too.  I'm not one to always claim that books are always better, sometimes movies are.  I just love the way the story is told from a child's point of view and the whole war and Nazi situation is explained through the point of view of a young boy, it's just really effective.

The next is a series. Harry Potter. I know, it's everyone's favourite but I love it and I'm always fascinated at JK Rowling's imagination.  She's a genius, creating every little detail to perfection.

I also love Lesley Pearse a lot a lot a lot.  She writes novel mainly about women, so if you're a guy you might not like them as much. but the stories are really gripping and they usually happen in the past, 20s London or something like that, which obviously, the granny in me loves.  Top faves by Lesley are Belle, The Promise, Charlie and Father Unknown.

The last two are a biography and a book I had to study for Uni.  The first is the biography of Carmen Bin Ladin, the wife of one of Osama BIn Ladin's brothers.  She gives a look into the Bin Ladin world which is so shocking and scary that you just have to keep on reading.  And the book which I read because I had to but I love is 1984.  A classic by Orwell and again, I was fascinated by the genius of the author as much as by the story.

There are hundreds more books I've read and authors I love and they all hold a special place in my heart.  I just can't keep on mentioning books and authors because I'll end up never stopping.

Feel free to comment telling me what you love to read, maybe I'll find a coupe of authors and books I've never heard of.

Claire  

YouTube Faves!

If, like myself a couple of months ago, you only use YouTube to listen to music or check out TV/film trailers, let me tell you, you're missing out, a lot.  My boyfriend has been watching videos on YouTube from the very start and recently he got me hooked too.  There are also some channels we both enjoy together and can spend hours watching.

Now for those who don't know what goes on on YouTube, let me explain.  There are basically 2 types of YouTubers, those who post vlogs, which means you get a camera, hand held and go about your day and just shoot stuff.  These people are called vloggers.  Then there are those who post videos.  If it's fashion and make-up you enjoy, then you'll find people showing you how make-up techniques, hair techniques, stuff they buy and review, etc.  If you're more tech interested, you'll find people who post videos on that.  I personally enjoy the fashion related stuff more though I do occasionally watch a video or two which is quite techy (again, blame the boyfriend!)

Now since I'm assuming you're YouTube beginners, I'm going to tell you my personal faves and why ypu should check them out.  Starting with vloggers.  I mostly watch 'The Shaytards', a family with 4 kids and another on the way, who live in LA and just do normal family stuff.  And the dad is super cool.  I also watch 'Pirillo Vlog' just because it's of a couple, with the guy being all techy and the girl being all make-up loving and fashion crazy, so it reminds me of myself and my boyfriend a lot and we sometimes watch it together.  Next, videos.  I have 3 main favourites, they're all girls and all British; Zoella, Tanya Burr and DollyBowBow.  The first is just so cute and I love her look and what she has to say.  Tanya is a make-up artist so she's a bit heavy on the make-up tutorials and DollyBowBow is similar to Zoella though less famous.

That's it basically.  I sometimes watch stuff from friends of these people, they link their videos and I give them a look, but these are my main favourites.  I hope you enjoy watching these videos and feel free to share any favourites with me.

Enjoy,
Claire

PS Here are the links for all the people I mentioned.
Shaytards
Zoella
Tanya Burr
Pirillo Vlog
DollyBowBow

My thoughts on Maltese Advertising!

I'm going to reward myself by posting! YAY! It's that time of year, where blogging turns into an incentive to study. Oh well.

The only thing is that this post will be a bit of a rant.  I realised something today and I'm not sure if I should blame it on me being a horribly annoying control freak or my Communications degree subjects are wearing off on me.  Let me explain.  I was flicking through one of the gazzillion magazines we receive on Sundays and I came across an advert.  Now, being the journalism lover and all, I tend to look at magazines to find stuff I would do differently had I been the editor (what an ambitious little idiot I am, eh?). No but seriously, I go through stuff, point out stuff I don't like in my head and move on.

But this particular issue has been bothering me for a while.  The issue I'm talking about is the fact that they put ads and forget who the audience is.  You'd think it's something from page 1 of "Advertising for Dummies" right? But in Malta it's not.  They get ads from the UK or any other country we import stuff from, chuck it in the magazine, and voila', stupidity galore.  Example, an ad for some alcoholic drink in a can.  The ad says it's perfect to relax with and with summer close by you can take to festivals or at a picnic at the park with the girls.  And my radar goes off.  What festivals? Isle of MTV? I mean, we get a couple of good bands and artists yes but we don't have festivals, we have festa and maybe Beer Fest which is not what they meant by "festivals" I'm sure.

Next one, "picnic at the park with the girls".  What girl in her right mind would want to go to a picnic in summer.  We don't even like going to the beach sometimes it's sooo hot! (Ok, I don't) Imagine a group of girls, hitting ta' Qali drinking these alcoholic drinks, no you can't can you.  And I'm ignoring the "park" reference.  Our parks are "bandli" and you don't want to be caught drinking alcohol from a can at the bandli!

So you get what I'm saying? Does anybody read these before they publish? I hope the answer is no because if they did and it's acceptable, I don't want to live in this world anymore!

Rant.Over.
Claire

"Have no idea what to call this post!"

Hello! I swear I can't even remember the last time I wrote a post.  I am seriously so busy, I know everyone says that but I've had so much stuff to do that at the end of the day I just slump down on my bed and sleep.  I'm happy to report that I'm back on two feet...and going strong! I'm still not back in the studio yet but I'm getting there!

Unfortunately May not only brings about exam stress, it also means all TV series end for the season.  And you know me and my series addiction.  Thankfully Pretty Little Liars returns on the 12th of June.  To help me deal with the lack of series in my life, I stupidly started Revenge and... ohmygod!!! I'd been hearing about it for months and I can understand all the hype.  It's super awesome (and mega addicting).  The only thing is it's just 2 seasons so far, and I'm already half way through the first.

Anyway, moving on to more important stuff.  I've been thinking about writing a post thanking everyone for all the support I've been getting but I just can't get myself to write a whole post without feeling embarrassed.  I just want to say thank you to the people who have been super supportive of me these past couple of months, especially people who like and share my posts and those who come up to me and say something on the lines of "Oh, I read your post, well done".  You have no idea how much that means to me and I consider myself lucky to have people saying stuff like that.  It's such a great feeling, so THANK YOU!

As soon as exams are over, I'm hoping to take this more serious, hopefully building my own website and stuff like that, so keep an eye out if you, for whatever reason, enjoy my posts.

Until the next time,
Claire

PS. I'd love it if you'd like my Facebook Page!

C-L-A-I-R-E!

I am honestly super tired today.  It's exam time, I'm currently recovering from an injury and I have a busy week ahead.  For some reason, my mind is on over drive rather than on shut down mode.  I was looking at my stats and I realized that my post with 10 facts was really popular so I'm going to do something similar today, though not entirely.

I am going to take the 6 letters which make up my name and talk about anything which pops into my head when I see the particular letter. Here goes...

C - I'm going to go with Camera.  Since I got my iPhone I find I tend to use the camera on that because it gives great pictures and I can just upload them on Facebook or instagram in a second.  I do own a pretty decent bridge camera though and I want to use it more.  A bridge camera for those who don't know is a camera which bridges between an ordinary digital camera and an SLR.  So basically it's a pretty decent camera though not super amazing.

L - Lana Del Rey!!! aaa it took me a couple of second to think of something.  If you don't know who Lana is I'm going to warn you straight away, her voice is different and her songs are weird.  But yours truly adores her.  I listen to her to get inspired, to relax, to sleep and even when I'm angry about something.  I'm not sure what it is about her which makes me like her so much but I think it's that she's so different.  I love different.

A - America.  I've been to loads of countries and continents, except America, and I really, really want to go there.  I won't go on about this, I just want to go there, backpack through the states, and see for myself what the fuss is about.

I - Instaaagraaaam! I'm such a fan of this app.  I use it almost daily.  I love how pretty photos look on it but I also love how you can follow famous people and feel like they sent you the pictures privately.  (Mr.Somerhalder and I share loads of photos like that in fact. Hint: Google Ian Somerhalder)

R -  Hmmmm....right! I write with my right hand, but, and this is the cool part, I am ambidextrous, which means I can, if I want, write with my left hand.  I use both hands in fact and I do some things with my left only, like use a mouse or a broom.  Cool, eh?

E - English! As some may know I am reading for a degree and my subsidiary area is English! Yay! I love the language and have always enjoyed studying it.  However, as a little girl this wasn't the case. My mum wanted me to be bilingual from an early age and so she would speak to me in Maltese and English (not at the same time) but little me would refuse to speak in English and I would put my little fingers in my ears until my mum stopped.  I am still primarily Maltese speaking though I tend to switch if I'm super mad at something.

So there you go...6 letters, 6 facts...

xxx

Drinking Habits!

No, I'm not going to confess to a drinking problem. Well, actually, I am.  I have a "bad choice of drink" problem.  Let me explain.  My daily drinks are basically 2: diet soft drink and coffee.  I used to drink plenty of coffee, especially if I'm stressed out which only made me more stressed because of the caffeine which made me drink more.  Diet soft drinks on the other hand were my drink of choice.  I used to not be able to eat a meal without having a glass of diet coke or something of the sort.  And when I had my days were I felt guilty for drinking so much soft drinks, I would shift to flavoured sachets you add to water which are just as bad.

Now I'm a very healthy eater, I eat veggies everyday, I don't eat fried food and I try to eat only homemade stuff, no frozen foods.  So obviously, this drinking issue had to stop.  Now I'm not saying I don't drink coffee or soft drinks, but I've found a couple of substitutes which are way better and I honestly feel fresher and less full of caffeine.

I love water.  I can drink 2 litres a day easily but that got a bit boring and after reading of the benefits of ice cold lemon water, I gave it a go and I must say, I'm addicted.  You basically pop a couple of ice cubes in a tall glass, chop a lemon into chunks, leaving the skin there for extra flavour.  Make sure you wash the lemon properly of course.  Add water, let it set for a minute or two, and enjoy.  This is so refreshing that it takes away my soft drink craving and makes me top off the glass over and over.

That's my substitute for soft drinks.  To find a substitute for coffee was way harder.  I'm addicted to the stuff and can drink it over and over.  I thought about tea, though that gives cellulite so I opted out.  Then I tried green tea but the colour alone made me sick and the taste was horrible.  Then I remembered a few years ago  a friend of mine had suggested I drink warm water with some honey, lemon and ginger if I feel a cold coming.  So I tried that, and coffee and I broke up.  This drink is so soothing that I just had to switch to it.  Of course keep the honey to the minimum if you're watching your weight, but it's natural stuff so it's already a step forward.  I honestly can't go to bed without my little mug of honey, lemon and ginger now.



Coffee is still a friend though and we do occasionally rekindle our relationship, only for a short while though.  Keep that between us! ;-)

Claire

10 random things about me!

Hello! I've been watching loads of YouTube videos lately and everyone's been doing 25 random things about themselves and I just thought I'd give it a go though I changed it to 10 facts.  If this is boring, I apologize.

1. I have weird phobias.  I am terrified of cows.  I can't look at cows and if I'm near one I get horrible rashes and feel faint.  And I'm scared of clowns too.  I will however, kill any insect, irrelevant of it's size without thinking about it twice.

2. I cannot dive in head first into the sea/pool.

3. I can however touch my elbow and my nose with my tongue.

4. I am 4ft10 tall, making me the shortest in my family, group of friends, basically anywhere.

5. I reply to texts instantly, if you message me, I will always answer in less than 2 minutes.

6. I don't eat cheese unless it's melted.

7. My favourite book is "Where Rainbows End" by Cecilia Ahern.

8. I will always, and I mean always, get scared when someone says "Can we talk?/ Can I talk to you?"

9. As a very little girl I used to ask my grandma whether I will someday be able to read like adults do.  I am today and have always been, a proud bookworm.

10.Brian Adams took me on stage with him when he gave a concert here in Malta.

That's it! I'm sure I'll think of a thousand more once I hit 'publish'.

Enjoy!
Claire

Life is too damn short!

Hello everyone! I changed my layout yet again, as you can see! I'm not sure I like it that much yet but I'm always that way when it comes to new things.

Which comes to my post today.  I'm going to tell you why you should get up, stop being scared and do what you WANT to do now.  I've had a couple of people recently tell me that they think it's super cool that I just write whatever and although they love the idea of having a blog, they think they wouldn't be able to.  Now I'm not some super star blogger, far from it.  I'm just a plain old girl who loves to write and reads and watches too many blogs and vlogs.  It's obviously super cool when a reader shares your post or people comment on a post but it's seriously not the best part.

The best part is being able to do what I like and having the courage to do it.  If one person reads my post, that's enough, that's one person who spent a minute or two of their time reading my thoughts.  Now this idea goes out to all other stuff you want to do, not just writing or blogging.  Maybe you want to be a dancer but you think it's too late for you...it's NOT! It's scary at first and yeah, your heart skips a couple of beats, but at least you're not walking around with a bunch of "What If?"s!

So go ahead, do what you want to do, life is too damn short not to!

Claire

Super duper busy!

Hey guys! I haven't posted in a while just for the simple reason that I've been extremely busy with school stuff and dancing and work and all the million things I try to fit in my day! I'm not complaining but it's been hectic being me!

I'm going to write a relatively simple post today and it's going to be about things I'm loving at the moment!

First off, the weather! Now I'm not a Summer person, but I can't help but love this gorgeous weather we're having! I'm tempted to go have a dip this weekend it's been so warm and sunny! *happy dance*

Next thing I'm loving is all the new music my favourite artists are putting out! There's the new Rihanna song, 'Pour it Up', the new Chris Brown song 'Fine China', which reminded me so much of Michael Jackson and then, to make me super happy Avril Lavigne released a new song from her new album to come out later on this year, 'Here's to never growing up'. I've always loved Avril and I have a feeling this new album's going to sound like her old stuff.

I'm also loving the denim trend. How cool are the new playsuits and shirts that are so much in right now? I have to still get hold of some gorgeous pieces, but I'm loving the trend.

I've recently also started a new series, because I don't watch enough already!! I'm watching 'The Vampire Diaries' and it's soo addictive! I've never watched anything of the sort.  I wasn't a Charmed or Supernatural fan but damn this stuff is amazing! It also helps that there's the oh-so-yummy Ian Somerhalder in it! (Girls, go and google him NOW if you have no idea who he is!)

That's it basically! I'm sure I'm loving a million other things but I'm too tired to think too hard!


Enjoy the music and Mr.Somerhalder,
Claire

PS. The song titles are links to their videos, so you don't have to look them up!

Claire and Eve!

If you have my Facebook or my instagram then you've already come across me being overly happy that I am officially collaborating with the amazing www.eve.com.mt.  If not, let me explain how it's all going down.

Basically www.eve.com.mt is this great website where some of Malta's most amazing writers and bloggers write articles about different things.  From lifestyle tips to fashion to health, basically anything that comes to mind, you'll find on there.  As you can imagine little miss this and that is super happy to be writing for such a great website alongside so many local bloggers.

I shall be writing in the same style as I do here, that is,I'll write about any topic which comes to mind and I believe to be of interest to my readers.  And that's it basically.  You can go to the bloggers' bio section on their site, find my picture and be directed to all the articles I write.

I'm not just saying the site is great because I'm on it, it's super cool and unique for Malta, so go and have a look and if you want to keep track of what's on the site, like the page on Facebook and enjoy, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Cheers!
Claire xxx

The Girls' Bathroom!

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the girls' bathroom, you know when we go in groups and spend half an hour in there? Well, I was in a club last Saturday and I simply stood there and looked at what goes on and the sight was so funny, that I decided to share what I saw.

I realised that there is a number of different types of bathroom girls.  You see, you can learn a lot from looking at people, and that's what I did.  The first type of girl that catches your eye is the loud one.  This girl is usually surrounded by other girls who feel the need to speak at a level higher than everybody else.  We shall call these girls tigieg (translation - chickens).  These girls talk of intimate details in front of everybody as though they owned the place.  The probably discuss the guys who are standing outside like poor idiots waiting.  They will also laugh often and loudly, especially if they've been drinking.

You then have those two girls who stand in front of the mirror for what seems like ages, pouting like they're Victoria Beckham, putting on coats and coats of lipstick.  Their enemy is the mirror.  They look at it, and at everybody else for that matter, as though someone walked in on them in their own home.

You also have the fashionistas.  These girls are those who stand in a corner wanting everybody to look at them.  They are probably dressed in extreme outfits and used the trip to the bathroom as an excuse to walk around and show everyone how funky they're dressed.

You also find the two girls who have just walked in, but really need to go and so they stand by each cubicle looking all puppy eyed and hopping from one side to the other, hoping that someone will let them go before.  This never happens and they just have to wait.

And then you have the weird girl who's all alone, looking at people, and typing on her phone, ignoring everyone.

Any guesses to which category yours truly belongs?
Claire xxx

Tangle Teezer Review!

If you follow any beauty blogs or vlogs from the UK or any other place for that matter, you've probably heard of the famous Tangle Teezer.  There are tons of reviews of this product but I have never seen a local blogger do a review on it, so why not? Right?

For those who have never heard of the Tangle Teezer, this is a professional hair brush which specialises in detangling hair (get the name now?).  It was initially meant to be used as a professional tool to remove tangles.  But the shape of the brush and the type of bristles it has make it much more than a detangling product.

Excuse the hairs, I've been using it non-stop!

I got the Tangle Teezer a couple of weeks ago now and I must say, I love it.  I have long hair and although I'm not really prone to tangles, this little miracle has worked it's magic on my hair.  It instantly makes hair smoother and shinier and using it after using a straightener eliminates that flatness the hair tends to get with the use of straighteners.

Comfortable shape and size

I've seen vloggers complain about the fact that it has no handle but personally I think this is even better.  If I have a tangle, I tend to hold the brush from the part which has the bristles rather than the handle, so basically the guys who created the Tangle Teezer went straight for this idea.

I bought the Tangle Teezer for €13.50, which is basically the same price exactly as in the UK which is a rare thing in Malta.  There are a number of salons which stock it though they tend to stock small amounts, but most of them will be willing to order one for you if you're interested.

My black Tangle Teezer and box

Claire xx

5 stores we should have in Malta!

I was just going back through some old posts I've done and I came across my top 5 series post and the idea to write up a similar post came to me. This time, I'm going to list my top 5 stores which I love and adore but which unfortunately we do not as of yet have here in Malta.

First up, being a java junkie that I am, I have to say Starbucks.  I'm a huge coffee addict and I love different flavours of coffee.  I'm not a fussy person so anything you put in my coffee is fine.  As soon as I land in an airport abroad, I immediately start looking for the Starbucks sign.  At that point, you can keep my luggage, just hand me my cup!  I loved Tim Hortons too when I went to Canada, it's similar to Starbucks though most of the coffee has a hint of vanilla in it so I prefer Starbucks.

Speaking of Canada, I fell in love with another shop during my visits there; Best Buy.  I love anything technology related and this huge, huge store carries any electronic device you can imagine.  We used to spend hours there just trying out stuff.  Oh, and their customer service? Oh my god...to die for.  They actually give you refund on a product if it's price is reduced within 15 days of purchase.  That's not a myth, it actually happened to me with my laptop, which was by the way at a ridiculously cheap price even though it was a brand new model.

Those of you who love fashion and have been to London are probably wondering how I've left this next store out.  Well, I'm not.  I'm talking about Primark.  Now I tend to travel to the UK at least once a year and I remember that about 7 or 8 years ago, their stuff was super cheap quality.  You'd buy a top and it would tear as soon as you'd wear it.  But over the last couple of years the quality has improved radically.  For those who don't know, Primark sell clothes, accessories, make-up and home stuff at really cheap prices and their stuff are spot on trend.  Saying that, I think if Primark opened up in Malta everyone will buy their clothes from there so from that aspect I wouldn't want it to open up here, but still, over all, I'd be one happy shopper if they did.

The next store I'd love to open here is an Apple Store.  Now some people may argue that we have a local store which is somewhat similar and their concept is the same and I'm not sure to what extent they are affiliated with the original Apple Stores but if you've been to Malta's store and to an actual Apple Store you'll realize that there's a huge difference.  Staff at an Apple Store are so, how shall I put it, 'techy' I'm not sure, but what I'm trying to say is that the staff, the store itself, it's just not there yet.  So yeah, scrap the local one and get a real Apple Store.

Last but not least, speaking as a hip hop dancer, please get us Footlocker.  This store sells the most amazing high tops and urban style clothes and hats and basically all that a street dancer would wish for.  I remember going there with my hip hop crew and boy oh boy did we go crazy.  We all ended up buying multiple pairs of shoes and hats.  The prices are actually not that cheap, pretty standard for a Nike pair of shoes for instance, but they have super sales and their reductions are crazy.  I pretty much manage to buy a pair of shoes on sale every time I go there, be it in London, Amsterdam, anywhere!

Pretty long post today.  There's much much more to add to this list though I stuck with my top 5 this time.  What would you want to see open up in Malta?

Slightly sad and nostalgic,
Claire xxx

The Friendliest Day of the Year!

With St.Patrick's day being next Sunday, I found myself thinking of last year and what I enjoyed and what I didn't and so I thought of writing my very own version of how to enjoy yourself at the friendliest day of the year without too much hassle.

My first suggestion would be to try to go to the pub or area you're meeting with your friends a bit earlier.  People tend to be more cheerful on this day and they walk around like there's no tomorrow, blocking the streets and causing traffic jams.  This year, St.Patrick's Day is going to be on a Sunday, so I'm guessing more people will turn up and so more traffic.

As those who've attended previous celebrations of this day know, you will meet lots of people so in typical 2013 style that means a photo with every person, which, come Monday morning, you'll find plastered on your Facebook wall.  So for those of us who love looking good, you want an outfit that looks good photographed but also that shows you're having fun.  Keep in mind that if you're going to be bar hopping, you're going to be on your feet a lot, so heels should be avoided, and if you're going to wear tights, try thicker styles to avoid them tearing half way through the day.  Also, wear something which would look good during the day but would be OK if you stay on 'till the evening.

Also a result of everyone being so friendly on this day, people will buy you drinks,specifically beer, and since people tend to meet up early and party on 'till late evening, you might want to take it easy.  Beer in the sun for 6 hours straight is not something which will give you sprinkles of fun the next day, so stick to lighter beer for cleaner fun.

I would say wear green but I look so hideous in green that no amount of pinching (people get to pinch you if you're not wearing green on this day) will make me ever wear anything green, in fact I don't own anything in that colour.  I would suggest though you try to get some sort of hat which they usually sell at pubs on the day, the big ones with lots of beer brands on them.  It's super fun walking around in one of those and you get to not worry about the state of your hair!

That's it basically! Enjoy your day, drink responsibly and most importantly, have fun!
Claire

Would you wear this?

I was just refreshing my Instagram feed this morning (not that I do that a lot or something) when I came across a pair of jeans Rihanna was wearing in a picture she shared.  I saw the jeans, thought 'What the hell?' and moved on.  But later in the afternoon, whilst browsing online I found several articles about this pair of jeans.  No, the area of interest was not the back of the jeans, but the front....

Rihanna wearing the jeans at last night's River Island collaboration launch 

Princess RiRi took double denim to a whole new level.  She wore this look at the launch of her collaboration with River Island and the jeans are part of this new collection.  I'm honestly not a fan of the whole double waistband thing, given how short I am, I'm sure it won't look good on me and make me look even shorter, but who knows if the trend will pick up.  I've seen weirder things become popular and they're only weird at first, we then seem to get used to them.

So what do you think? Would you wear these jeans? Or is it too much of a Rihanna-esque style which only she can pull off?

Not a Review: Life of Pi.

Hey there! I've never written about a movie here before, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Last night me and my boyfriend decided it's time to get our Films to Watch list out and pick a movie from it.  With the Oscars just over and having watched both Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook, we had 4 major films remaining; Life of Pi, Wreck it Ralph, Argo and Zero Dark Thirty.

We decided on the first one.  Now I'm not going to say much or else I will ruin the whole story (hence the blog's title being 'NOT a review') plus it's a bit of a complicated story so I can't actually talk about it without giving much away.  Just to give an idea of what it's like, think Avatar meets Cast Away meets a film with an animal as a main character.  Now I'm not a fan of the whole Cast Away style movies, they tend to be a bit on the boring side for my tastes, but the animation in this movie is so beautiful that you just don't get bored.  Actually, I didn't want it to end.  The way they approach the animal aspect is so different from the usual animal films that you sort of forget that the tiger is what it is, making the movie more enjoyable, especially if you don't enjoy films with animals.

The only thing that annoyed me a bit was the accent.  The boy, Pi (no, the tiger is not called Pi, it's the boy) is Indian and although I'm a sucker for movies which are rich in culture, listening to the boy speak English with a heavy Indian accent for 2 hours did get a little tiring. Again, however, I got lost in the animation and that made me ignore the accent.

So, if you want a movie to watch on a Friday night, and haven't seen this one yet, you should.  I watched it at home, though I'm sure it would be even more amazing at the cinema!

Enjoy!
Claire

Come on in, the water's fine!

So as you can see, I've changed my layout a bit.  I felt the need to mix things up a little even though I don't really like change that much.  But I dived in, and the water's fine!  I'm no genius when it comes to page layouts and stuff like that so I basically just tweeked the templates and defaults around a little until I got what I like.

I chose the colour indigo as the main colour for the very simple reason that it's my favourite colour.  It's always been and I remember as a little girl, when someone asked me what my favourite colour was I used to feel like the coolest kid around answering with "Indigo" rather than pink or purple or any of the other usual colours.  Attention seeker that I am was.

I also changed the background a little.  I'm hoping it's not too busy, but given the title of my blog, I thought it appropriate to have doodles as my background image since my blogs come about from random thoughts I have, just like doodles do.  (I sound like a rooster now!)

That's it basically.  I hope you like the new look and if you don't, well that's a reason to leave a comment and tell me why you don't.


To change!

Claire

Wouldn't it be nice?

Hey there! So those of you who have been reading my posts from the start know how I go about; I take a random topic off the top of my head and if it feels right, I'll try and write about it.  Today's no exception and I had this thought come to mind "If I had to go back in time, to any era, what would I take with me?"

The first answer is easy.  Clothes.  I'm not going to go all hipster and say I'm a huge vintage clothes lover because although I love the style, I don't have the time and funds to be really invested into it.  I do however appreciate how well they dressed back in the day.  I would probably pick one of those huge dresses, Pride and Prejudice style you know, with the puffy skirts and layers of fabric.  Then I'd go forward in time a bit and maybe snatch away some gorgeous 60s dresses and blouses just because that style is wearable today.

Half of those I own similar versions so....

Next thing I'd get is music.  It's not something I can actually get or something which I can't really find nowadays, but I would get the people from back in the day to try and come and speak to people today and explain to them how to make some great music.  Not that I don't think we have good music today, but all my favourite songs are ones from the 80s or before so I'd love to get some great artists back with me and have them release new material just for me.

                                                    One of my favourite songs of all time!
I might also snatch a car or two, after all, vintage cars are worth a lot of money right?(As you may have gathered, my knowledge of cars is merely on the basis of "Wow that's preeeety") And I'm sure my boyfriend or my brother would love that, so yeah, I'd get a couple of cars with me, have the boys drool over them, and I'd just be their pretty passenger wearing a huge dress and listening to all the classic songs I love so much.

Before you guys think I'm crazy...(if there is actually anyone who managed to reach the end of this weird post and not die of boredom) I'm going to stop here. I'm sure I'll think of other old stuff I'd want to get with me if did go back in time, but these would be the first on my list.  So please, if you know of someone who has a time machine, let this crazy girl know!

-Claire