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
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Thursday, 10 October 2013
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
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
Sunday, 6 October 2013
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
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
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 ama 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
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
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
Saturday, 28 September 2013
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
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
Friday, 27 September 2013
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
Thursday, 26 September 2013
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.
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
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
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 alot 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
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
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
Monday, 23 September 2013
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.
Enjoy,
Claire xxx
Sunday, 22 September 2013
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
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
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
Friday, 13 September 2013
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.
Until next time,
Claire x
Sunday, 1 September 2013
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.
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
Monday, 5 August 2013
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
5. Friends
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
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
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
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
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| Me at Villa Borghese, Rome. Boyfriend caught me stretching...and it turned out like this, I swear! |
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| And the Boyfriend makes his debut on my blog. Don't we look like a Malibu bottle? |
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| Girls just wanna have fun! Me and Lara, one of my bestest friends! |
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| Sundays at the beach in Malta. Aren't we lucky to live on such a lovely island? |
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| Bestie driving whilst I Instagram! With another dear friend, Mandy. |
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
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!
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!
Monday, 24 June 2013
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?
So that's my problem. Any suggestions from people who suffer from this sort of anxiety will be appreciated.
Claire
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?
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| 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
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
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
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
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
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
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
Monday, 3 June 2013
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
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
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