Obrigada!

So almost two months ago already, on the 17th of June, I flew to Portugal with two other Estonian girls to take part in a youth exchange in Amarante. The experience was absolutely amazing and everyone I know have probably heard more than they want already, but I gotta talk about it on my blog as well. Although I could talk about the people, the culture, the food and all else endlessly, I'll make this a short post and link you to the video I did whilst there. I'm quite proud of the video and I think it conveys the emotion of the experience well.

Now about the project that I took part in. It took place in Amarante, a little town with about 12 000 habitants situated in the North of Portugal, about an hour drive from Porto. We stayed at the local youth center which also hosted a youth hostel and a vegetarian restaurant. The project was put together by the coordinator of the youth center and it consisted of us visiting local landmarks (like the Alvao National Park), the youth center's partners (like the local orphanage) and taking part in workshops about for example improv and team work. It lasted two weeks and had participants from Estonia, Portugal and Italy.

I can only say that I had two of the best weeks of my life there and the people I met and the experiences I had are unforgettable. I strongly encourage everyone to take part in a youth exchange or something similar at least once in their lives, it's seriously a life changing experience.

I hope you like the video and take this as an inspiration to do something similar, because it is very worth it.

Til next time,
Ingrid.

Half-way there

Now here comes a post I didn't plan on writing, but I somehow got really nostalgic today, and lo and behold, I got an idea to revisit my new year's resolutions. It's a bit more than 6 months from when I wrote them down and I haven't really been thinking about them all that much. So I though looking at them again will make me keep to them more.

My first resolution was to read 50 books and finish the 2015 reading challenge. I have done quite bad on the reading front this year. I started out strong and read 5-6 books in both January and February, but then I hit a reading slump I haven't really managed to get out of since. I'm quite sure I won't hit the 50 books mark this year, as school's starting soon and I will then have even less time and motivation to read :( but I will definitely try again next year.

The second and third resolutions were to exercise more and not to leave everything to the last moment. I have exercised more, I even did it regularly during school, but in the summer I haven't done much. I hope to start going to the gym again when school starts though! And well leaving stuff to the last minute is a vice I've always struggled with and have yet to get over.

The fourth one was to get more weird musical instruments into my possession and I have gotten one! I got a glockenspiel for my birthday from two very nice friends. I don't really know how to play much on it, but I've gotten a few melodies down, because of my talented friend who can play by ear and is patient enough to teach me stuff.

The fifth and sixth are learn Norwegian more and finish the German course on duolingo. If I'm being honest with you I have been terrible at these. As always I started the year all motivated and stuff, but now I haven't thought about either of those tasks for a couple of months I'm sure. I hope I'll continue learning Norwegian when school starts though.

The seventh is to continue my piano lessons with Liis, what again I haven't done in a long while. I'm quite shit at keeping promises right? Which brings us to the last point: keep to your promises. I think this one's self-explanatory.

Til next time,
Ingrid

"The Loft"

So I finally watched "the Loft"! I'd been planning on watching it ever since I saw the trailer, because it features my favourite actor Karl Urban as a main character. What really hooked me in the trailer were the visuals, though. The movie is shot in a beautiful way and I especially love the vibe the dark and washed-out colours give the movie.

i really love the poster it has as well

The film basically talks about five married men who own a loft where they bring their mistresses. One day they discover a dead body upon returning to the loft what happens next will blow your mind and as only the five of them own keys to the loft, they start unravelling the story of what happened through series of flashbacks and suspecting each other.You can watch it's trailer here

Writing this, I don't remember much more about the film, than that it had amazing cinematography and an interesting plot-twist-y plot, as I did watch it more than a month ago. I can say that I really liked how the viewer got to see the story unravel through little flashes that maybe didn't always show the events had truly been. It made you create these opinions of the characters that changed all through the movie with more bits of information revealed. I loved that, because I like to see characters develop in movies, but more than that I like it when the movie gives the viewer a chance to develop new opinions on the characters that haven't developed, but that you can see in different situations.

I liked the actors as well, because well, Karl Urban is my favourite actor and I think he did a magnificent job. So did all the other actors, I especially liked Isabel Lucas in addition to Karl Urban. The only thing that bothered me was that Eric Stonestreet played a straight man, because he has left such a lasting impression with his performance in Modern Family that I just can't think of him as heterosexual ever again.

Whilst writing this blog post I discovered that the movie is actually a remake of a dutch-belgian movie of the same name released in 2008. I will definitely give that a try as well, as I loved this version. I would highly recommend this to people who like mystery and slow-thriller movies.

Til next time,
Ingrid

Getaway to Roosna-Alliku

NOTE: I wrote this post like a month ago and am just getting around to posting it, I am so sorry for my inability to be a functioning human being.

I spent the time between the 11^th and the 13^th June in Roosna-Alliku (a little borough in the center of Estonia) at my friend Ingrid’s (yes, we have the same name, it’s cool and confusing) house, because she was graduating. I’m only writing about it on the 19^th, because the days after that were a whirlwind. I went to a killer birthday party (shoutout to Siret for the amazing prazdnik), then I had a friend over with whom we watched “As Above so Below” (okay movie, the prettiest character died tho and the horror wasn’t that horrifying) and "Phineas and Ferb, the movie” (10/10 is all I can say) and ate a lot of ice cream (shoutout to Ramona for the v nice evening/night), then I packed and flew to Portugal. I’m in Amarante (a very little town in the north of Portugal) on a youth exchange, but more on that when I get back! I’ve been here for three days now and for now I only have positive emotions.

But back to what I wanted to talk about – the getaway to Roosna-Alliku. I was really excited for visiting Ingrid, because I hadn’t been to her place before (as she lives an hour away by car) and I really like discovering new places in Estonia. The day I got there we first went to Paide, a city near Roosna-Alliku, and walked around there. I really liked the ruins Paide had, because we found a way to climb into/onto them and I am a fan of all ruins I can climb on.  I was also surprised by how many stone statues Paide had! I didn’t count them, but man, you could see one on every corner of the town. 

 After having a little Paide tour, we drove to Ingrid’s place at Roosna-Alliku and cooked some pasta, tried to watch “22 Jump Street”, failed because the internet sucks, watched an other movie on dvd, went to the store to get some popcorn and generally chilled. When the sun was already starting to set we walked to the artificial lake near Roosna-Alliku to watch the sunrise there. It was a really beautiful evening.

The next day was a lot more physical for sure. After waking up and having breakfast, we took bikes and rode 6 km to another little place called Esna, where we went to see the manor and the forest chapel. Now, I thought I was almost in a good shape, but obviously half way to Esna it turned out I’d been very wrong. When we finally arrived in Esna I was tired as heck and had serious pains all over my body. It was worth it, though. The place was absolutely magical, especially the forest chapel and the way there. It was a narrow little path in the middle of a forest and the way the sun shone and there was this really slight wind, gave it such a fairytale forest vibe. And after walking along the path for a longer while, the white chapel just appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It had very magical vibes. The way back to Roosna-Alliku was a pain in the ass though, literally.

And the last day it was Ingrid’s graduation. As she goes to a little school, there were only 9 people graduating with her. The whole ceremony was so cute and had such a cosy vibe, because it seemed like everyone knew everyone, everyone thanked everyone and everyone liked everyone. Seriously nice and home-y.

After the graduation ceremony I had to hurry on a bus to make it to Siret’s birthday party. But I really enjoyed my little getaway to Roosna-Alliku. I think the greatest difference between my home and Ingrid’s was that Ingrid’s was so quiet and calm. I have two little brothers, so there’s always some kind of ruckus. At Ingrid’s there was no such thing, so I really enjoyed getting out of the noisy city for a few days.

Til next time,

Ingrid.

Recapping

So, a lot of things have happened since I last sat down and published a post on this blog. Let's have a little recap of those things.

• I finally saw "the Loft" - post coming soon
• I went on a mini getaway to Roosna-Alliku - post coming tonight!
• I went to Portugal for two weeks - post coming some time soon when I get more time to write
• I went on a mini getaway to Kangasniemi
• I had a fun little getaway in a tent with friends
• I watched "Ex Machina" and "Chappie" in the same night and had many emotions about robots - post coming definitely
• I camped for a night in Taevaskoja and had a fun day in Tartu with Siret - post coming with a lot of plant photos
• I went to the Viljandi Folk Music Festival and had a hoot - post coming some time in the future

That's a whole lot of stuff in my opinion, and it will definitely take me a lot of stuff to get all those posts written and published, but it's a task I'm going to take!

Til next time,
Ingrid

Лето – уже скоро

So I was taking the bus home yesterday after Zumba (I am so healthy and work out so much wow (notice the sarcasm), but I do love Zumba) and an advertisement came on the public tv thing. It was basically an advertisement for a hotel and showed clips of a happy family in the spa and in a restaurant and in their hotel room and then it said "Лето – уже скоро". Let's be honest I was on the verge of laughing because summer, soon? Tell that to the tons of homework and the impending exams.

Still, when I was walking home from the bus stop, I kinda got the first summer-y vibes of this spring. I don't know if it was the advertisement that had corrupted my brain or was it really there, but I truly felt summer to be just nearby, around the corner, ready to jump at me and wake me from this winter-ish slumber I've been in this whole spring. Spring's supposed to be my favourite time of the year, but this year I've had so much on my plate that I haven't really gotten the time to enjoy spring as much as I usually do. For example this one day I discovered that the grass was green and the threes had leaves all of a sudden. Now, I'm sure this didn't happen overnight and has been slowly happening for a while, but I just haven't noticed. What in my opinion is really sad.

Nevertheless, I'm in quite an optimistic mood now. I wanted to write this post yesterday, but I got home, ate, spent three and a half hours doing homework and then fell asleep right away. Today was also kind of a shitty day, so I was actually thinking of not writing this. But again, today walking home from the bus stop, even though it was a bit more cloudy than yesterday, I could smell this slight smell of mowed lawn and it wasn't dark yet and the threes had leaves and all I could think was "Лето – уже скоро".

This post was brought to you by almost optimistic feelings and procrastinating studying for a literature test. A mix that goes great with this song in my opinion.

Til next time,
Ingrid

Writer's block?

Fun fact: I wanted to update this blog at least once a week. It's currently been 15 days since my last post. For those of you that struggle with basic maths (myself included) that's two weeks and one day - two posts should have been up by yesterday. I have three posts as drafts at the moment. One that contains some ideas I want to make posts about, one that's topic needs some background info search that I have no motivation for and one that I started writing a week ago and just couldn't finish. I knew what I wanted to say with the post, but getting the words out was so hard. So I tried writing something creative instead. As some of you may know I write poems and short stories (and have been trying to write a novel and a screenplay for a short film recently (over-achiever much?)) from time to time. And though I had an idea for a short story I couldn't put it in words and that frustrated me a lot. I guess you could call this feeling writer's block. I'll try to get my creative juices flowing again soon, but in the mean time do yourself a favour and watch the Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2006 it is the most amazing thing ever.

Til next time,
Ingrid

Sondre Lerche

Disclaimer: This is not a love letter to Sondre Lerche nor to his music. I do not like his music or him as a person or anything. At all. Hahahahahhaah. Obviously not. No.

So, I think I've mentioned Sondre Lerche a few times on this blog already and as you can probably see, I quite like his music. And when I say quite like, I mean fricking love. I got to say I discovered him in a unique manner. There's no other artist that I've checked out, because comedians made a sketch about him. So thank you Ylvis brother for this one. You can watch the sketch here and well, after I first watched it, I was obviously intrigued who this Sondre guy was as I couldn't really enjoy the sketch when I didn't get the context. Also he seemed super cute in the sketch so I decided to check him out. And after one listen I already really loved his music.

He is a norwegian singer-songwriter who has released 7 (!!!) studio albums in various genres. He drifts on the borders of indie pop, lounge rock, folk rock, pop and alternative. His songs have complex rhythm combinations and clever lyrics. Lyrics might be my favourite part of his songs as he uses a lot of metaphors and figures of speech in such unexpected ways.

I've mostly listened to his freshest album "Please" so I'll talk of this the most. "Please" came out last year and "Bad Law", one of the singles from the album, was the first ever Sondre song I heard. I've loved the song from the first listen and there was a period where I only had this on replay (as always with great songs I have this period where I just don't stop listening to it). It has such a catchy melody, the rhythm is so nice and the lyrics are so clever and well-timed and wow. I also really love it's music video, I think the changes in camera angles convey the song so well. Other favourites from "Please" are "Lucifer" (great use of metaphors and such a nice melody), "Sentimentalist" (especially live/acoustic versions of this song), "Legends" (I really love how they've taped the music video in one take as well, it fits with the song sooo well in my opinion) and "Crickets" (this song has one of the catchiest and just nicest melodies I've ever heard).

Now some other songs of Sondre I love have got to be "Private Caller" from his self-titled album that came out in 2011. The song is again so catchy and also has such clever lyrics. Also "Go Right Ahead" from the same album is such a nice and upbeat tune with such clever lyrics (again, I just can't get over what a clever lyricist he is, it's simply amazing). Also "Two Way Monologue" from an album with the same name released in 2004. Great great music. 

All in all I'd really recommend Sondre Lerche to everybody, but especially people that love pop and rock fusion with catchy beats and profound lyrics. 

Til next time,

Ingrid

March Favourites

After my February full of fun and avoiding responsibilities I've had quite a rough March, because even though you might think avoiding responsibilities will make them disappear, that just doesn't happen. So I've tried actually doing my homework (spoiler alert: I have failed miserably) and updating this blog and writing my stories (that I never finish) and stuff. I have still enjoyed some stuff this month so let's talk about them.

1. My friend Ingrid got into our school! I have talked about this with her for so long and been there when she was getting ready for the submission tests and seen her be nervous about the tests and the interview and I'm so happy that she got in. So very many happy!!!!  

2. "Sugar" by Maroon 5. I don't know why but I love this song so much and I've been listening to it so much as well and gosh I just. I've loved Maroon 5 for as long as I can remember and their new music never disappoints, what's so very nice. 

3. "Private Caller" by Sondre Lerche. So this is quite and old song, but I really got into it this month. It's another song that's been on repeat and I just love Sondre Lerche so much (might make a blog post about his music some time soon) and that song is such a good one as well and yeah wow so much quality content here. 

4. Orange juice. I have a very weird on-and-off-relationship with orange juice. I have times where I love it and times where I hate it and there's no in-between. Recently I've really loved orange juice and mum bought us these frozen smoothie packages that are so easy to use and they taste amazing with orange juice. So I've drank orange juice a lot and loved it a lot. Nice.

5. the ham and cheese Panini in R-kiosk. I just can't get over food, can I. Well, during my spring break I had this Panini as breakfast many times, because as my brother goes to another school, he didn't have his break at the time and dad still had to drive him to school. Which meant every morning I woke up, my dad had already gone into town and gotten me a Panini for breakfast. It was amazing and I fell in love with the ham and cheese one. The chicken one is a bit too sweet for my taste (though I usually love Teriyaki sauce, it just doesn't work in this sandwich), but the ham and cheese one is perfect (it has this herb sauce that is A+ as well).

6. This little black dress I got from H&M. I haven't bought myself clothes in such a while, so when I went shopping during the break, I was so happy when I actually found something that fit me. This dress is just so cute in my opinion and gosh it's so comfortable as well and when the weather gets a bit better I'll definitely start wearing it a lot lot lot.

look at the cute dress it is so cute wow

7. Big Hero 6. So I finally watched Big Hero 6 in March. And then I watched it again. And for a third time. And I just love it. It is definitely one of my favourite animated movies in a while. The characters were lovable, the plot was interesting, it was funny and had just the right amount of clichés. So if you haven't seen Big Hero 6 yet, watch it!!! 

Let's end this little blog post at seven, because it is obviously a great number. I hope I'll get to write more often now, with having my own laptop and all. 

Til next time,

Ingrid. 

"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

Firstly, can I just say how fricking proud I am of myself for finishing two books during this spring break!!! I feel like I am out of my reading slump (what has also helped me get out of my writing slump!!) and it feels great.

So, the second book I read whilst on break, was "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell. I had heard so much about this book before reading it that I wasn't really sure what to expect. I hadn't read anything else by Rainbow Rowell before and the reviews I'd heard had been both bad and good. Still I was interested how the author wrote fanfiction and people who like fanfiction. So when I had some spare money, I picked up a copy of the book. 

I gotta say I liked the book quite a lot. It wasn't just a love story as I thought it would be. Also it didn't really include a love triangle, what I also though it would? I don't know where I had gotten these ideas. Anyway it talked about so much more than I expected. It talked about troubles with family and growing apart with someone you've been really close with. And it also talked about creating stories and writer's block and other problems writers can meet when creating. And also first times and not being sure about relationships and dealing with change and anxiety and so on. So I liked the issues the book dealt with and how it dealt with them.

I also really liked the characters. I have to say I wasn't a big fan of the main character Cath. She tended to get a bit whiny and I don't think she dealt very well with her emotions. But I really loved a lot of the side characters. Like Reagan for example. She is truly life goals and definitely wife goals. I just really loved her attitude and take on life. Also Levi is a babe. He is so sweet and nice and I really want to meet a person as charming as Levi in real life one day.  

I also really liked the little fragments of the book and the fanfics that were given in the book. I think it definitely gave a lot to understanding the main character and her sister more thoroughly. Also it made me really want to read the book series and the fanfiction written for it, oh god. 

All in all I really liked the book, I gave it a 4 stars out of 5, but if I could've I probably would've given it a 4.5 stars out of 5. It was a good book and I really enjoyed reading it. 

Til next time,

Ingrid 

"Teen angst? Naaah..." by Ned Vizzini

So I've had a little bit of a reading slump lately. I just can't be bothered to read anything, no books, no short stories, no poetry, no nothing. And I hate it. I love to read so when I physically can't make myself pay attention to a book it makes me very mad at myself. But during this break I got back on the reading badwagon with this nice book.

"Teen angst? Naaah..." is a quasi-autobiography by Ned Vizzini. It is a collection of short stories the author has written about his own teenager life. The book is divided into sections by the school year he was in when the stories took place. The blurb on the back says that "this collection of essays (in which names have been changed "so I don't get yelled at") never fails to bring out the humor and the truth of growing up."

I really liked the book, because it did exactly what the blurb promised. It brought out the humor and truth of growing up. And it did that without becoming too sappy or motivational, because the author had written the stories when he was dealing with these things first-hand, back when he still was a teenager. The stories didn't seem watered down or censored and they were, dare I say it, relatable. I could relate to the stories and I liked that a lot.

I had read Ned Vizzini's "It's kind of a funny story" (by the way gr8 book 10/10 would recommend) and having liked that I had great expectations for this book. And the book filled my expectations so yes, great success (hella rhymes).

Til next time,
Ingrid.

P.S. this post was brought to you by midnight writing to the sound of my lovely friend Ingrid (yes I have a friend that has the same name as me wow) sending me poop emojis on facebook.

Walks

What else to waste your school holiday days on then taking long walks on the beach. Or in my case in Old Town and on Pirita road.

Tallinn's version of Diagon Alley?

well the sticker on the other side of the road sure raises some suspicion

can u tell ive got max zoom on

#vintage

i just really love to take pictures of trees 

taken by the amazing Ramona

true happiness 

Ramona looked really #aesthetic

the most heartbreaking goodbye since Titanic

more trees #nice

me in a tree #nice

more #aesthetic Ramona

#deep #sea #girl #follow4follow

well i tried to capture the sunset? its the thought that counts??

The walks and my cute companions, Ramona and Zero, were very great and I very much recommend taking walks and looking at your home town from the pov of tourists to everyone once in a while. For me, it keeps the city fresh and exciting, because even after countless Old Town photo trips, I still find something new every time. So take walks, take photos, laugh with your friends, have fun etc. Because these days are the ones you'll want to remember. #deep. 

Til next time,

Ingrid

Cucumber, Banana and Tofu

I haven't really written anything in a while. Mostly because I've been so very lazy it's horrible. But today I didn't feel that well in the morning, so I took a day off school and decided to get some things back on track. This blog being one of them. So I'm gonna tell you about three linked shows that I have been loving these past months.

Cucumber, Banana and Tofu are all series from Channel 4 and have been airing for a couple of months already. They all discuss sex and sexuality in their own ways. Cucumber, the main show, is mainly about a 46 years old gay man named Henri and the troubles he finds in his relationships and life in general. Banana tells a different story of a member or a couple of members of the LGBTQ+ community every episode. All the stories are however linked to the main show, Cucumber, in one way or another. The third series, Tofu, is a documentary webseries that discusses sex and sexuality with the cast of Cucumber and Banana, members of the LGBTQ+ community and other members of the public.

I really like these shows. Not only because they have a lot of characters that aren't heterosexual (do you know how hard it is to find a show that has gay characters that aren't shallow and used as plot devices or accessories), but also because the stories told are truly interesting and beautiful. It discusses problems that everyone has in a very straightforward way. I like it when topics that are kind of taboo are discussed openly and that's what Cucumber, Banana and Tofu do.

Also the characters are simply amazing. They all have their flaws and I like that a lot. They are people you'd meet in your everyday life, not some perfect beings. The main character of Cucumber, Henri, is a great character in my opinion. He is not a great person, he has many flaws, most of which he is aware of, but he is a versatile character, he is a person, not a tv trope, and that makes him a great character. My favourite character from Cucumber has to be Freddie though. Firstly because he looks so totally in control of his life, but when you get to know him more you see the problems he faces as well, he isn't just his pretty face and his amazing sex life. Also he's bisexual and I think we need a lot of more bi- and pansexual characters.

Last but not least I really love the cinematographical side of the shows. The camera work is amazing, the use of camera angles really helps tell the stories. Also the soundtrack of the show is amazing. Not only the songs played (which are great and always go well with the scene) but also the sound effects give so much to the shows. I'd like to give a big applause to whoever edits and cuts the show together as well, it is so well made.

So I really think everyone should watch Cucumber, Banana and Tofu. I should warn you though, they tend to get a bit graphic, so if you're not used to seeing penises just hanging bout and don't want to see them either, then maybe the shows aren't for you. Still watch Tofu though, no penises there :)

Til next time,
Ingrid

February Favourites

My favourites in February have been avoiding responsibilities and having fun.

Til next time,
Ingrid

"Pride" or "I cried so much at this movie im not even joking it is perfect on so many levels"

I am here to interrupt your Monday with a bit of gay. Actually a lot of gay, a whole movie of gay. This movie found a way to my to watch list by total coincidence. I was watching Cucumber and Banana (shows that will most probably get reviews on this blog soon) and I had to find out who that really attractive actor playing Freddie was. The actor was Freddie Fox and so I spent a good hour in his tumblr tag just because. There I found a gif of "Pride" and it seemed to talk about gay rights and I'm down with that. So I decided to watch it.

The movie was spectacular. I have a big soft spot for half-historical movies (see: "Nowhere Boy" and "The Theory of Everything"), because just the fact that all of the things I'm seeing, have actually happened in almost the same way, makes me sad/happy/sappy and I start crying. This being about gay rights just added to me being an emotional mess during the thing.

The movie takes place in 1984 during a miners' strike and centers around a group of lesbians and gays who want to support the miners. They establish a group called L.G.S.M. and start collecting money to aid the miners. They soon find out that finding a group of miners who would take the support of "perverts" is a tougher job than they imagined. And the trouble doesn't end after finding a village in Wales that will take their support.

What I especially liked in this movie was that it concentrates on friendships instead of romance. I just feel like friendship and companionship is something so important and strong and in a lot of cases it is stronger than romantic relationships. Friends are so important guys!!!!!!! And also communities and people working together for a good cause oh god. Soft communism guys. Okay, not communism, just comrades being comrades and achieving goals and nice stuff.

I also really liked how even though the film had a dozen main characters, they had time to tell everyone's story. All the characters grew during the film, all the characters got to develop in some ways. And all the characters were different and unique and whole and not plot devices. It was great.

The actors were magnificent as well. Seeing as most of them had to play characters that had lived or were still alive, it was definitely a hard task, but they all managed it well. From the clips I've seen of the people the characters were made by, the actors really did a good job. The accuracy of the accents already amazes me, nonetheless the actual acting.

All in all it was a magical and heartbreaking story about people uniting and doing something not for themselves, but for their fellow human beings. I cried a lot, 10/10.

Til next time,
Ingrid

January Favourites

Hello, your regular beauty blogger here with her January favourites. Actually scratch that, I don't really use beauty products and if I did, I wouldn't find them interesting enough to give them a separate blog post. So my monthly favourites will most probably consist of music, books, food and apps.

Let's get this show on the roll! Firstly 'bout the music I've been listening to this month.

1. "Uptown funk" by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars. I don't know how long this song's been around for already, but I've started obsessing over it in the last month. I can't explain why I like this song so much, I guess it's just really catchy and nice to dance to. Anyways, it's definitely a favourite this month.

2. the new Fall Out Boy record. You know, the one they leaked themselves, those idiots. I really love the album and it's been on replay ever since it came out. It has a different sound than their earlier albums and I really liked that. I'm a big fan of bands rocking every genre. My favourite tracks are all of them to be honest, but "Irresistible", "the Kids Aren't Alright" and "Centuries" are the ultimate faves.

3. WILHELM FINALLY RELEASED THEIR ALBUM! So I've been waiting for their album for almost a year already now, I really liked them on Eesti Laul and after a little research when I found out they didn't even have an album out yet I was really sad. I wanted to listen to more of their songs and right away. So during the last a-bit-less-than-a-year-time I have seen them live three times and listened to all the live versions of their songs that are on youtube for millions of times. And now finally they have released their album "Wilhelm"!! I am so incredibly happy!! You can order it from here and buy it from iTunes and listen to it on Spotify. My favourite tracks are again all of them, but "Light Up My Mind" and "Finding Ground" are the most most favourites.


I don't really have much book favourites this month. I did read the Maze Runner trilogy and I loved it, but the books also had a lot I wasn't that psyched about. The other books I've read this month have also been good, but none of them really reaching the forever favourites shelf.

A big favourite this month has definitely been goodreads. I dont know how I hadn't made myself an account before, but I finally did and I love it a lot. It's a great place to keep track of the books you read and also see what your friends are reading. I love it!!! Become my friend on goodreads peeps!

Also I started playing Circle and oh god it's addictive. I didn't have a game on my phone for a little less than a year, but I played Circle on my brother's phone and I needed to get it myself. I'm not particularly good at it I just like it. It helps me control my frustration I guess. 

And my last favourite of the month has been the new Raspberry Cheescake cookie at Subway. Like I didn't spend enough money on food already, this delicious raspberry cookie with white chocolate bits appeared in ny sight. Frick. 

Til next time,

Ingrid

Motivation level: 0

I'm sure anyone reading this who knows me even a little, knows I am really lazy and lose motivation very easily. I still get good (well for me they are) grades at school because of my ability to make shit up. I actually have to physically force myself to write essays and other assignments that need to be handed in. If an assignment isn't for grading or is oral, I most probably won't do it. Studying for tests is also a thing I barely ever do. And it's bad, because I won't get any of the things I want in life if I keep being a lazy ass and procrastinating from all of the schoolwork.

And I'm sure many people can relate to this so I thought about writing a post about raising motivation? I thought maybe it would help others who struggle with this, but also give me some motivation back and urge me to get cracking on the three literature assignments that were due weeks ago.

So without further ado, here are my tips on gaining/preserving/raising motivation!

1. Set yourself little goals and rewards!!! This might be the thing that has helped me the most. If I set myself an achievable goal and a reward for reaching that goal I will be so much more motivated. Let's say for example I have a chemistry test the next day for which I have exercises I can do. I make a deal with myself that I can get a bath or eat a whole chocolate bar or read a good book for 30 minutes, if I do ten exercises. Helpful af.

2. Plan ahead!!!! Ahhhh... I'm the worst at this. I always start with the assignments the night before they're due. That makes for a lot of stressful nights and half assed works. So I try to plan ahead. I try to divide my work on days so I don't have to cram everything in one evening. I really do try.

3. Positive mindset! If there's one thing that's for sure, it's that it will take me three times more time to finish an assignment if I start doing it in a bad mood. If I start it thinking I'll never get it finished and even if I do finish, it will be very bad and will get me a shitty grade, I will not finish it. But if I just think about what great things I will do when I finish this quickly and how amazing I will feel when I know I've finished this big thing, then I am so much more efficient. This also brings us to the last point.

4. SOUNDTRACK YOUR LIFE. Seriously, nothing will get you in the mood for an in depth analysis of "Oedipus the King" by Sophokles than "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. I know there are people who can't concentrate if there's music playing, so you can just skip this point and yeah, but I really work best when I have a killer soundtrack to my work. For those that are like me, here are my favourite work/motivational playlists and songs and soundtracks and such.

• shitty pop music you can't help but to dance to 
• simply epic
• is anyone over the guardians of the galaxy soundtrack already because im obviously not
• who wouldnt love eurovision
• one of my absolute favourites tbh, dont be scared by the name of a character you might be unfamiliar with in the mix name its actually just dumb songs and a lot of pop punk
• for people that like instrumental motivational music
• my love for this song is eternal
• idk why i like this song so much im sorry for everyone who has to hear me singing this every second of every day 

That's all the tips I have, well maybe also drink lots of tea, because it tastes good, it keeps you calm and it's all healthy and stuff. I hope you all have lots of motivation for whatever you're working on!

Til next time,

Ingrid

"The Maze Runner" movie VS book

I usually love it when the movie made based on a book is different from the book. I love seeing different interpretations of the same plot. But this time, I really didn't.

I saw "the Maze Runner" quite a few months ago on a whim. We went to the cinema with a friend and I saw that it was on and I knew Dylan O'Brien starred in it (nice amirite) and we just thought why not. Now, that movie was a whirlwind of emotions. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on. Neither did the characters of the film, which made everything that more incomprehensible. Everything happened so much.

I did grow really attached to the characters in that short period of time I was in the cinema. As they were in a most unusual situation, you could really see the differences in their personalities and how they responded to different happenings. My favourites were Newt and Minho right away (it hasn't changed after reading the book either (true love)).

But as I said the fact that nothing made sense really bothered me. There were many gaping plot holes (like did the WICKED develop the serum right before sending Teresa in the Glade, did Minho and the other runners really not find the Griever hole Thomas found on his second day in the Maze, how had they never seen a Griever before when they had banished other people before because of getting stung?) and some parts that just didn't make sense at all. I came out of the cinema with more questions than I had when going in.

Still I loved the plot and as I knew it was a part of a trilogy (series? it actually has a fourth book as well kinda), so I wasn't that surprised by the cliffhanger ending. It did however make me want to read the books, to be in the loop when the next film would arrive. Now I got myself a box set of the trilogy and I am currently almost finished with the second book. I feel like I can compare the book and the movie now.

Well firstly, they are so different from each other? It was kinda like someone had taken the same characters and setting and outcome and written two independent works. The book didn't make that much more sense, but it didn't have the plot holes, what was nice. The characters were a bit different as well. I feel like they watered them down in the movie a bit, made it more family-friendly. I liked them more in the books though, the darkness of the book seemed more realistic.

So, deciding solely on the first book and movie, I think the book was obviously a lot better (as it often is), but have mostly read the second book as well, I'm starting to have my doubts about the series. So I'm looking forward to seeing where the movie takes us in September.

All in all I would recommend seeing the movie (and obviously reading the book) because I believe every dystopian movie/book out there portrays a problem we might as well be facing in the future. I'd give the book an 8/10 and the movie a 5.5/10.

Til next time,
Ingrid

The start of the glockenspiel adventure

I haven't written down this year's resolutions yet, so here goes.

1. Read 50 books (also the 2015 reading challenge)
2. Exercise more!!
3. Try not to leave everything to the last moment as usual.
4. Get more weird instruments into your possession (e.g. a tambourine, a glockenspiel and so on)
5. Learn Norwegian fiercely, do exercises in you free time, find words you're not taught in classes etc.
6. Finish the German course in duolingo.
7. Piano lessons with Liis!!!!!!
8. Keep to your promises.

I think that's all. I'm in a good place in my life at the moment so i don't want any big changes tbh.

Til next time,
Ingrid

#Helsinki

We went to Helsinki on the 7th of December with a couple of friends as I mentioned already in my review of "the Night Circus". Here's a video of that yo:

#nice

Til next time,
Ingrid

New Year's Resolutions?

I have always really loved New Year's Resolutions, because they give me this feel of starting over. I am not a very good achiever of goals. Most goals I set myself, I never meet, because, well honestly, I'm really lazy. So New Year's Resolutions are like these kind of i-know-ive-never-achieved-my-goals-but-this-is-a-fresh-start-and-i-will-definitely-be-successful-this-time-thing. Last year when I set the resolutions I really wanted to get them all done tho. So I posted them to my tumblr, as a kinda push, like I've got to get them done when they're written down somewhere, don't I? Let's find out.

"1. take no shit
(even if the shit is coming from a person you really like and want to like you (dont take the shit))"

A-ha! I think I have improved in giving no fucks, so I think I'll count that as done.


"2. sort your wardrobe out
(what even is your clothes style tho srsly sort that shit out)"

This one I think I've accomplished as well. I really like the way I dress now. All black and punk rock and stuff. There's always room for improvement, but I'm happy with how things are at the moment.

"3. get ya eyeliner game on

(you cant do eyeliner what are you two, get it on)"

Nope... And from the way things look right now, it'll never happen.

"4. stop bitching about everything

(whining is a no no, be positive u lil shit)"

A-ha!!!! Another one I've accomplished. I've been so positive this year, I've even surprised myself.

"5. stop arguing with your brother so much

(hes little and dumb, cut him some slack)"

A-ha!!!!!! Nope, actually, haven't done that. We still bicker a lot. It's normal???? Relatives always bicker????? i hope

"6. exercise 

(yes its tedious and you could be on tumblr, but do you want to die every time you have to go to the third story or not)"

I don't even know about this one. I've certainly exercised more this year than I did the last. On the other hand I still exercise like three times a month what is clearly too little. Let's give it a half-done-point.

"7. do the happy jar thingy 

(remember the thing you wanted to do last year but failed, yes doing it this year)"

LOL Haven't done it?????

"8. rEaD!!!!

(i know you have no time, make time, books are life)"

!!!!!!! This one I have done did!!!!!!!! I have read a lot this last year and I've loved it and I'm thinking of setting myself a challenge of reading 50 books in 2015 :)

"9. create art!!!

(youre always whining how you cant art, well practice makes perfect)"

I have arted a lot this year! So much arting! Woo! 

"10. finish the ninth grade oK

(you dont have to be perfect but plz get no 3s yeah)"

I done did it!!! I had no 3s on my ninth grade report card! *applause* 

"11. kiss someone

(so this is kind of not v necessary, but damn gurl, youre 16 and havent kissed anyone or dated anyone, thats kinda sad)"

Haha hahahahahahahahaha hahaha ha aha ha aha h ahahahahaah...

"12. wrITE!!!

(if you want to write good you gotta write a lot, go do)"

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) I've written quite a lot this year :))))))))))))))))))

"13. make at least one qUALITY short film/video 

(it doesnt have to be a movie or anything but oNE thing thats gooood and quality not like that fuckin vampire movie you made srsly)"

Well I gotta say my idea of quality has changed a lot in this year. I have made a few cute videos that are a-okey quailty this year tho. So yes good done!

And that's it!!! I can say I've accomplished 9/13 of my goals. I'd say that's quite a nice :) I'm happy with it anyways :) 

Til next time, 

Ingrid

La Saint Sylvestre UPDATED

yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

I had a very nice night this night what is nice woo. Basically we had a few friends over and it was nice, we had a lot of fun. We laughed and danced and watched silly things on the tv and ate!! Oh, we ate. Soooooo much. I love eating a lot. And we had nice things to eat. Nice.

my lil bro and some fruits yo

This was the first year we haven't gone to see the town's official fireworks (we've always gone in Viljandi) and I wasn't expecting to see a lot of fireworks. BUT I did! I haven't been that amazed by a thing in a while. When the clock struck twelve fireworks began to shoot from so many places around our home. We went out to the backyard and I swear it was magical. A 360 degree view of verious fireworks. There's this quote: "Usually one person doesn't have the solution, but 100 people with 1% of the solution? That will get it done. I think that's beautiful, pieces solving a puzzle." (it's from Agent's of Shield) and I thought about that whilst standing there in the midst of all these fireworks. People can achieve such greatness when they unite. 

have a lil shitty photo

After watching the fireworks for about 15 minutes we went back inside, drank champagne (non-alcoholic, strawberry flavoured) and did some just dance. It was a nice end to the evening. 

I hope everyone has a very nice 2015th!!

Til next time,

Ingrid