Category: life lessons

What a summer it’s been…(lesson learnt: #nomoremissnicegirl )

Usually my posts have a positive, optimistic tone, but this one does not, well most of it doesn’t. But life is not always full of roses and you can’t always be nice.

It’s been a while since I last posted… I promised to myself I will only post when I feel like it, as the only purpose of this blog is to share lessons I learned worth sharing with everyone… I  felt the need to post a couple of times but when sharing through my blog or other social media that are public means everyone in the whole wide world can read and some things I only want to share with friends (that’s what’s FB for).

But anyway… after the bank holiday, summer is officially over!

It’s been one of the best summers I had in years…  or maybe ever… A big, fun, crazy adventure! Celebrations, birthdays, christening, nights in playing the guitar, reading, daydreaming, nights out dancing, crossing a motorway, jumping off a wall and sprinting through a bridge over the Thames, Jason Bourne style, to catch a Shakespeare play under the stars in central London at midnight, the most amazing time back home, sunny days at the beach, sunny lunches and picnics at the park, spending time with friends and family, making new friends, wandering around, music, always music, finding out more about British culture and life in general (thank you Donna!), learning new life skills such as how to jump start a car or change bulbs, lots of fun and laughter…

But summer is over! And it feels like an end of an era!

It’s been challenging at times but I feel better than ever…

And I got my confidence back! A couple of months ago I’d never imagine posting a video of me singing or playing the guitar let alone both (I’m novice at both as you can see if you watched my videos). A friend told me they would never be confident enough to do it and my response was “I wouldn’t either a while ago, but I spent years doubting myself and worrying what others might think. And it was not worth it”. If I want to post a video of me singing a song for my best friend because she had a bad day and I wanted to make her feel better and declare my love and support publicly, but someone doesn’t like it, or doesn’t like me so what? It’s human nature, we can’t and don’t like everything and everyone and not everyone likes us. And it’s OK. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea nor are you.

So here it comes the most important lesson I learnt over the last few months…

A couple of weeks ago I was lying on the grass at the park, had my headphones on, enjoying listening to my music whilst having my lunch in the sunshine and then this guy comes over, gets off his bike and starts chatting to me. I took my headphones off so not to be rude, but it was VERY obvious I’d rather be left alone. I hardly spoke to him or made any eye contact, my answers were short, I didn’t even ask for his name until he was about to leave just out of politeness but he still sat there chatting to me for 15 minutes. It wasn’t even an interesting conversation. In the end I had to say, after he turned the convo where he wanted to and said he was “looking for a partner to drink ouzo with (as if all Greek/Cypriot people only drink ouzo, what a cringy pick up line, don’t ever use that on Cypriots, it doesn’t work!)” that I was not looking for an “ouzo-drinking” partner.

He wasn’t rude but he should have left me alone. It was OBVIOUS I was not interested. And it spoilt my lunch, it spoilt my ‘me’ time enjoying the sunshine and the music and watching people, making up crazy, fun stories about them, it just spoilt the moment.

After that and other incidents recently (worse than the one I mentioned above), which I cringe even thinking about so I won’t mention, I decided I won’t take anything from anyone anymore even if it means being rude, which I hate doing but it’s sometimes necessary.

I don’t know if that’s across the whole country but people here are too polite most of the time (not always) to show their annoyance or disagreement and are afraid they might come across as rude or inappropriate if they are honest and say what they really think even when chatting about everyday life issues.

So lesson learnt!! DON’T TOLERATE ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T LIKE/ ANNOYS/UPSETS YOU.  When someone is being annoying or creepy tell them off, show it. Just do it. Don’t ask for help or if anyone offers to help you deal with it, just say no and do it yourself. You don’t need anyone to protect you, because you won’t always have someone to do that, learn to deal with it yourself, it’s a basic, essential life skill!

Don’t get me wrong, I hate moaning and I’m nice, friendly and polite most of the time but there are limits.

I live on my own, I have no family close by and when things break or I accidentally hurt myself-all the time-(accident proneness/string of bad luck whatever it is the result is the same) or I get ill or run out of milk or money, I’m the only one responsible and the only one who can help myself (yeah I don’t like asking for help either, I am too proud!). So I won’t take sh** from anyone and I’m not willing to let anything or anyone spoil my moment. I won’t be nice if you are mean to me or sleazy or make a weird comment or you behave inappropriately.

Lesson I learnt again these last 2-3 months: Learn to say NO! Only hang out with people you really want to and do things YOU want to. Life is too short to compromise and waste time on things you don’t really enjoy just to be nice! If you don’t want to reply to that message or go somewhere, then don’t. And don’t feel guilty. Everyone does it! If you feel bad being completely honest (although my advice is just be honest!), make up excuses everyone does and have a universal meaning everyone will get such as: “I’ve been very busy”.

And last lesson for today: “age appropriate” is nonsense (not to confuse with being immature!). I’ve been given valuable advice which I appreciate on how I need to start thinking about my future as I’m getting older and do things people at my age should do like buy a house (and other related “life goals”). But I won’t. I can’t sacrifice my present so I can have a better future which I might, probably not even get to live long enough to enjoy. Sad but true…

The last 8 months have been a big adventure, not a single dull moment and I wouldn’t change that for anything else. I don’t ever want to go back to how my life was a couple of months ago. So I’ll take my chances. I love taking risks and that’s what spices up my life. Who knows what the future holds. I hope mostly nice surprises!

I want to AGAIN thank all of my friends, old and new and my family. You can’t imagine how I appreciate and value the support and love you show me. I love you all so much words can’t even describe and those of you I am far away from now, know that I really miss you and can’t wait to see you again soon (maybe sooner thank you think!).

So that’s what I learned over the last few months. I learned to be feistier and not tolerate anything I shouldn’t. And I got my confidence back.

I am definitely not the person I used to be even a couple of months ago. And I am glad. I’ll never be that weak, scared person ever again. I rarely say “never” but in this case I’m sure. That wasn’t me. That was a person I let others turned me into, but not anymore. I’m never going back to that. If that means I might sometimes come across as rude or cruel or selfish or crazy then let it be.

So here’s to the last 3 months of 2016! A lot of exciting things coming up and I can’t wait! I hope the last few months of this year are amazing for all of us!

PS Love you to the moon and back Shebz!!! I am sure you are having an amazing time but I already missed you very very very much! xxxxx

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Love you all! x

 

A quick message before I go (love and goodbyes)…

Hi all!

God I missed sitting down writing!

I feel emotional right now because I am going home for 2.5 WEEKS!! I haven’t had such a long holiday for a while… And last time I went home for that long I didn’t really want to come back I ended up staying for 3 weeks (thank you again Chris, best manager ever!)!

And this time it will be even more special (most of you know why), I am so excited I might burst!!!!!!!

I feel the need to say goodbye to everyone for some reason…

I am going to miss a LOT of people, a lot of you lovely people reading this at this very moment. My choir families, workplace (Louise, ‘I don’t give a f***’, lol) and SingNow (love you all, Claire ‘badday’ haha xx!), my colleagues (all the fun and laughs, and I know you’ll miss me, it will be too quiet without me around, Donna you are a legend!) and of course my friends, older and people I got to know better lately (don’t forget to smile 🙂 ).  I will miss our daily chats, last minute plans, Sunday Jams, all the fun and laughs… And most of all my partner in crime Shebz! I love you so much hun, I wish I could take you with me! Remember #fakeittillyoumakeit x

I mentioned it a lot of times but I feel incredibly lucky to have amazing people in my life.

For those I haven’t had the chance to  give a cookie-who doesn’t love some chocolate!- and say goodbye in person today, I am sending you a big big hug.

I am closing this post with the song that always marks my visits back home, the song which always reminds me of the Cyprus sun, culture and love, the song I sing with my sisters and friends, the song that I never get bored of, the song I listen to when I wanna feel loved and safe because it reminds me of my special ones, the song I dance to whilst walking to and from home. (I’ve done a quick translation ages ago for non-Greek speakers, because the lyrics are just beautiful- and a friend asked me what the lyrics meant, I remember Jack!) epimoni translation

I can’t wait to experience that feeling of excitement and nervousness when I get to the airport, one of my favourite places!

I am coming home!!!!!!’Ερχομαι!!!!!!!!!

See you all sooner or later!

Love you all! x

Love, not hate. And take mental health seriously! When will this stop???

I made some time to write this post, because I felt the need to express my thoughts in more than 140 characters or a long Facebook post…

In the last week, two events deeply upset me and saddened me.

Three days ago a man decided to load 2 guns and kill 50 innocent people and injure many more who were having fun at a nightclub in Orlando… I’ve read a lot about this man. He was mentally unstable, used to beat his ex-wife, he was interviewed by the police in the past… but nothing was able to stop him from murdering innocent people…

Why? To prove what? What did he achieve? We live in 2016… how long will it take to finally extinguish homophobia/islamophobia/phobia of anything??? What does it matter what race/sexual orientation/religion/(add anything else you can think of) you are?

Nobody is better than anyone. We all come from the same place, share similar DNA, we are all in a sense cousins. But we are different too, and that’s what makes us special and unique! But it doesn’t make us better or worse than each other. And this madness needs to stop.

Yesterday, MP Jo Cox was stubbed and shot to death… I don’t know much about her but from the little I read, she was an amazing person. Although it doesn’t matter even if she wasn’t. Nobody deserves to be stubbed and shot to death, not even the worst of the worst of people, let alone a talented, powerful woman, mother and wife doing the job she loved. At the time I am writing this it’s still not clear why her attacker did this… but it seemed he was mentally unstable and disagreed with her political views…

Her husband posted one of the most heartbreaking and inspiring messages I’ve ever read, it’s worth reading… (https://twitter.com/guardiannews/status/743488399651250176).

My deep and sincere condolences to Brendan Cox, their family and everyone who lost a family member, a friend, a lover, a soulmate, a mate, a wife, a husband, a colleague in Orlando…

I can understand how hatred can blur someone’s sanity. To a degree… I don’t hate anyone, but I overreacted to situations and was upset with people as we all do. But I NEVER ever wished for anyone to get hurt, let alone die.

Nothing good comes out of hate. NOTHING! I feel sad every time I hear about a shooting or innocent people getting killed for whatever reason. And don’t forget all the innocent souls who die in countries such as Syria every single day…

There is another IMPORTANT issue that needs addressing… When will mental health be finally given the importance it deserves??? There must be a way to help people who struggle with mental issues before they reach the point of killing another human being!!!!

I hope that humanity and love will prevail. I’ll never stop believing in forgiveness and love. Because that’s what makes us humans. That’s what discriminates us from other animals. We have a brain for thinking and a heart (well brain again, but let’s not get into science) for feeling! And I hope that WE (society/government/world) will one day be able to give mental and emotional support to everyone who needs it!

I sincerely hope one day all this will stop. So my message/advice of the day: forgive, love and don’t judge, don’t hate anyone or anything you don’t agree with or don’t understand!!! Holding grudges or hating anything or anyone will only poison your mind…

And take mental health seriously!

I’ll finish this post with a powerful sentence from Jo Cox’s husband’s message…

“Hate doesn’t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous…”

A special hug to everyone today…

Love you all xx

 

How time flies!

I can’t believe is June already! This year is flying by!!!

I finally made some time to post! I have a list of things to do today but I’m glad I managed to sit down and reflect even for a little.

Turning 30 gave me the perfect opportunity to push myself to the limit. Even when I am tired I feel I can’t stay still, I am restless. I want to get out and do things, meet people, spend time with friends, old and new, try new things more often, anything to make me feel alive and enjoy life as much as I possibly can.

So what have I learned this last month or so?

Some things are better kept unsaid! I share a lot with others because I am a very open person but sometimes you need to keep some things for yourself.

The older you get, the more you don’t care about others’ opinion. I was talking to a friend recently who was going to a wedding he really didn’t want to but he felt he had to. Well if it were me, I wouldn’t. I only really care about my friends and family and I am not willing to waste any time on anything I won’t enjoy just because I feel I have to. Life is so much better when you do what YOU want!

Time just flies! I honestly cannot believe is June already! I’ve been living on my own for 5 months ( I must admit I’m not the best example of a responsible adult living on their own, but having fun is more important, right?) although it feels like yesterday when I first moved in. So much has happened in the last couple of months, I  know I’ve mentioned that a lot but I am amazed how many amazing, incredible and sometimes ridiculously talented (talent is sexy!) people I’ve met, how many awesome experiences I had and how my life has changed and is changing even as we speak. Remember, give everyone and everything a chance, it’s incredible how amazing life can be when you are open and spontaneous!!!

I’ve read somewhere recently that ‘sometimes to end a chapter and begin a new, we must read the same lines numerous times over. Be patient. With repetition, comes understanding.  The truth may not surface at first, but at some point it always will’. 

I completely disagree!!! You don’t always get closure and some things will never make sense, no matter what. So my advice is: If you don’t get closure, don’t go through everything over and over again. Complete waste of time. Make up your own story, your own closure, whatever will push you to move on, because honestly, not everything that happen to you or me or anyone will make sense. 

A couple of days ago we were discussing with friends whilst having lunch in the sun how happy we are with our life now, even though we all ‘ve been through s*** situations over the last year. And I am happy we are all happy 🙂 Love you guys!x

I feel the need to thank everyone again (you know who you are!) for all the love and care you show for me, especially this month, I’m so grateful to have you in my life! x

I’ll be soon going home for holidays, catchup, celebrations and then new chapters begin when I’m back for which I am really excited about! (that means I might not be able to blog again until after I’m back, but hey, there are so many things I enjoy doing with my free time, you can’t blame me 😉 )

I’ll leave you with my favourite summer song at the moment! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjOhZZyn30k

Enjoy the summer!

Love you all! xx

 

 

 

Thank you :)

Thank you all for my birthday wishes, cards, messages, gifts.

I am all about people and love and I definitely felt the love, even from people I didn’t expect! My little heart melted, especially with some of the messages I received.

I had an amazing time celebrating my birthday since early May until my AWESOME birthday weekend (thank you Shebz and Helena for making it so special for me!). I will definitely not forget my 30th birthday celebrations! It was a nice goodbye to my 20s, and now a new era begins! Turning 30 gave me the perfect opportunity for a fresh start!

It’s up to me to make it a good one and I will, no matter what! I remembered recently something my psychology professors used to say: if someone hurt you/upset you/made you cry, it’s your fault! And they are right! Think about it for a minute! It’s totally up to you how you will react to a situation. You choose to be upset or sad or ignore it. I know it’s not easy, I’m the last person to suggest it’s easy, I’m an emotional person, but I guess the older you get the less you bother about situations you don’t enjoy or upset you, so I promise, it gets easier!

I look forward to my first year in my 30s, I have no idea what I will be doing in a year’s time! I might be in Vietnam or Mexico or London, I might be married with a kid. Life is full of surprises and I LOVE surprises, so who knows what it will bring! The only thing I know is that I will do my best not to waste anytime on anything that’s not worth it and just be happy!

The aim of this blog as the name suggests was to share what I’ve learned before I turn 30, but I will continue to share what I learn now that I’m in my 30s! I might need to change the title!!! I will not post as often as I’m keeping myself busy all the time, trying to enjoy life to the full, even if that means being tired 24/7. So I am not sure when I’ll post next/

Thank you all again for all your wonderful messages.

I’ll finish this post with a snippet of one of my favourite messages I received: surround yourself with people that make you smile and always remember to be yourself!

Love you all! xx

Last few days of my 20s….

The last couple of days I’m in my 20s..

The last few days I’ve been thinking a lot about turning 30. Some of you might have went through a similar phase. I was talking to a friend today who just turned 30 and he felt the same as I did. Yeah, I know. I don’t look or feel old and I am blessed to have the freedom to do whatever I want because I have no responsibilities or ties anywhere. I don’t feel bad, but I guess I feel a bit nostalgic and the fact I am turning 30, I can’t help but think about my life so far.

Thinking about the last 10 years, oh my. There have been so many amazing moments! Happy and sad, accidents, births, deaths, celebrations,weddings, funerals, parties, relationships, friendships, surprises, lots of surprises… a good mixture of everything!

My uni years were probably the best years of my life so far…

I might not have spent too much time reading books, watching movies or studying (at least I graduated with good grades!) but God we had fun and we did some crazy things! Laughed and cried so much and made friends for life!!

Then I don’t know what happened. My plan was to stay in the UK after I finish my masters and become a successful psychologist (although I had no idea in what field). Plans hey? That’s why I don’t make any long term plans… they never go as you think they’d do.

But then I met my ex boyfriend. I guess love makes you take decisions you wouldn’t normally take… and do things you wouldn’t normally do… I fell in love so hard that all I wanted was to be with him whatever it took. So I spent the last 7 years trying but didn’t really know what I was trying for.  We had amazing time together and I’ll always cherish our relationship and all the nice moments we had and take the lessons I learned from all the bad moments…

But I got lost, he got lost, we both got lost… we lost ourselves and forgot what it really mattered in life… to just be ourselves and enjoy every moment. I don’t know if our paths will ever meet again, but I really hope he is well and happy.

I always found it weird how you can become complete strangers with people you were so close, friends or lovers, from one day to the other …  but with other people no matter what happens, however long you haven’t talked or wherever in the world they are, you are always close and every time you talk or see each other, nothing feels different. I guess that’s true love. It never goes away, does it?

I’ve already talked about my past, I won’t share any more, but two things  I learned over and over and over again:

1. You never know what life will throw at you and you can’t prepare yourself. You learn as you go along… And I’ve learned and grown and I’m finally at a place I’m happy with my life.

2.Life is really too short! Most of us hope that will live until we are 90 and die happy in our sleep, but that’s not what life has in store for all of us. Only a week ago a cyclist lost his life just outside work.  He was ran over by a lorry. And it got me, it really did. Not only because I felt deeply sad this person lost his life and I couldn’t even imagine how his family and the lorry driver were coping, but also because I realised once again how short and fragile life is. Now every time I pass by or happen to look on that very spot, I always remind myself how short life is and that nothing is worth dwelling on.

My life changed dramatically so many times, especially the last year and it’s still changing as we speak. This month has been crazy so far! I honestly don’t know what to expect any more. Even if I meet an alien I won’t be surprised!

A year ago, even 6 months ago, although I knew my relationship was about to end, I thought what I really wanted to do for my 30th was to spend it in New York with the love of my life (yeah, yeah hopeless romantic). I always wanted to go, it was on the top of the list of the hundreds of places I want to see before I die and I wanted to go with my man.

But not any more. I still want to go and I will one day. It might be with the love of my life, or my best friends, or old friends, or new friends, or  on my own  or I might even get a job there, who knows! But right now it’s not a priority.

My wise friend reminded me yesterday that we will always have responsibilities and there is no point waiting for the right time to do what you really want to do. ‘Cause there is no better time than now! And she is absolutely right! Whatever you want to do, just do it. If you don’t like how your life it is right now, then change it!

For me, it’s not about materialistic things and achieving long term goals, it’s always been about people and experiences. And that’s why my cover photo is not of places I’ve been or things I bought, but it’s all about people and love and having fun… so now the emotional part (yes, I teared up whilst writing this, I am so lucky to have amazing people in my life!).

I am grateful for all the experiences, good and bad, happy and painful, of the last 10 years. I enjoyed my 20s and I have no regrets… I want to say thank you to all my friends and family for everything you have done for me, for loving me for who I am and being there for me no matter what, even when I was a right mess! I love you all to the moon and back and those of you I don’t see often, you know I love you and you are always in my heart… apologies for non-Greek speakers for the next paragraph…

Σας αγαπώ όλους πάρα πολυ, φίλους, οικογένεια, τους γονείς μου, το αρφούι μου, το παπάκι μου, θείους, θείες, ξαδέρφια. Σας ευχαριστώ απο τα βάθη της ψυχής μου για όλες τις υπέροχες στιγμές και αναμνήσεις αλλά και τα δύσκολα που περάσαμε μαζί. Ευχαριστώ που ήσασταν και είστε πάντα δίπλα μου. ( Και ναι αρφουι, εκλαμουριστηκα!)

I don’t feel old… and I wouldn’t like to go back in time. I like the person I’ve become and the life I built so far. I feel a bit sad my 20s are over but I am excited about the new era coming… It’s a fresh start in all aspects of my life. Workwise, personal life, emotionally, spiritually and I can’t wait to find out what the future brings!

I’ll get to spend my 30th birthday with two special peeps wandering around and having fun, getting into all sorts of adventures, my favourite thing to do !!! Next time I’ll post I’ll be officially a 30 year old! Eeek!

Love you all! x

 

Last two weeks, one word MENTAL!

WOW. What two weeks they’ve been! I’d love to post more often but I’ve been crazily busy. I will try to make a bit more time and post more often ’cause I really enjoy it and I want to avoid long posts like this one! Soz!

I realise I shared a lot about my past on this blog, because I felt the need to. It helped me immensely  in so many different ways I already mentioned before, I won’t repeat myself, so I don’t regret it.

But then I haven’t really shared much about what’s happening now other than what I learned and only about events most of you already know about. I guess I feel the need to keep a lot of it private for many different reasons I won’t get into now (but will explain another time!).

So what I learned the last two weeks??

First, life can get VERY surreal! I had to go through a similar situation I did 5 months ago, which felt so bizarre on so many different levels. Talking about dejavu!!! But I coped so much better this time, I am so proud of myself 🙂 So lesson number 1: Expect the unexpected!!! I want to say again how much I love my colleagues, they are such wonderful, supportive people. I feel very lucky to work with such an amazing bunch of peeps for however long.

Second, it mind sound a bit cocky but sometimes we forget because of negativity, rejection, daily frustration or whatever reason, how amazing we are. Some people think that noone is special, but we consider some people special for us. I’d like to think the other way around. We are all special in our own quirky way, some people see it, some don’t!  A friend of mine recently found a poem I wrote to her for her birthday when we were 17! I won’t share it because I want to keep it for us, but it was a bloody good one for a 17 year old even if I say so myself! I have no recollection of writing it but it was definitely my handwriting. How cool is that? (well I think it’s cool!)

Lesson numero 3: The person I am today is not the person I was yesterday. I am definitely not the person I was a week ago, a month ago or 5 months ago or a year ago. We learn every day and we change every day and I love the person I am today!

Today I’ve heard this song on the radio. The singer (first time I’ve heard of her, she is pretty cool with a very unique voice! Her name is Nao, check her out, that’s one of the things I did today, totally worth it!) explained that this song for her is not just about relationships, but about her insecurities and telling them to go away! And that’s how I interpret it! I hope you like it!

 

What I also learned (well, reminded) that age is just a number! I might be 30 in a couple of weeks time but I don’t really feel old or that I have to conform to any social norms or do anything I don’t want to, or don’t do things I really want to just because ‘I’m 30’. Being told recently by a much younger, hot guy  that he thought I was cool definitely made my evening! I used to be awful at accepting compliments but now I enjoy every single one!

And I love to compliment others. Just to see the joy in their face makes me so happy! I complimented a colleague on their new beard look and it was totally worth it when I saw the big grin on his face. Little moments like that definitely add up and make a day more amazing!

I’ve been told a couple of days ago that the average age of women having children is 32! Pfff. So what? Let’s be honest. I’m 30 and single, it’s highly unlikely that I will have children in 2 years time! Not that I don’t think it’s possible, but I am not in any rush. And what I really need right now is having fun and that’s what I am doing. Life is too short!!

I recently watched a video on social media and the message was: “No matter what stage they are in life, people shouldn’t stop dreaming, they should thrive on…” And it’s so so true! We grow every single day until we die and it’s sad how we sometimes forget about our dreams and desires.

If you fancy learning to play the drums, or be a football coach, well go for it, it doesn’t matter how old you are, remember, age is just a number! There is nothing to stop you! When you are 50 or 60 or 90, you won’t remember the time you got a new job or a salary rise and it won’t matter how much money you got. You will remember all the moments you had fun, all the moments you spent doing things you enjoyed, especially those ones when one of your dreams became a reality, and all the moments you spent with your special ones, family, friends. So follow your dreams! That’s what life is all about!

Now my final message for today (which deliberately mentioned a couple of times on this post)! Enjoy every little moment!! You might have noticed by now that I get excited and happy with little things so….

SPOILER ALERT IF YOU ARE WATCHING GAME OF THRONES!! I am SOOOO happy Jon Snow is alive!!!! I never believed that was the end for him! I know it’s a TV show blah blah blah but well I enjoy every little thing in life, so I was so damn happy about it!!

 

I have very busy couple of weeks, so I won’t be able to blog until the 15th of May (possibly!). I will try my best though to maybe blog a shorter post sometime next week until then.

Love you all! x

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Don’t forget to smile 😉

 

 

 

 

 

2 months of blogging already!!!

I can’t believe how time flies by! It’s been 2 months already (and a day, I was too busy yesterday to write a post) and how much life can change in 2 months.

What did I learn since last month? Well, first of all that time is the best healer. And you don’t realise it until bad days become bad moments and bad moments become fewer and fewer and they affect you less and less.

Music is also one of the best medicines on the market! I honestly can’t understand how some people don’t listen to music at all. I always find it weird when people say that. I listen to music (and sing along most of the time, sorry to anyone who is around, especially colleagues) all day, from the time I wake up, at work, on my way home, at home, until I go to bed. I can’t imagine my life without music.

I won’t start sharing songs, because this post will never end but here’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyxrmGs_Ckg

A big, big thank you to Sheba (as you can see on my cover photo we are so in sync we dress up the same without any prior communication!), my partner in crime. We support each other, have serious, deep conversations about life (a lot of my posts are inspired by our convos) but also have amazing time trying new things and just having fun and we are planning even more fun!  I love you! xx

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Just a typical night in!

I also learned that making new friends is easy if you are not afraid to try. I can’t believe how many people I got to meet because I love to chat and I am not afraid to start talking to anyone!! And I learn so much by just having random conversations!

I’ve done a lot these 2 months but I’ll only mention one ( well I’ve already wrote about watching Derren Brown’s Miracle and how much I love him, that’s one of the things I’ve done that I can share with you all 🙂 ).

A lot of famous people have died recently and it’s fascinating how upset we get, although we don’t know them personally. I don’t get upset too easily about famous people but I was sad when Robin Williams and Alan Rickman died, so I can understand how a famous person’s death can affect us. If it was Derren Brown, I would have been devastated!!

So, back to the point!

On Sunday, I volunteered to help with the ABP Southampton Half Marathon and 10K as a lot of my friends were running and wanted to be there to support them and by doing so also support 7000 and so runners! And it was AMAZING! It feels so nice to see the gratitude on others’ faces, it made me feel so happy and I am glad I was there for my friends, love you guys! 

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Well done to everyone, the organisers and all the amazing runners! I was so inspired I decided to run the half marathon next year!!! Wish me luck!

As I mentioned at my previous post, I will be 30 in less than a month. I don’t feel old and I don’t feel sad or upset about it as I already had a mid life crisis last year.

I am happy with my life (I am so glad I can finally say that!!!) and it makes no difference to me how old I am ( I still feel 22 sometimes), but 30 is quite a milestone, so I decided to celebrate my birthday as much as I can during next month, I am sure some of you will see what I have in store and I’ll share what I can here!!

One of my favourite things to do on my chill time is to browse through Instagram posts and like anything I find beautiful or interesting, so I have list of beautiful places, pretty things and amazing poems on my disposal. So I’ll finish my post with one of those (not only beautiful lyrics, but beautiful music too, this guy is amazing, definitely worth checking him out)!

 

Love you all! x

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why I love Derren Brown !

Last night I went to see my favourite ‘celebrity’s new show, Miracle. Everyone who knows me probably knows how much I love him as a person and a showman.

Derren is not your typical celebrity, but I am not really a big fan of celebrities (I mostly admire incredibly talented and smart people, famous and not so famous or not famous at all).

The only time I got ‘starstruck’ was when I met the incredible, amazing Chris Hadfield (if you don’t happen to know him, he is a Canadian astronaut who shared amazing photos of our planet, incredible videos on how astronauts live and also filmed Space Oddity, 400km above earth, amongst other incredible things he did).

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Chris Hadfield took one of the most beautiful photos of my homecountry.

I don’t really know where to start from. I’ll try and keep the post as short as possible but I will start from the beginning.

I was first introduced to Derren Brown 7 years ago, about this time, by my incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable ex boyfriend. On one of our first dates, we watched one of his live shows on Youtube and since then I have watched all of his TV and live shows, read his books and was lucky enough to go and watch live 3 of his shows!!!  I’ve read a lot of his interviews and I do know a lot about him because I admire him.

So guys, if you want to impress a girl, Derren Brown is definitely a good way!!! It definitely got me!

I know that all of it is trickery. The main man admits that himself. But he puts on an amazing show, he is super intelligent, knowledgeable (not many will refer to Epictetus, many people don’t even know who he is!!), quirky, always smartly dressed (it makes a difference) and has an impeccable and sometimes disturbing sense of humour (very similar to mine), to sum up my dream man (a girl can dream!)!

“Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”(Epictetus)

So, I can’t reveal much about his new show Miracle, because I wouldn’t like to spoil anything for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet but it was AMAZING. Even some who were sceptical about it, were left wondering how on earth he does it!

Derren often uses hypnosis and sometimes hypnotherapy techniques at his shows and I have to admit that it definitely had an effect on me last night.

It made me realise that I am ready now. I am ready right now, I don’t need to wait for anything anymore! I am ready for anything that comes along! I don’t want to wake up one day when I am 60 years old and think ‘What have I done with my life? I spent most of my life working for what? I got a lot of money to do what with it?’

I did a lot of thinking the last couple of months, I did my grieving, I realised and accepted my mistakes and the fact that I messed up A LOT and I’ve been terrible to some people (especially my last two relationships), because I lost myself but I am good now! I am finally myself after a long long time and what a better time to come to this realisation! At my favourite man’s show!

I decided to have a month of celebrations for my 30th birthday starting next weekend!

So thank you Derren Brown!

Love you all! x

Life is too too short!

I wasn’t sure whether to publish this post as some parts are not very pleasant but I am hoping you will get something out of it 🙂

A couple of days ago I found out a friend’s colleague died. I don’t know anything else other than my friend was deeply sad about it.

My first thought was my friend, how she might have felt and how I would have felt if one of my colleagues had died. Oh my, even thinking about it brought tears to my eyes. That’s what happens when you try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. The better you get at exercising empathy, the more you can feel.

My second thought was that this is just another reminder that life is so short. Scary thought but liberating.

If I were to die right now would I die happy? Well, yes!

Funnily enough I had a think about it earlier that day whilst I was looking on pictures on social media of people who don’t work 9 to 5, who are out most nights, drinking or people who are on the go and travel all the time.

I enjoy going out drinking and I LOVE travelling but wouldn’t like to do that every day.  I am happy with my life as it is right now. It can always get better, filled with more things that I enjoy doing but I am happy right now!

Take 5 minutes and remind yourself what you are grateful for in your life. That’s what I did. And I am grateful for a LOT, I won’t list them, because this post will get very very long!

The next day at our choir session, one of my favourite friends and I had such a laugh, I haven’t laughed so much in months (I tried to remember when was the last time I laughed that much -it was hard, I laugh a lot!-, but I think the last time I laughed almost non-stop was probably last December, on a chilly Sunday night, and before that it was October, on a sunny afternoon in Cyprus, so it’s been a while). I am so grateful for the friends I have in my life and my adorable family!

Every time someone dies, especially unexpectedly we all remind ourselves that life is too short and the next day we forget and we get upset with little things, we argue with friends or relatives for silly reasons, we fall back to our old habits. But that’s what we humans too, it’s inevitable. 

I hope this post made you stop for a minute and think of things in your life right now you are grateful for. And give your loved ones, friends, family anyone special for you an extra special hug!! (or message them if they live too far!)

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Miss you and love you to the moon and back!x

Love you all! x

PS. When I went to work the next morning, one of my lovely colleagues sent me some funny song lyrics and  a video and we had a laugh together (he had no idea about what I mentioned on the post, but I grinned and just thought how lucky I am to work with such nice people, however long it lasts).