southampton – Page 5 – Lessons I learned after I turned 30

New beginnings Chapter 2: A week of surprises.

I’m staring at my screen for the last half an hour. I know what I want to write about. But I can’t put it into a series of words that make sense.

My mind wanders and the internal monologue begins.

‘-Maybe that’s how Broca’s aphasia patients feel like? They can understand but they can’t speak.’

‘-I know what I want to write about but I can’t get it out. Maybe my brain is temporarily damaged’.

‘-Don’t be silly. You are just anxious. All these changes lately…’

Back in the room. What did I want to write about?

The “non-typical January” trend continues. And a week full of surprises.

I’m now involved with two brand new projects within Academic Services, which for me is like taking a long breath when you finally reach the surface, after struggling to swim to the top. I made it over the water but I still need to swim to the shore. It will do. For now. I still have to do the important but repetitive and boring tasks, but every now and then I get to work on something I really enjoy.

Surprise no1: The City Nuffield Theatre tour

On Monday I was unexpectedly offered an exclusive tour of the new Nuffield Theatre right in the city centre and of course I couldn’t say No. It looks amazing. It was so much fun to walk backstage, have a sneaky peak at the dressing rooms, the theatre, the new restaurant and admire the beautiful views of Guildhall Square from the top floor. I didn’t take any photos as I didn’t know if I was allowed to, but trust me when I say it’s pretty impressive. I can’t wait until it officially opens.

Surprise No2: New colleagues, new team, new project

Last Wednesday, after a long day working on one of the new projects with another team for the first time, which I didn’t expect, I thought I was going to start much later in the year, I went home mentally and physically exhausted. The excitement worn me out.

Surprise No3: Home spa evening

So it was the perfect opportunity to try the bath bombs sent to me by Nisha, the lovely owner of a new local business, Sabão. My evening was transformed into a home spa magical night, just what I needed and after talking to Nisha, I found out that’s exactly what her vision for her little business is.

I’m so happy Nisha loved my post. It really means a lot for an amateur blogger who only does this because they love writing, like myself.

“Omg Eleni, I absolutely loved your review and your blog! Honestly i cannot thank you enough for your kind words! With two girls under 5yrs old I guess I didn’t see the potential of creating a mini spa at home and the way you displayed everything really brought home the reason why I started Sabao. Would you mind if I share the link to your blog on my fb and Insta too?

Honestly I am so touch and over the moon you love the products! Xxx

This is exactly what I wanted affordable, high quality products which you can really treat yourself with that actually helps pamper your skin. I could never be as big as Lush because Essential Oils are so expensive on a mass scale. I’m just happy to help to get products into the right hands 😊 xx”

Surprise No4: Back into fitness

On Thursday I had my first PT session after Christmas. I was absolutely dreading it. And when my lovely student Personal Trainer messaged me to say we can start our sessions the following day, I was not mentally prepared. But it had to be done. With all the changes happening lately I let stress take over and the lack of sleep and appetite was taking it’s toll. I’m glad I went for it in the end. PT is not easy, but I love the adrenaline kick and I weirdly enjoy the pain afterwards, it makes me feel alive. PS I love my new leggings.

Surprise No5: In Sync even when miles apart

On Thursday after I came home from my PT session I voice messaged Shebz for a catch up. That’s our new thing. Voice messages. To hear her voice makes such a difference, it’s hard not to get emotional every time. But I absolutely love it. And on Thursday we messaged each other at EXACTLY the same time and it also turned out we had our PT sessions at the same time, mine in cold, rainy Southampton and hers in sunny and warm Guatemala. Isn’t it amazing how in sync we still are, even living thousand of miles apart? True love that is.

Surprise No6: The busiest Saturday I had in a while

Last Tuesday I had no plans for the weekend. I hoped the flatmate would have been working and I would get the chance to have some me time. Two days later and it turned into Singing with Singforce, catching up with friends over coffee and a drink and delicious dinner at Bacaro, the Italian tapas place in town I wanted to try for a long time, with a new friend, all in one day.

Surprise No7: The End of the F***ing World

On Sunday I was so exhausted it took me the whole day to catch up with the house chores and when I was finally done I just wanted to relax. My lovely friend Sofy recommended a new TV series currently on Netflix, The End of the F***ing World and I thought I’d put it on whilst having dinner. I was hooked from the first minute and ended up watching the whole series. If you love quirky, British, Dark Comedy, it’s a must watch. It was funny, sad, emotional, serious, dark and light, all in one and the brilliant soundtrack just made it even more amazing.

This week I’m hoping to spend more time doing the little things I enjoy, spend hours on my guitar, read a book, get back into my daily yoga routine I neglected, feel like myself again.

I’m still not used to living with another person, although my flatmate is lovely but there are times I wished I was on my own and I’ve been missing it a lot lately. I know it will get easier but there is a lot of going on at the moment and I’d love to spend a day or two just by myself, not having to be social or lock myself in my room. The little things eh?

Anyway, time for yoga with my favourite lady, Adriene.

Namaste

Eleni

A magical home spa evening, courtesy of Sabão

Yesterday was a long but exciting day. It was my first day working with a new team in Academic Services (exciting projects coming up!) and when I got home I was exhausted.

I thought that was the perfect opportunity to finally try the handmade bath treats sent to me to test and review by a new local business, Sabão. Nisha, the lovely owner sent me a pretty, colourful little package with a couple of bath bomb and body butter samples I received at the weekend. As soon as I opened the box I fell in love. The scents were just magical.

So after my day 10 yoga session and quick dinner I lit some candles, I’ve put a relaxing Spa Music playlist on Spotify and I got in my filled with hot water and smelling like I’d imagine heaven would smell like bathtub.

As you may know, I’m obsessed with smells so I chose to go for the one I liked the smell the most first. It was a tough choice but I went for the West Indian Amyris & Egyptian Geranium one. That’s exactly how I’d thought Ancient, Exotic Asian baths would have smelled.

Honest to God, I do not remember the last time I felt so relaxed. The scents, the music, the tranquil sound of the water, the candles and their reflection… I’ve created my own, personal home spa and it was pretty special.

I’ve never tried a bath bomb before, I tend to go for bubble bath foams or soaks mixed with sea salts so I didn’t know what to expect. But I absolutely loved it.

As soon I got out of the bath my skin smelled incredible and felt as soft as silk (unlike other bath products that sometimes leave my skin dry, Nisha uses essential oils in her bath bombs, which makes a huge difference.)

I tried some of the organic raw shea butter afterwards purely because I wanted to see how it smelled on my skin and I can’t even put in words how amazing it did smell.

I honestly think everything I tried was worth more than their actual price.

As you know I’m not a professional blogger and I don’t get paid to write this, so this is my personal opinion.

For someone who is enchanted by smells, like myself, my home spa evening was an incredible experience.

If you want to find out more on Nisha’s story and support a local business whilst treating yourself to luxurious bath bombs and other handmade, organic skincare goodies all details are on their website.

Thank you lovely lady again for the amazing treats you sent me. I absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to try the rest.

Namaste

Eleni

The world’s best pastry chef, anyvan.com and other things I recently discovered.

The World’s best Pastry chef

I annoyingly left the book I’ve been desperately trying to finish (and still do) in my luggage up in the overhead locker. I had just boarded the 4 and a half hour flight back to the UK after spending the Christmas holidays at home. I was tired, emotional and I just settled at my seat. The last thing I wanted to do was disturb the lovely couple sitting next to me (who kindly offered me the window seat so they could sit next to each other).

So after a nap and in a desperate effort to blank out the non-stop crying noise from the toddler at the seats behind me, I put my favourite music on and grabbed the latest Traveller, Easyjet’s inflight magazine.

I love their magazine, it’s always full of interesting, exciting stories and one of the main features in the January issue was a piece on the World’s best Pastry Chef for 2017, Cedric Grolet. I instantly fell in love with his creations and his incredible talent. I follow him on Instagram since and is one of my favourite feeds at the moment. The man is an artist. What else can you call an apple tart resembling a perfectly formed apple? Afternoon tea at Le Meurice hotel’s restaurant, Le Dali in Paris where one can taste Cedric’s art at a reasonable price is now on my bucket list.

Anyvan.com

After Shebz left for her Central America adventure I had a week to pack until I were to move to my now new home and this time I was not going to even attempt the move all by myself. I was prepared to pay as much as necessary to avoid last year’s disaster. I had a quick look on Gumtree, there were a lot of local removal companies but I didn’t have the time or energy to call and ask for a quote, compare and decide, so after a quick Google search I came across anyvan.com.

I did everything online, from getting a quote to final payment, their agents were extremely helpful, the price was reasonable and it all went smoothly. The day before my move, my driver Josh called me to confirm time and location and himself and his sister who was his assistant on the day were lovely and even offered to give me a lift in their van so I didn’t have to get a taxi to the new place. I can’t recommend them enough!

Argos next day delivery

Last Saturday, a day after I moved in, there were only three boxes left to unpack. All the clothes that needed hanging. I could not handle the sighting, boxes sitting there, clothes trapped in them, and settling down as soon as possible was my number one priority, so I went on Amazon and Google to try and get a cheap wardrobe delivered for Sunday. Since Amazon Prime couldn’t deliver until Monday I ended up on the Argos page, I haven’t bought anything from Argos for years, I didn’t even know they offered next day delivery. I’ve ordered my white fabric portable wardrobe to match the white theme of my bedroom and a bathroom bin on Saturday afternoon and it was delivered to me the following day on a designated time slot of my choice. Impressed!

Instagram favourite

About a week ago, whilst browsing through the discover section on Instagram, one of my favourite things to do, I found this gorgeous snap by the extremely talented Turkish Photographer and travel writer below.

It’s not an exotic beach or a hot travel destination. But it’s simple and powerful. That’s exactly what I want to experience and discover on my next travel adventure. Every day people living in an old house in the middle of the mountains having a chat. Check onderkoca’s feed for more, totally worth it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Önder Koca (@onderkoca)

That’s all from me on this crispy cold Friday evening. If you’d like to share any interesting things you discovered recently, share below 🙂

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Eleni

New beginnings-week 1: My first ever housemate.

I’ve never lived with complete strangers. I lived in student halls at Warwick Uni when I was 22 but that doesn’t really count. It was more of a communal, safe environment and I was not an ‘adult’ back then. I was still fearless and naive with ambitions and unrealistic dreams, like most youngsters fresh out of university.

I moved from living with my family, to student halls, to living with my ex-partner of seven years to living on my own for the last two years.

I may be biased because that’s my most recent experience, but I loved living on my own. Not from day one, but definitely over the last year. So moving in a shared flat was not because I wanted to, but purely for financial reasons.

I spent last week packing, a little bit every day and last Friday I moved out from my cute, cosy studio flat to a year old, bright, modern 2-bed flat, which came with a 32 year old guy.

This year the move was smooth and uneventful (last year was a nightmare, alarms going off, lost my car keys, bruised knees for months, it was a disaster!) since I learned from my mistakes and saved money for a removal company. I’ll post more on that and what else I discovered over the last 10 days later this week.

It’s only been a couple of days and there is a lot to get used to. I don’t live on my own anymore so I can’t play the guitar at silly o’clock or put music really loud and I don’t know what the ‘social rules’ are when sharing a flat. Should I offer my ever so polite flatmate a cup of tea every time I make tea and he is around? Are we to cook on different times? Are we to become friends or keep stricter boundaries? I don’t really know the answer to these questions and I’m not sure he does either but I guess it will all fall into place. I’ve been talking to my brother in London and he is going through a similar situation right now. I’m glad it’s not just me trying to figure this out.

I still wonder whether I made the right decision, should I waited until a gal was looking for a flatmate instead of living with a guy? Should I went for more viewings, should picked a different area? At the end of the day, I made a decision and I won’t know if it was the right one until later, so I’m trying not to torture my mind.

It will take a while to have a good night’s sleep and feel like home, I still feel I’m a guest here and I will soon go back to my old home but we humans are incredible when it comes to adjusting to change. I’m sure it will soon feel as I’ve been here for years.

I love what I’ve done with my new room in just three days and with minimum spending. It makes a difference when I walk into my room every day and admire how beautiful it looks. I could have spent more money on getting a new bed and furniture and so on but it will all worth it in six months time when I finally repay my loan.

Although today is apparently Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year (which is a marketing campaign by Sky Holidays based on a nonsensical, pseudo-scientific equation they made up), I don’t feel sad or depressed. I did briefly on Saturday, my first day at the new place where I felt lost and overwhelmed with all the changes but today I’m excited and terrified in equal measure of all the things yet to come.

Great things coming up I can’t wait to share them with you.

So here’s to new beginnings!

Eleni

Another year is over, a new one just began…and a new name, welcome to Eleni’s world!

What a year it’s been. I’m so happy I have blogged throughout of it and just before it’s over, it’s time to look back and reflect.

A new year, a new month, or even a new day is not the only time to make changes. At any moment you can turn the page and make a new start. But reflecting and reminding myself what I learned over the last twelve months and letting the past go afterwards it’s the perfect way to start the year.

Last January up until early April I wasn’t coping that well. I can barely remember anything from those dark months other than a horrible, unsettling feeling, with depression and anxiety reaching dangerous heights I couldn’t control. After I posted about it, it all became easier. Not immediately, not in an instant. It doesn’t work like that. I tried hard. I pushed myself.

I went home for a week, it always helps, I made it to One Sound 2017, which was a big milestone of my road to recovery and by my birthday I felt better than ever.

In June, after I came back from my summer break home for my annual sea and sunshine fix, I climbed Snowdon and raised money for a great local charity and I had a great rest of the summer seeing Richard III at Salisbury Cathedral, volunteering for the graduation, Southampton Pride and singing for Summer in the Square amongst other.

In July I discovered Yoga and Adriene Mishler and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me, not exaggerating to the slightest. I can’t wait for Adriene’s January 30 day yoga revolution, starting on the 1st!

In September my highly anticipated, incredible holiday in Rome and Florence with my sisters finally happened, followed by a great day at Friendsfest.

Later on I made amazing new friends through Women Who Do, I tried Hot Power Yoga (I can’t wait to get back into it after I move closer) and finally did Blogmas for the first time.

It was also a year full of delicious food (Lakaz Maman, Carnicero , Enoteca, Kupp, the Real Greek and of course a taste of Italy in Italy were some of the highlights).

It’s been a great year with many ups and downs, good and bad moments, rejection, disappointment, frustration but also lots of music, love, fun and laughter with colleagues, friends and family and that’s exactly how it ended, having fun with friends and family, my loved ones. (the Christmas party, the last Christmas meal of 2017 in Southampton, Christmas baking with the family, a day trip to the gorgeous village of Lefkara, Christmas with the extended family, co-hosting a festive radio show with my sis and our guests little nephews and niece singing Christmas songs, catching up with friends and spending New Year’s eve at home, after 8 years!).

I don’t do New Year resolutions, but I now know what I want to do next, I learned how to be patient and cope until I get there and I have my friends, old and new and my family who love me and support me, so I have no doubt 2018 will be much better than 2017.

Exciting changes coming up, moving in a new flat in a couple of weeks, more plans I’m hoping they will follow through, oh and a small announcement just before 2017 is over.

What I learned before/after I turned 30 has changed and became much broader over the last year and a half so it’s time for a new name, as you might have guessed.

Welcome to Eleni’s world!

A big big thank you to my incredible colleagues, friends and family. I love you all.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2018 brings you whatever you wish for and even if it doesn’t, enjoy every moment!

Namaste

Eleni

Blogmas day 22- My Carnicero experience

I just had a classic Cypriot breakfast (cheese, spinach and sausage pastries) courtesy of one of the largest bakeries on the island, my mum loves to treat us, and a coffee, whilst the little sis is playing the piano and Oscar is sitting next to me.

Today’s blog is all about our Christmas meal two nights ago, at Carnicero.

I’m not the most organised person in my personal life but when it comes to events such as the annual Compliance and friends Christmas dinner I love to come up with ideas on where to go and plan it.

Most of us in the team love a good steak and I thought it’d be nice to try something different so I suggested giving Carnicero, a new steakhouse on Oxford street a go. It had great reviews and mouth-watering food photos on TripAdvisor and their Christmas menu was one of the very few that dared to differ to the traditional Christmas set meals.

It did not disappoint. I loved every dish!

My Blue Cheese Salad was delicious. The dressing and the raisins, orange, walnuts and blue cheese in every layer of green worked as a treat and for the first time in a long time I actually finished all my salad.

After my delightful starter it was finally the time I’ve been waiting for, for months. And oh my it was worth it.

My steak was cooked to perfection, juicy and succulent, pink but not swimming in blood, crunchy on the outside, soft in the inside as it should be roast potatoes, roast vegetables including garlic (loved it) and a rich, creamy peppercorn sauce I could have had it on its own ( I actually did some of it).

After my main I was so full I didn’t think I’d have any room left for my white chocolate brioche pudding. But it was so light and soft, it literally melt in the mouth, I actually finished it.

It was by far my favourite Christmas meal.

We had a laugh, everyone loved their Secret Santa gift and the food was superb.

I’d definitely recommend Carnicero. Amazing, delicious food and great service. The waiters regularly filled in our glasses, checked on us and let us know when the next dish would come up. The quality of the food is of course essential but service is as important and it makes a difference when you leave a restaurant feeling you’ve been looked after.

What a great way to finish 2017 in Southampton.

Eleni

Blogmas day 18- Singing and homemade Baileys

Today was a different Monday.

It went so fast I didn’t even realise.

In the afternoon the Staff Choir sang at the Vice Chancellor’s Staff Christmas reception. It was the first time we performed without Dan and we were worried we might mess up, forget the lyrics, sing the wrong parts, we feared for the worst.

But I’m so proud of us, I think Dan would have been proud for us too. We did really well, especially at Superheroes by the Script, the song we were most anxious about, we nailed it!

After catching up with lovely colleagues at the reception (LOVED the Gingerbread ice-cream) and some work in the afternoon, just before I was about to leave for home, I had a glass of Pauline’s infamous homemade Baileys, without a doubt the most delicious Baileys I’ve ever tasted.

For some reason I feel surprisingly optimistic today. Maybe it’s because I’m finally making changes I want to and today again I felt the love of the people around me.

I sometimes get caught up in this vicious circle of self-defeating thoughts and forget to acknowledge and appreciate the lovely humans who love me for who I am. It’s making my decision whether to leave or not next year harder. I guess I’ll wait and see. Who knows what might happen. All that matters to me is to be happy doing something I love, if that’s in Southampton, that’s not the end of the world. It feels like home after all these years.

Thank you to my choir friends and colleagues for today, it’s been a great day.

I can’t believe it will be Christmas in a week’s time!

Eleni

Blogmas day 17- Singing in the Square (and emotional hangover)

Other than a light headache, aching feet and tiredness my body felt OK yesterday.

But my mind. Oh dear. Emotional hangovers are real (scientifically proven for the sceptics out there) and much worse than physical ones. It wasn’t just me, it seems some of my favourites struggled too.

I’d rather have a headache, I’d rather be sick. I felt sad, confused, emotional. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to Singing in the Square, all I wanted was cuddles with my loved ones but since that’s not possible until Thursday, the best alternative I could think was to go to sleep to stop the invading, upsetting thoughts.

After a long self-debate I ventured outside. Crispy cold fresh air always helps. I was incredibly late and missed the first half but I joined my old SingNow pals at Mettricks for a quick cuppa before their second performance. It was so nice to see everyone. Thank you for reading my posts every day Pat, I hope the new Star Wars did not disappoint!

I spent today resting, (my calf hurts so badly it took me 20 minutes to pop to the shop) as it’s the last full day I have to myself in 2017. I’m flying home on Thursday and I’m not back until the 2nd of January, 2018. That’s exactly what I need. A break out of the Southampton life bubble to clear my mind up whilst enjoying my Cyprus giant hug for 10 days, with friends, family, food, Christmas movies, snacks, laughter and cuddles.

Now it’s time to pack my bag, check in my flight and try to forget about everything else.

Only a week to Christmas eve folks!

I can’t wait.

Eleni

Blogmas day 14- The first Christmas meal

It’s not 5 o’ clock yet and I’m home, snuggled on my sofa. There’s so much to do and I will get on with it but for now I’m enjoying this precious time. I’m never at home that early, unless I’m off sick or I have other obligations.

The morning was over in a flash. I finished a piece of work I urgently needed to for a meeting tomorrow and I spent the rest of the time laughing with colleagues, smiles and cuddles with the gorgeous little Chloe, the happiest baby I’ve ever met, I love it every time she visits, and then it was time for our team Christmas meal. The last time we all had a Christmas meal together before the new AS structure kicks in next year.

Some people were shaken, others baffled and worried. I care about my colleagues but I’m sure everything will be OK. I have no strong feelings. I really don’t. I’m hoping, fingers and toes crossed that everything will go to plan and I’d be doing something different, much more exciting in 6 months time.

Back to our lunch, the first Christmas meal for 2017. The lovely Leanne organised a Christmas Lunch at All Bar One, at the Watermark complex. They had the most interesting menu compared to the other options and we were offered free Prosecco, I was excited about it.

I’ve never eaten at All Bar One before, I usually go there for a drink as I prefer a restaurant, ideally local/independent when it comes to dining. But I love the interior design especially the bright orange sofas and the service is always good when it comes to drinks.

It wasn’t today. I’m not sure if it’s because they only had one waiter (it wasn’t that busy) but it took them two and a half hours to serve a pre-ordered three course meal. And it wasn’t that good unfortunately.

The starter, mushrooms on bruschetta tasted as if they came out of a tin and they were cold, were they supposed to be served cold?

The main was OK. The turkey and the veg were nice, nothing mind blowing and I have the sneaky suspicion the roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding were pre-made. The cranberry sauce looked like poo and it was definitely not freshly prepared.

The best dish was Ajay’s cheesecake. It was tasty and the secret layer of chocolate was a pleasant surprise but it was a little bit too sweet for my liking. Warm cream would have made it better.

We could have had better food for the amount of money we paid but it wasn’t all about the food today. I loved spending time with Emily, Suze, Matt, Suzanne, Sati and the rest of the gang, sharing Christmas and other funny stories and having a laugh.

Now it’s time for some girly things, tidying up and rest before Christmas Jumper day and the Christmas party tomorrow night. I cannot wait for our Christmas do, forget about all my worries and drink and dance the night away with some of my favourite people.

Thank you to all the lovely people who are reading my blog, it always makes my day when I bump into someone who is following my posts and tell me all about it.

Eleni

Blogmas day 12- Share the love

My dad always worried about money.

Not because he had any ambitions to get filthy rich, live in a mansion or have luxury holidays. But he always went above and beyond so we can have a comfortable life and not miss out on anything.

He had two jobs since I remember. He worked hard to provide for his sisters and his mum after his dad left them when he was just a teenager. Then he fell in love with my mum and although they both worked for years he always had two jobs. For us.

We never lived in a fancy house or drove expensive cars but we never felt poor or underprivileged. When we sometimes struggled my dad felt bad because we ‘don’t have enough money’, ‘we are poor’ and I always used to say ‘we are not poor dad. Our fridge is always full, we have nice clothes and shoes, books, a car, a phone, a TV’. I’ll never forget the smile on his face every time. He felt our love and gratefulness.

We always had each other, we always had love and we always appreciated what we had.

Today I put together my care package for the homeless. These people know the real meaning of poverty, they go through it day in day out. I can’t even comprehend how incredibly hard must be to live on the street, in the freezing cold, with no food or shelter.

I hope nobody had to experience it. But these people do. And I might do one day. It’s not that uncommon for someone to lose their job, their only source of income with no savings or anyone to support them. I can end up on the street, you can too.

If you can afford to spend a fiver or a tenner and buy some essentials, or donate some of what you have at home, put them in a box and bring them to A101 by tomorrow afternoon, or contact me or the lovely Molly who is collecting the packages to drop them to one of the food banks across Southampton. You can even drop your package to one of the local Sainsbury’s. Details here.

Of course we shouldn’t just help at Christmas. But since everyone is more generous at Christmas, why not grab the opportunity?

Namaste

Eleni