OK, I get it, I promised something last week and then just succumbed to my laziness. I hope things will change soon or I'm doomed. I've written so many articles lately on how to be productive in January but cannot seem to listen to my own advice, which sucks because, well, why would anyone else then?! But for starters, I made a bet with a friend to get up at 7 every day in February. He says it's highly unlikely, I think his opinion is crazy and I'm sure I'll win the bet, so let's see. Whoever loses has to do a thing the other tells him (or her!) to do, and I honestly have no idea what he's capable of, so I better win! I'm sure it would be something extremely embarrassing so I better not find out. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :) And here's your serving of this weekend's links from around the web. 

Weekend Reads #39

Hi there! I've been covering the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin A/W 2016 for the past few days for Plezir Magazine, and wanted to deliver posts here too on a daily basis, but just couldn't - I was too tired every day! Plus I started watching Game of Thrones haha after all my friend had been telling me for years how awesome the show is, and now I totally see it. I love it!! (Have you been following it? If not, start now, I wish I'd started earlier!) Anyway, I must admit I have no idea how big bloggers manage to 1. get up early every day, 2. pick their outfits and do their makeup, 3. attend millions of shows and events, 4. go out partying, 5. come back home and publish a post. I have no idea and I admire them for that! I'll just succumb to my laziness and great appreciation of sleeping.

What You Can Expect Here in 2k16 and Beyond

Apart from my regular (okay... semi-regular) Weekend Reads, in more than two years of running Wandering Polka Dot I think I have never actually written a "catching-up" post. You know, the one where people just sit down and write whatever comes to their mind, intertwined with what and how they've been doing recently. I think you need to acquire a certain following of people that are genuinely interested in the blogger... and I never felt I could do that. Though I do a mini happy dance every time I get a comment and love you for that!! 

Top 10 Things You Need to Figure Out When Moving

In case your plans for this year involve moving to another city or even country, congrats! I've moved cities and/or countries six times in the past three years (actually, it's even less than three years!) and it's so stressful, but on the other hand so rewarding because - yay, new adventures! But before you get all out and about making the time of your life (no, that's not really how it goes in reality, but sounds nice!), you should sort loads of things out. My friend Ivan, who moved to Denmark from Serbia last year, published this post on his blog and I loved it so much that I asked it if I could feature it on my own blog. Obviously, I can :) - thank you Ivan! I'm much more about the whole 'new life' craze so I'd never think of writing this, but it's a great guide and good to have in mind. Here's what Ivan suggests you put on your to-do list as soon as you arrive to your new home.

2016 - Another Round of New Year's Resolutions

Hello guys, and Happy New Year to you!!! I hope you had a good time wherever you were and whatever you were doing. I also hope you had a reasonable amount of alcohol and that the 1st of January is treating you right. ;) I hope you're evaluating your 2015. and drawing good conclusions from it, knowing how to make 2016. better in every regard. What are your plans and wishes for the year? Will you just go with the flow or are you more on the freaky side like me, with tons of plans? You might remember that I shared my goals for 2015 with you a year ago, and I was also tracking my progress every three months here on the blog. (Yep, I still owe an overall post on how I did in 2015!) I plan to do something similar again, because even though I didn't manage to have a perfect score, keeping my goals and plans public has helped me work on them. 

So what do I want from 2016?

What to See and Do in Pecs, Hungary

Hometown friends are a special sort – you know, those who’ve known you for a lifetime and with whom you share tons of adventures growing up? Yes, I have those too. But the funny thing is that I met two of my 'hometown friends' on a night prior to my moving abroad two years ago. Yes, I’ve known them before because it’s a type of town where everybody knows of everybody, but this was the first time I was actually introduced to them and we spent the evening together. Best way to wrap up a life phase. 

This past spring I came home just in time to be asked if I’d join them on a road trip to a nearby town in Hungary. The two of them + one girlfriend + another friend had already planned it and they had an extra seat in the car. Why, sure! Especially because I’d never actually been to Hungary before, even though my hometown is really close to the border. (If we rule out the occasional landings and departures from the Budapest airport, that is, and we do because I say so.) So yes, a short one-day trip to a random town called Pecs was definitely something I was in the mood for.

Weekend Reads #38

OK, I'm quite sure you haven't even noticed I was gone for a while, but I must say I missed my little online place. I'm so inconsistent! I even promised to myself I would blog regularly this year, and then just out of the blue too many things appear that need to be done, or I just end up in a cocoon made of my blankets because my head is blank, or a combination of the two. But few days ago my brain started working so hard I could almost hear it twist and twirl. It was crazy. Most people find winter depressing or at least experience a lack of creative juices flowing, but this year it's the opposite for me. I have so many ideas it's hard not to do all. at. once. (And of course, it's physically impossible.) Well, at least it feels good. But I won't bother you about my state just yet -- maybe we'll get there in a couple of weeks, if I feel like it. For now, here are the links. I hope you enjoy your weekend, friends!!

Weekend Reads #37

Hi guys -- enjoying the weekend? I don't know about you, but we've got AMAZING weather here in Germany, it's a true Indian summer and I'm loving it. Actually I would love it more if I didn't have to be tied to my computer, but hey, sun through the window counts too, right? Anyway, here's something nice that just made my day. Lovely Zorica from Eurotribe contacted me a while ago on Twitter saying she was delighted to find out someone else from Serbia also had a travel blog in English, and we clicked instantly. So she asked me to do a guest post on her website and I was super happy and grateful she did! I opted for Lapland -- those of you who haven't been around two years ago (sh*t, has it been that much?!) don't know I visited Finnish Lapland in a December even though I was everything but a fan of winter - and so far that has probably been the best trip of my life! You can see some photo overload if you find Lapland in the keyword tag on the right, and here's the post on Eurotribe that has just been published. While you're there, don't miss the chance to snoop around the website -- I really love it, it has great recommendation on travels in Europe!

And as always (OK not always but when I have time *insert_sad_emoji*), here are some links for your weekend. Thought it's about to be over, but hey.

The True Cost of Our Behavior

*I know this is too long a blog post, but please please please read it as it’s SO IMPORTANT. The introduction is long, but I think it makes sense as it gives you the context you might be in right now. Or, if you absolutely don’t want to read this, it’s OK too, but then please just watch the movie The True Cost. That’s your take-home message for today. Write it down, make a mental note, just watch it.*

About a year ago, I was an avid shopper. I feel slightly embarrassed writing this, because shopping as a hobby is usually perceived as something superficial people do. Now, I wouldn’t exactly call it a hobby but let’s say I left shops with bags full of clothes and accessories at least once a month. I would also window shop out of boredom, curiosity, desire, or sometimes combination of the above. Most of the time I would know exactly what was on display in H&M, Zara, Vero Moda and the like. It went so far that I could instantly say where a random girl on the street had bought each of her items. Whenever I would spot something I liked, I would buy it without blinking an eye, because hey, of course I can afford a sweater that costs €15 or a top that’s less than €10.

Nine Months Later: Where I Am with My NY Resolutions

Beginning of October was the time to check in and see how I was doing with my New Year’s resolutions. I totally forgot, though. And then when I became aware of that, well, I kinda put it off because there was not much I can brag about. These past three months were the worst this year. Although I did manage to travel to London – that was the good part. :) But speaking of resolutions, I did bad. I was in a very bad place overall, and I’m not ready to share that yet, but one day I might, just to tell everyone who’s feeling similar – it’s OK.

So, here’s how it went. Check in is a check in, even when there’s nothing special to be said...