Hi people! Wow. End of September - it basically means the year is over. This time last year I was in Italy, and this is a good time to remember my time in the best freaking country in the world. I'd give anything to have a slice of the true Neapolitan pizza, y'hear! But here I am in Germany. That's not bad either :) Any plans for winter getaways? You might want to read my blog post on traveling on the budget as the tickets might be quite cheap at the moment! Also, here's yesterday's post with some of my thoughts as a birthday girl. 

Anyway, here are the links for the weekend - I know it's basically over but, um, for a nice beginning of the week then?

A Few Thoughts of a 27-year-old

Hello there lovely people! 

Just wanted to check in - because I haven't for a while, obviously - even though my blogging calendar says I should have SO MANY TIMES. 

I'm 27 today, and what you see in the photo above is my breakfast. That's a weird tradition of mine I've been having for years now. Oatmeal, yogurt, fruit; that's the usual regime, but once a year I get to be silly (in this regard! I'm not talking about anything else :)) and just grab something nice and chocolate-y. Well hello you beautiful day! 

Weekend Reads #32

Hi everyone! Excited about the weekend? I'm gonna take some time to slow down and rewind - and to take a look at my photos. I haven't told you this, but I was in London last week because THIS YEAR WAS SO POOR IN REGARD TO TRAVELS AND I NEEDED ME SOME AIRPORTS AND LONG TIME NO SEEN FRIENDS AND EXPLORING AND STUFF! Sorry for yelling, but that's basically how I felt! London is one of my favorite cities in the world and I couldn't be any happier. I was bitten by the wanting-to-live-in-London bug - and I was bitten hard. Folks, I'm all about thinking how I can go work there. But I'll share more soon, even though I wasn't a proper blogger - I didn't take as many photos as I had hoped I would, because I was just too busy loving it.

But anyway, here are some interesting links for your weekend. Have a good one!

I'm a Tinggly Ambassador!

I don't know about you, but when I'm facing someone's birthday, graduation or even wedding, I have NO IDEA what to get them. And it doesn't have to do with how well I know the person. It can be my best friend or my sister, but I'm still paralyzed with cluelessness every freaking time. And when you're friends with many people, that can be troubling. Especially because I do care, and I do want to show them I've given a lot of thought into the idea of a present. 

Maybe somebody over at Tinggly had the same problem, but unlike me, saw it as an inspiration to make something awesome :) And I'm so thankful they did, because I have a great announcement to make today - I'm a Tinggly Ambassador! Woo! But let me explain what this means.

Weekend Reads #31

I counted and calculated a bit and realized that when Weekend Reads turn 1, it will be around #40, and not 52, which means I've missed entire three months! That's crazy! I know at times I was too busy to write the post (like last week - sorry!), but still, two months... that's a lot. I publicly promise to try and be way better in Year 2!

Also, from this month on, I'm planning to deliver a lot of content you will hopefully like and I'm super excited about it. I've landed an awesome collaboration I'm going to share about soon, and I'm so happy about it! I hope you will find it useful too, but more on that to come. Keep your fingers crossed because I've got SO MANY plans for the upcoming fall that I might use some good thoughts! 

I wish you guys a wonderful weekend, and now dig in these links. 

How to Survive a Shopping Ban

Last week I shared my thoughts on why I started my shopping ban. It was pretty much stepping into the unknown. It was a challenge I wasn't sure I could endure up to the end, so I allocated a six months' period pretty randomly. I thought: let's say six months, and if I cannot make it, well... that's it. Nothing too serious.  The initial idea was six months without buying clothes, but soon I extended it, so it was six months without buying clothes (except for one pair of jeans because I really needed it), decorative cosmetics (which shouldn't be too hard, as I use minimal make-up), nail polishes (ok, harder, because I'd been eyeing a shade or two), glossy magazines (hard!), candles (sad, because I was really used to their lovely light in the evening), flowers (super hard, as buying tulips in the Netherlands is the most natural thing, plus it's incredible how much they always brighten the desk), jewelry (not that hard, but then again, I had to remember not to buy it!), Starbucks coffee (at that point not that hard because Groningen had Starbucks at the main railway station and I almost never went there). In a nutshell: I was banned from buying things I didn't absolutely need.

Why I Started a Shopping Ban (And Why You Might Too)

As I mentioned on the blog a number of times, I'm bad with money. OK, well, I'll always be a person who prioritizes rent over anything else, and you can be 200% sure that I will never end up in a situation where I cannot afford to pay this month's rent because I bought an expensive pair of shoes. I'll never, ever get a loan so I could afford a vacation. If I cannot afford something, I cannot afford it and that's it, end of the story. But me being bad with money applies to those situations when I can afford something. Come a paycheck, and I'll be the queen of the world! Clothes, shoes, nail polishes, magazines, flower bouquets, cute mugs, trinkets that will make my home prettier, accessories that will make me feel so. I want it all!

Aaand that's where the paycheck melts.

Weekend Reads #30

Hi everyone, how's your Friday going? If you're working, hang in there a few more hours, because you know what follows! This week has gone super fast here and I think someone's put me in a time accelerator, because this is crazy. On top of things, I feel like I'm not achieving everything I want to and everything I should, so that's another reason I hate this time flying by so quickly. But at least something's happening... I guess. What are your plans for the weekend? I'm meeting a friend from Geneva today afternoon and hopefully taking her to a food market... in case a certain website isn't outdated.

#MBFWB: Green Showroom

For the past few years human nutrition and lifestyle in general have been going through incredible changes: it's as if we finally realized eating healthy only benefits us; we realized the good we get from the exercise; we ditched junk food... OK, most of it. (A pizza a month is good for the soul, isn't it?!) But after taking care of ourselves, we also decided to look at the big picture and look after Mother Earth. I've heard of people going vegetarian or vegan not necessarily just because of their love for animals, but because growing plants is more Earth friendly than farming. Recycling is becoming a thing. Sustainability is becoming a thing. So a lot of fashionistas and designers out there decided to take this path too. Let's create kind fashion!

#MBFWB Day 4

Aaand here we go with the fourth and the last day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. Honestly? I was kind of sad when the last show was over. The four days were fabulous, lovely, wonderful, hectic, painful (heels!), hazy. I enjoyed the shows, the beautiful people, and the wine! Of course I enjoyed the wine. So after this first experience, I can only express hope that it's not the last! OK, now, who will hire me as a (fashion) journalist?! :)