11 things that make a great life

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1. Being loved by your friends and family. I'm not talking about the occasional phone call from your mum asking how you were, but being supported in everything you do - even if it is a stupid idea.

2. Living in a secure and stable society.

3. Having a group of friends that fit you just right. Friends, that are funny and childish when needed, friends that take you back down to earth when you're too high up in the clouds and help you get up when you fell.

4. Being free to do whatever you like e.g. travelling, saying what you want, reading what you like - I guess you get the picture here.

5. Having financial security. I'm not talking about having millions in your bank account, but having a secure job and a little money saved - maybe even a boring, little pension plan.

6. Being able to enjoy hobbies you like in terms of having enough spare time and money - and friends.

7. Having enough to eat - whenever you like - and only having to "starve" because you want to or because you were to lazy to go grocery shopping.

8. Living in a healthy, unstinking and clean environment.

9. Having a job you don't absolutely detest, that pays the bills and where you've got nice colleagues.

10. Knowing that whatever it is you are doing - either at work or at home - isn't useless but has an impact, somewhere. Seriously, everything I can think of makes a useful impact somehow - just think about the butterfly effect.

11. Not having to work or live close to people you hate - or, if you have to work or live with them, learning to be at peace with yourself and the people around you.

What else would you
count as an important part for a great life?

Xoxo, enjoy your life!

Seeking attention II

Remember how I told you about my desire for more male attention and therefore decided to open an account at an online-dating website?

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Well, I did open an account, answered most of the questions and even uploaded a picture. At first, while I was still debating with myself about which picture to upload, I didn't get too many messages, except some creepy ones, of course. But then messages started rolling in and I couldn't (and didn't want) to answer them all. So I picked out the ones that sounded best and tried to get to know these guys.

But you know how it is, you've never met that guy, sometimes there's not even the slightest chance you will ever be able to be with them, because they live too far away and wouldn't want to leave your current life behind again...

There was this one guy I would have agreed to actually meet because he was funny and entertaining, but I knew from the beginning that it couldn't work out because he lives more than two hours away.

Anyway, it was an interesting experience to make and maybe, some time I will try again ;)

Xoxo, what are your experiences with online-
dating websites?

Ode to the nice guys

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The following is dedicated to all the nice guys out there, who are still single because they haven't found a girl yet, who appreciates their qualities.

I found this text by chance while spending some time on StumbleUpon and it made me realize, while I've always been dating the mysterious, interesting, bad guy, I'll only be happy for the rest of my life with a NICE GUY.


Ode to the Nice Guys
This rant was written for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal   This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. ... This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it. ... This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you ... And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.

The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. ... many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things ... Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. ... I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who ... realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single. 

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.
Read the full article here

Isn't that just the most beautiful text to read? I was, maybe sometimes still am that girl, who isn't appreciating the nice, quiet guys, who do everything in their power to make you happy and know what to say at the exact right time, but I still have hope that one day I'll be able to actually change my ways and choose a NICE GUY.

Xoxo, I suggest we try to appreciate all the nice guys out there a bit more, girls!

Málaga Shopping

Remember my little trip to Málaga a few weeks ago? And of course I didn't leave Málaga without doing some serious shopping. Because Spanish women are crazy about dressing up, and basically looking perfect at all times, there are make-up stores and drugstores at every corner. I guess you can imagine what that meant for me. I really had to restrain myself not to buy everything that caught my eye. There where so many colors and textures and different effect polishes that I really didn't know how to decide which ones to buy.

Here are the ones I finally decided upon. There's one "Mirror" nail polish, a "Sugar Matte" polish in salmon pink, two bottles of beads for the "Caviar" effect and a bottle of plain green polish.

So far, I've only worn the "Mirror" nail lacquer, which is a nice bluish anthracite. It looked really nice and very shiny when I first painted my nails - and it dried very fast, too, but after half a day of shopping and cooking dinner it already started chipping. Although that's a bit disappointing I think it's perfect for nights out.

Xoxo, what do you think of this new "Mirror" effect nail polish? Have you tried one yet?

Outfit Interview

I had an interview for the position as Front Desk Manager at a big international company yesterday and I thought I'd show you my outfit. Apparently they liked it (and me) as I already got an offer :D

What do you think? Would you have worn it differently?

Xoxo!

Going South - Málaga & Córdoba

A couple of weeks ago I went on a trip to Málaga visiting my cousin, who spent an exchange semester there.

Málaga, in the very South of Spain and on the Costa del Sol is an amazing mediterranean little city, where everything is just a few minutes on foot. They've got two amazing palaces on a hill on the far side of the city, a beautiful cathedral and lots of wonderful shops.

Here are a few impressions of Málaga and Córdoba, where we spent a beautiful day wandering the city and sightseeing:

1 the harbor of Málaga 2 olive plantation 3 patio of the Mezquita de Córdoba 4 Plaza de Torros in Málaga 5&6 gardens in Málaga

1 overview of Málaga 2 patio in Córdoba 3&4 palaces in Córdoba 5 beach of Torremolinos

Where are you going this summer? Anything planned?

Xoxo, enjoy your holidays!!

What I'm reading

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Over the last weeks I've been reading two books, that have been on my To-Read-List for months now. Two books that couldn't differ more. Two books that are miraculously part of the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge, too. The first one is "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson, the other one "Gone with the wind" by Margaret Mitchell, which has been made into the same-named all-time classic movie.

"The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America" is a 2003 non-fiction book by Erik Larson presented in a novelistic style so thrilling, that you almost can't put it down. The book is based on real characters and events. Adapted from source

"Gone with the Wind", an epic novel about life in the Southern States of the US during the Civil War. It follows Scarlett O'Hara, a Southern Belle, who pines after - what she thinks is - the love of her life, after he marries another girl. The book describes the events in her life and the Civil War in very colorful terms and pictures.

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All in all, both books are very interesting, thrilling and informative and you feel you can't put them down. In "The Devil in the White City" some parts are nothing for highly sensitive people, but these are the parts that make the story thrilling.

I could only recommend to read both books, as they are stories everyone should have read in their lives.

What other books would you recommend everyone should read? Why?

Xoxo, enjoy the summer and read on!