Where I've Been

Sooo.. You may or may not have noticed I've stayed away from the blogging world for a while now. 19 days to be exact. 

In case you're wondering, I've done so intentionally. Not that I had too many brilliant ideas for upcoming posts, but my lack of motivation did strike at a good time for once. To be honest, I grew a little tired of blogging, because I felt like nothing was happening. Let's face it; where's the fun when no one reads your blog or writes their own? 

I hate to rant, so I'll just leave it at that, and tell you what I've been up to in the past few weeks. 

Nothing too significant has happened. I know, right? Kinda boring. While not wanting to blog, I didn't really have a reason to, either. I did book bus tickets and hotels with my friend Minna, for our upcoming trip to London! That's always exciting and fun :) Only a little over a month to go! We are super excited and happy about that. 

I've also been visiting friends, went to see an apartment I will be moving in in the fall, have made some plans as to how I will decorate it, I've done some reading and watched a lot of Orange Is The New Black, The Nanny, and Disappeared. I made a little trip to Staples with my mom, to check out what I would need when school starts. I swear, Staples is my heaven. I LOVE office supplies. 

I can't say I've enjoyed summer, because the weather is nothing like summer... it's been very cold and rainy so far, and I can only hope it'll get better by the time my vacation starts, which is July 21st. I'm having a friend over from Germany, and I would love for her to see how lovely Finland can be in the summer :)

This week I've been sick, and spent a few days at my mom's new house in the country side. Even though the weather sucks, she still found wild strawberries from her yard :) so yummy! 

So yeah, that's what's happening. I'm still a little ill, running a little temperature and coughing. I'll return to work this Saturday, though, and can't wait to get back to some kinda routine. Tomorrow I'm getting together with some old co-workers and that ought to be a lot of fun! 

And what comes to my blog's future; I honestly have no idea. I'm sure I won't stop, I just love this too much. I'm excited to share certain things with you, and would love to get back to regular blogging, but right now I can't make any promises. While I love blogging, I also loved not having to stress about it for 19 days. 

If you're reading this, and happen to have good tips on blogging (ideas, how to not give up, etc.), then please leave a comment below. Love you all for reading, and still remaining in my list of followers. It means a lot. 

Hope you're all having a good week so far!

April Favorites

Am I the only one who's had a slow month? As in nothing happened -kinda month? It's a bit of a challenge to build a monthly favorites- post with what I've got, but I'll do my best :) can't wait for May!

Fashion, Make-up & Beauty

This hand lotion is by far my favorite. The scent is delicate and this leaves your hands very soft! Dermosil is one of my favorite brands and I use a lot of their products; self-tanning face lotion, powder, eye brow pen, lipgloss and lip liner. 

Music

Phillip Phillis - Gone Gone Gone

Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne -  Rather Be

Movies & TV

I went to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with my brother and I gotta tell you... it was an amazing movie. I'm a total super hero nerd, I love Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Avengers... This movie just blew my mind and totally made me cry at the end. I won't spoil anything, just letting you know I cried. I wish the third movie wouldn't take two more years!

When I was a little kid I watched The Nanny every Friday night on TV, and now that it's on Netflix, I've been refreshing some of my childhood memories. Yup, it's still funny! :D 

Reading

I mentioned earlier that I started reading Lauren Oliver's Panic. Here's a picture of me reading it in the cutest company! My baby fell asleep next to me and I just had to appreciate the moment by snapping this picture. And yes, the book is excellent. 

Social Media

Again, Instagram. I lost 90 followers when IG fixed the bug, but I've regained the lost ones and even more. Thanks for the follow all of you! :) I love Instagram and update it every day, so if it gets quiet on the blog front, make sure to check out my IG if you're interested in knowing what I've been up to! :)

Thanks for reading, folks! :) Hope you will all have a fabulous week! <3

World Book Day

Happy World Book Day, everyone! :)

How has your week been so far?

I'm so happy because I'm finally done with my school entrance exams! No more studying, life's back to normal again. Unless I actually get to school in the fall! That would be something. I think the exams went well, but I have to wait for the results maybe even until July. I'll keep ya posted ;)

But, returning to the World Book Day, I started a new book today! I'm really trying to read more; lately my reading has suffered big time (studying doesn't count) and that's not good for someone who wants to become a writer. 

Anyways, today I started reading Lauren Oliver's new book, Panic. 

I've decided to try and read one book a month at least. If I read faster, I'll read more, but unfortunately I don't always have as much time to read as I would like :( adult life sucks at times. 

When I'm done reading a book, I will add a review of it into the Books -section you'll find under the top banner (this concerns Blogger only, not Glipho, though all you Gliphers are welcome to go check out my Blogger site as well!)

I hope you're all doing good :) Have a happy Wednesday!

Some Of My Favorite Blogs

Hey, lovelies :)

First of all, happy weekend! I will be working through it, wishing I could stay home and cuddle with my cat instead, but a girl's gotta work! Not complaining :)

What are your plans for the weekend?

I wanted to share a list of some of my favorite blogs today. I love reading other people's blogs and am always looking for new ones to follow. If you'd like me to check out yours, leave me a link in the comment section below! :)

Here's what I'd like for YOU to check out:

In English:

A Beautiful Mess

A lovely blog full of life. I absolutely love this blog; it's got wonderful pictures, a lot of recipes, tips from scrapbooking to doing your hair, DIY's etc. Life in the Midwest at its best! (A Beautiful Mess is also an app, and it's actually the one I used for the picture above!)

Keiko Lynn

I LOVE this girl's style. Unique and beautiful. 

Yummy by Jenni Ukkonen

This blog is written in both English and Finnish. She is from Finland and lives in London, so if you're into a life in big city and want to read about it in the point of view from a fashionable Finn, go check her out!

Kami McArthur

Kami is a talented writer and I just love to read her tips for writing! She's helped me a lot, probably without her even knowing.

The Always Believer
This blog is so inspirational and positive and full of life I can't even begin to describe. Just check it out. I've had the pleasure to work with this blog's creator, and am really looking forward to what we'll come up with in the near future!

Noniin! Käykäähän ihanat lukijani tsekkaamassa nuo yllä mainitut blogit + nämä mitä listaan seuraavaksi! :) Jos haluat, että kävisin lukemassa sinun blogiasi, jätä minulle linkki kommenttiboksiin! 

In Finnish: 

My State of Mind's All Purple

Ihanan Elamilian musiikintäyteinen blogi! <3

Let's Fake It

Päivän naurut saa sitten täältä. Jennin tyyli kertoa asiat on niin omaa luokkaansa, eikä siitä voi olla tykkäämättä!

So Restless

Marsa kirjoittelee kauniisti elämästään ja kaikenlaisista asioista; tällä hetkellä Espanjan auringon alla.

My American Dream

Anna on vaihtarina Amerikassa ja blogin lisäksi tekee hulvattomia videoita YouTubeen. Kannattaa käydä katsomassa ja lukemassa!

See Beauty in Every Day

I am sitting on the floor, eating mini marshmallows and drinking milk. 

I'm listening to Taylor Swift. 

I'm browsing We Heart It. 

I'm scratching my head, because my ponytail is too tight.

I'm thinking I really love blogging.

I'm thinking I really love being creative.

I'm dreaming of buying something I've wanted ever since I was a little girl.

I'm dreaming of traveling this summer. 

I'm dreaming of writing.

I'm reading instructions on how to register for an entrance exam at a school I applied to.

I'm reading news, and wondering if they'll ever find that plane.

I'm reading e-mails and blogs I follow.

You can fit a lot in just a few minutes. 

You can fit a lifetime in just a few minutes. 

Sometimes it's hard to grasp everything that comes in our way. Sometimes everything is just too much. 

Every once in a while it's good to stop for a second and take a deep breath. 

Tell yourself: I am OK. 

Then smile. 

Have a beautiful week, everyone <3

Pictures from We Heart It. 

Feel Good February: Take Time for Yourself

I am a loner, and really cherish the time I have just for myself, the time I can spend doing nothing productive and no one will give me a hard time for it. Everyone should find the time for that. Spend a night by yourself doing what you want to do, not what you should do. I admit, it's not always easy, because let's face it - life today can be very hectic. But it is so worth it to forget about everything for just one night every once in a while, and take some time for yourself. Always remember to take care of yourself. 

*Watch movies / TV shows

*Read a book or a stack of magazines

*Don't forget the snacks

*Take a freaking three-hour nap

*Draw or paint

*Knit or cross stitch 

*Go for a weekend get-away to a place without internet and TV

*Listen to relaxing music 

*If you're a writer, like me, take a break from your current project and write something totally different, a short story maybe, and just for the fun of it :)

*Rearrange your closet and/or junk drawers. (this is not what I would do, but some people find this extremely relaxing and calming)

Go have some fun, people. Don't be so serious all the time :)

Not dead

Oh my goodness... Sorry for not writing. Again. I feel bad :( sorrysorrysorry.

Blogging used to be one of my very favorite things to do, but lately I've been feeling like all the ideas just escaped from my head. I want to write, it's basically all I want to do, but there's nothing to write about!! I could tell you about the major writer's block that's been bothering me for too long, but writing about writer's block... meh.

My internet failed a couple of weeks ago, just stopped working. Both my laptop and iPad have the same carrier, which had some problems, but my phone has a different carrier and so I was able to run errands online (facebook) with my phone. Not having Netflix take all my time, I had to get creative. I got a lot of reading done (Stephen King's On Writing is uh-mazing!!) and worked on my novel. I'm not completely happy with what I came up with it and might just erase everything and start all over. But at least I'm writing something. There should be a way to transfer images from one's head to paper.

A while back I realized this summer is almost over (here in the arctic at least) and I have worked through most of it. I have vacation days that I'm saving for December, when I will be traveling to the States. Totally worth working for the summer, and despite my hectic work schedule I feel like I have improved my social life from what it used to be. At least my friends seem to know I exist nowadays ;)

So yeah.. That's what's up. There's always something. Sometimes I wish there was nothing.. Hope you're all having a good weekend :)

xxo

TGIF

Sometimes, no matter how much I love to write, I make up excuses to postpone it. Especially when it comes to my novel. I have this idea stuck in the back of my head, that I will ruin the images in my head by putting them into words on paper. This is something that I'm slowly learning to ignore, and have more and more courage to write every day. 

And today Amazon shipped me two more reasons to postpone the writing just a little bit more.

But this time I want to postpone, because I want to be better, not because I'm afraid. 

Can't wait to read these! :)

Liebster Award

I got a Liebster Award from Anna! Thank you so much :) 

You can access Anna's blog HERE. Note: it's in Finnish :)

Liebster Award Rules:

1. Thank the person who gave it to you.

2. Answer the 11 questions presented to you.

3. Come up with 11 questions of your own.

4. Give the award to 11 blogs with fewer than 200 readers.

Anna and I both share a passion for literature, and as you can see, it is a theme for this post! 

ANNA'S QUESTIONS:

1. Have you ever ruined a book for yourself by reading a too revealing or otherwise bad back cover text?

- I'm always trying not to let a cover fool me, but yes, especially when I was younger, I wouldn't read a book that didn't seem appealing on the cover. I don't remember any bad back cover texts/descriptions, though. 

2. Has a book character ever inspired you in some way, helped you, or made you see something differently in your own life?

- I think it happens with every book I read. Not with every character, but there's always at least one, who makes me feel differently about something. Maybe the most recent character would be Skeeter, from Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Skeeter is a writer and her passion for writing is what got to me, as well as her will to get justice. 

3. Have you ever seen a TV-show, a movie or an animation, that's better than the original book it's based on?

- OK, don't judge me, but I think Gossip Girl is like that. I saw the show first and after that started reading the books. Turned out, I was not a fan of the books, not one bit. I have many sides. And one of them is being a little vain at times and watching Gossip Girl :)

4. What do you think of those pale bloodsucker vampires, the creatures so consumed by literature and popular culture?

- So I've read all the Twilight -books and seen the movies, I've watched some Vampire Diaries and even watched True Blood before it got beyond weird. But still, I'm not a big fan of the whole vampire concept. Probably because they're everywhere. Such mass production, and it's not appealing to me. But then again, what do you think of this: "Try to write something you have never seen before -even if it is about vampires - make it really unexpected." I'm so bummed I don't remember where I read that and by whom it was said, but it's so true!! 

5. Is there a particular moment in your past that marks the moment you got hooked to reading for the rest of your life?

- I don't remember... I've just always enjoyed reading. I learned to read before I went to school, and ever since I've inhaled every book laid before me. 

6. How much do you think about the role of the translator when reading translative literature?

- I haven't really acquainted myself with that.. But whenever I still read books in Finnish, which is rarely, I do think of the translator, and in my mind I am translating everything to English. Funny how the mind works :)

7. Do you have any rituals with your reading? A particular spot or the same snacks every time?

- Usually I do get some candy if I'm planning on spending a lot of time reading :P My usual spot would be the bed. I don't usually sit and read, I find it uncomfortable and un-natural. And I don't get people who can read at the beach! I've tried so many times, but I just can't do it! Everything's distracting me; the sun, the people, the noise, the water... 

8. What genre do you prefer or will anything do?

- I enjoy YA books but also books for a little older people.. that sounded weird. I love fantasy, but not sci-fi that much. I also enjoy reading horror (Stephen King) at times, because I'm fascinated by how the author creates a terrifying atmosphere. I'm always on the lookout for strategies. Detective books are good, too. I've never really been a fan of autobiographies. Fiction is my thing when it comes to reading and writing. 

9. Who is your favorite fantasy character?

- Harry Potter. This is such a cliche, I know, but Harry Potter was my childhood. He is the ultimate fantasy character. 

10. Roughly, how much time do you spend reading each week? Is it too much / too little / perfect amount?

- Wayyyy too little time :( Recently I haven't had that much time to read, but I do read every single day. Whether just a few pages of a whole chapter, I read. I guess, right now, I probably spend about 2-3 hours a week reading, and I want to spend that amount every day.. 

11. Name a book that has really surprised you. Something that you thought was pure garbage but turned out to be amazing, or the other way around.

- Well, I got really excited about The Mortal Instruments -series, and started reading City of Bones. Blah. Seriously, I don't get what the fuss is about. 

MY QUESTIONS:

1. What is the one book you can read over and over again without getting bored?

2. What was the first book you ever read?

3. Why do you think it's so hard to make movies as good as the books they're based on?

4. Do you think it's a good or a bad thing, how electronic book readers are slowly taking over and the art of the written word is getting lost? Why? Do you own an e-book?

5. Do you ever read ahead when you start a new book? As in reading the last sentence etc.?

6. If Stephen King and Nicholas Sparks joined their forces in writing, what do you think would happen?

7. Do you enjoy reading magazines? What kinds?

8. Is there a form of literature that you just cannot stand?

9. Do you buy books, or just borrow them from a friend, or just go to a library?

10. What do you appreciate in a  good book?

11. What is your favorite word? Why?

I would like to present this award and everything that comes with it, to Elamilia. Her blog can be found here: http://mystateofmindsallpurple.blogspot.fi/

My social circles aren't big enough to give 11 awards. But you all deserve it :)

Write Great Fiction

A couple of days ago I allowed myself a little treat. I ordered books on Amazon. Yeah.. Books do it for me ;) 

As someone who wants to be a serious writer one day, the books I ordered are important and I've heard a great deal of positive things about them. 

It'll take at least a month for me to get my hands on these babies, but I'm so excited to have some summer reading to do! :) The Write Great Fiction -series has other books, too, and they are: Dialogue, Revision and Self-editing (I SO NEED THIS!!) and Description & Setting. I'm going to wait to get the first two I ordered, and then see how I feel about them. But right now I think I will just order the rest of the series as well. 

The past few days I've kept a little break from working on my novel. I'm basically done with the plot and all that, and feel ready to write, and I have started writing. But with these books, I feel like I could be better (and I haven't even read them, yet!). I'd rather take things slow and get a better result than hurry and be sloppy. 

Have a nice week! :)

-iira

P.S. I have three days off! Stoked!