Beautiful as we are (I)

This post has been here as an empty draft with only a name on it for exactly one month and one day. Everybody starts with a blank page, but I don't usually struggle with it as much as I did this time, not sure if it's because I have too much to say and I don't know where to start, or because I'm just afraid of being misunderstood, my words and thoughts being misinterpreted or thought of as egoistic and narcissistic.

I'm pretty sure I'll write more on this topic because I have way too many thoughts on presently existent perceptions of beauty and I don't want to make my posts too chunky and overloaded. I know - I'll make a series of posts on it :)

So, to start off, a few days ago, a friend of mine recommended a book called "1984" by George Orwell, which I will definitely read. From what she told me, it's about how societies can become dull only by narrowing down people's vocabularies and making them use basic words. As I think of it, it hits me just how true it may be.

The course I took on my Erasmus exchange this semester really got me thinking about so many cultural and social aspects of my life and my environment, and I think I might have found the connection between the ideas in "1984" and what I heard from my lecturers throughout the course- endless streams of academic vocabulary. Every time a simple word could be substituted for something more scholarly and professional - it was. It is shocking how much my own vocabulary has grown and how critically I started to see things since I started it in January, 16 weeks ago.

Even though I will be writing my own thoughts, mainly based on what I have read when I was searching for quotes to use in my exam papers, I feel like I need a disclaimer here: I do not intend to be egoistic or, worse, narcissistic. I have been told numerous times that I am physically beautiful, and it's not an achievement that I intend to brag about. And yes, technically, from the global point of view, I have, in fact, an "ideal body "- pale white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, tall, long legs and all this shit that makes people think I am beautiful and assume I'm not smart at all, sadly. That is purely a social and cultural thing about which I intend to talk in my "Beautiful  as we are" series. Here we go :)

Mingling around in the world of blogging

Recently, there have been quite a lot of changes in my routine.. Well, I could cay it has disappeared for a month or so. I changed my university, my location, almost got used to the British accent and started to understand the local Geordies. However, there are still things I feel unfamiliar with. For example, the left-sided traffic is just driving me mad, together with the friendliness of the locals. It's insane, and I guess could not be more extreme after living in Sweden, where people tend to be very reserved and extremely hard to make friends with.
Here, in Newcastle, I am still shocked how cashiers, library workers, baristas etc. call me sweetheart, young lady, love and all these super lovely names that get me smiling before I even think about it. It's just so much more relaxed and laid-back.. So, if you combine it with the cultural differences which are pretty challenging for me as a newcomer, it equals out and makes it so much easier to feel like home.
Moreover, besides all these new experiences, I was given an opportunity to try out blogging on WordPress. Undoubtedly, I took it, so now I have a second blog on my Swedish university's website, which is exclusively about my new university experience in Newcastle. Due to this change, this blog might become less active, but I will still post things here, as I quite often feel the urge to spill the bits of my inner world in this blog, which had become the home of random stuff that I find exciting.
Lastly, I have always wanted to read more on blogging so that I could not only practice more, but improve my writing techniques as well. Also, I just started the course "Writing for the Media: Journalism", which I fell in love with immediately and which I will hopefully benefit from in all aspects of writing, including blogging.

More on the new courses I am taking and my uni-related adventures - in my other blog: http://blogg.mah.se/studyabroad/author/emilijariaukaite

As for now, as they say here in Newcastle,
Cheers!

Long time no see :)

It's been a really ling time since I last updated this blog. But now, since I am back in Sweden, Malmo again, I will be writing more often. Maybe that's because I don't have so much to do here.. My friends and family stayed in my home country and I am here, not entirely on my own, but lonelier than ever. Anyways, it's not so sad as soon as I get used to this new lifestyle. The summer's been fantastic and I have nothing to complain about. Lots of adventures, lots of beautiful photos of me with people I love and adore, adventures and spontaneous meetings with my friends. In early spring, I gave myself this promise to have the best summer in my life (so far), and now, when it's over, I really have nothing to regret. Zero time wasted. I shall do it again next year, but for now, I have never-ending motivation and something to look for and think about when everything looks bad or goes wrong ^^

Photo session with my best friend ^^

With my boyfriend. ^^

With my best friend again :)

@Nida (on a three-day trip with my boyfriend)

Spending time with my beloved one

So that's it for now. New posts coming soon!

xoxo

And that's how my summer began

Summer.. In our heads, it's all about long nights at the fireplace, swimming in the sea or lake, comforting sound of crickets every night, and lots and lots of sun. For me, it's the same. But today..it's just different. The first day of summer '13 feels completely different than usual. So here I am, sitting in my room, enjoying relaxing music, eager to make art. Contrary from what we all expect, there is no sun. The rain drops are knocking at my window, creating that incredible feeling of harmony and peace. It's pouring outside. Just an hour ago, I heard shy, lazy murmurs of thunder. It's the first time I got to hear them this year. It's the first time the first day of summer looks too cloudy to see the sun, smells like rain and speaks to me in quiet peals of thunder. Weird, you say, but, surprisingly, more enjoyable than ever.

And the blogging begins

No expectations. That's how I begin my first blog ever. Plans: try and write about things that catch my attention in a different way, developing my own voice and style, and finally, finally get a long-time habit of writing regularly.
So, to begin with, a little bit about myself.
A struggling writer, still searching for my genre. Very eager to write, but sometimes too lazy to do it. Full of ideas and thoughts, but lacking the spirit and motivation to write regularly. Therefore, trying to change it and get better. So far, unsuccessfully. This made me consider starting an online blog. So, this is my another attempt to start writing daily, at least weekly.
I am not a native speaker, so there might be some grammar, punctuation or spelling mistakes in my writing. I am not going to set a specific topic for my blog posts. I imagine my blog being a reflection of me: everything from fancy and creative to scientific and very serious. In my posts, I will express my opinions, ponder over what I see on my Facebook news feed, get creative sometimes, or even do a research on something that catches my attention. If my blog happens to be successful, I might also consider making tutorials of cooking, handcraft (friendship bracelets, making teddy-bears), making different hairdos or healthy lifestyle.
I am a first-year student in Malmo University, Sweden (but I am not Swedish, just so that you know). and since my studies have to do a lot with writing, this blog will also be my way of practicing it, getting used to it.
So, I really hope that blogging will become a fun part of my life :)