9 December 2016

I DON'T KNOW IF I LIKE WHAT I'M DOING


In one of my recent posts I wrote about me going to college, really loving all of my subjects and in general enjoying what I studied. Well... I no longer know if I feel the same.

Since I started watching teenage movies about going to college and creating your future in there, my dream was to someday study a degree in university. When I had three years left of high school all my teachers and family begun to ask me “What do you want to do when you finish high school?” and I would always reply "I don't know". At that time I still had a few years to decide what would probably be the most important decision of my life so far. I knew that I wanted to go to college because for me, it was the next place to go after finishing high school. I had never considered doing anything else since that was what seemed "the right thing to do".


Years passed by and one day I was in the train with my mother and the woman sitting in front of us asked me for the time. She looked as if she really wanted to talk to somebody and somehow we started a conversation. I remember she told me that she has attended a wedding of a friend of hers the previous day, and that she was now going home. She also mentioned that she met that friend back when she spent a year abroad in France, while doing her degree. We chatted for a good hour or so and she definitely was a very down to Earth person. I think I told her how much I liked travelling, writing and learning languages because she encouraged me to study Translation and Interpretation in college, the same as she did. She said that if I liked languages Translation was a great choice and that she also thought that I would be a good translator. At that time I didn't even consider studying such degree. The woman was lovely and I really enjoyed every single minute of our conversation. Once we arrived at our destination we said "Goodbye" and I have never heard from her again (that sounded dramatic).

Since that was a curious story, I explained it to my friends and family and that's what made me actually consider studying Translation and Interpretation. I looked up for information about the studies and I was amazed by everything I found. From then on I knew that I wanted to be a translator/interpreter.

A few months ago I started college and I really liked everything. I'm studying Translation and Interpretation. I'm learning a new language, I'm improving my native language and that's awesome. However,... I miss something. I miss literature. Damn it how much I miss it.


Reading, writing, getting to know the greatest writers... That is something I did during my last years of high school and I loved it. Now my study plan is only based on learning languages, which is great, but I think it's very impersonal. I need passionate teachers explaining me literary treasures (am I asking for too much?). I still have to learn a lot about literature in general, and although I do read for myself, I wish it could be a part of my studies, because you never know, maybe I have considered becoming a writer... (I have). What I have heard is that the first year of every degree it's kind of "boring", since you have to build a solid base of the most important content (in my case it is all about learning languages in depth). I'm not planning on quitting what I'm studying now, because I continue to see myself working as an interpreter in the future, but I will consider taking up some literature classes, a part from my curricular subjects. It's hard for me to know if I like what I'm going or not, because when I thought of completely changing my degree, I wasn't interested in any of the other possibilities that my university offered. I really like the enviroment around college, and something I know for sure is that it is the place that I want to study in for the next four years. Therefore, I'm just going to wait. Maybe at the end of the second semester I've changed my mind. Or maybe I realise if I want to continue with what I'm doing or if I want to take up another degree.


In situations like this, I like having a blog. Writing everything down helps me to clear out my mind and even though I have a journal as well. something about writing here is very satisfying, because I know that someone will read it and maybe has gone through the same as I have. 

Enjoy your weekend :)
PS: Christmas posts are coming soon!

All pictures are from Unsplash

5 November 2016

LETS' TALK ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA SATURATION

Is social media over saturated? Yes, my answer is that social media is definitely saturated. Here's why I decided to bring back my series "Let's talk about..." and give you my opinion when it comes to the "social media phenomenon".

When the idea of writing this post came to my mind I decided to search on Google articles related to the topic, to see if anyone had written about it previously. Here are the three first entries that came out when I looked for "social media saturation":


I don't think I'm going to write anything related to what the links above say, but I just left them there in case you wanted to read more about this subject. I read the three of them thinking that we would have similar opinions but surprisingly, I have a different perspective, and that's what pushed me into writing what is probably going to be the more disorganised and random post in this blog. 

Picture from Unsplash
The other day I found myself looking for some tips on how to become a better blogger and grow my audience, because, why not? It's nice to see that what you write is being read. Pinterest is my number one source when it comes to advice as well as finding useful posts, so I was browsing through their website and clicking on everything I found interesting. I believe I ended up reading about 10-15 posts related to what I was looking for and the content was almost the same in each of them. The main points that were supposed to help you to gain a bigger audience were:

- Get to know your audience
- Write things you would like to read
- Quality over quantity
- Post regularly
- Create original content
- Be active on social media
- Do collabs with other bloggers
-  Write about what you like and be passionate about it

More or less that was everything. After each headline there were a few sentences explaining what to do in order to "get to know your audience" or "create original content", in case you didn't know how to do it. Now, my question is: did that help you in anyway? Because to me it all seems pretty obvious. However, how are you supposed to stand out when nowadays almost everybody has a blog? The thing is even harder when you're not a fashion blogger... I'm not saying that I want to become an over night sensation, but come on, something must be wrong in a world where you can buy followers for your social media profiles...

I just feel that social networks are getting bigger and bigger everyday and everyone is a tiny part of this huge community. Some pages tell you that "being yourself" is the key, but what happens when there are many original people out there? There's no way to stand out. From my point of view, social media it is definitely saturated. It is true that you see new faces that have been recently discovered online, but most influencers/ it girls or boys/ instagramers/ youtubers... started their online career (that's how I'm going to call it) in 2007 or 2009, when Internet was almost unknown. 

Picture from Unsplash

I also think that our characters are 70% real and 30% virtual (the percentages are approximate). We are what we post on our social media profiles. Some people make a living out of it and that's awesome, but we have to remember that everything we see on the Internet may not be true. I understand that people only share a small part of their lives, but the ones who see it from the other side of the screen believe that this person does have a perfect live (does that make sense?) I know it has nothing to do with social media being saturated, but I believe that networks also have a huge impact on society. Many stereotypes and issues have been spread online, weather they are good or bad.

There isn't a conclusion to this whole bunch of thoughts. I just started writing everything that came to my mind and now it feels good. I don't want to change the world by writing posts like this, but I feel really lucky to have a place were I can say such things. I don't want this post to be taken as a complain or anything, I love having built a small community around this blog, so thank you for reading this, whoever you are.

I really want to know your opinions about the topic, so please, leave them in the comments and we can discuss anything you suggest. Do you think that social media is saturated? How can somebody stand out in such a big network?

27 October 2016

WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN BEFORE STARTING COLLEGE


A LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF

Dear Cecil,

How are you doing? I hope you are enjoying your last days of holidays. I know you are nervous and excited for college, so let me reassure you that there is no need to worry. It is very easy for me to tell you that, because by the time I am writing this I have already been through the worst part (even though there isn’t a “worst part” after all), but believe me, you will be more than fine.

First things first: you should know how much you are going to love the studies you have chosen. Languages are your thing and that is everything that you will do. It may sound boring but you are going to have loads of fun. Don’t listen to the people who tell you that “there are no jobs for translators” or “Don’t study German, there are many people who already speak that language. You should learn Japanese”. You are now studying Translation and Interpretation and you have as well chosen German regardless of what everybody said and it makes you happy, end of the story. However, you will miss having a Literature subject or something like History. Languages are great but you have always loved reading and learning more about other things as well, which is something that you won’t have, at least in your first year. Use your spare time to learn about these topics you also like.


I remember you wanted to get a part-time job during college. Well, I’m sorry to tell you that this has not happened (yet). You did apply for some vacancies but there was no luck. Do not beat yourself up, it is fine, focus all your energy into studying. There will be more opportunities! I know you wanted to start earning your own money, but in the meantime you will need to learn how to manage the money you already have (which is very important as well), so here are a few tips. Stop buying food after every class! Yes, now I am punishing you. It is very tempting to spend your change in vending machines around campus, but you should not do it. Bring snacks with you for when you are starving after a long day. The same goes for your lunch: meal prep the night before and put everything inside a lunch box. I have to congratulate you for that, because you have never forgotten your meals and you are eating pretty healthy. Going back to managing your money, why don’t you put your spare coins in a piggy bank and start saving to go studying abroad? This is something you have always wanted and although it may take a bit of time to figure out when and where you want to go, it is good to start gathering a decent amount of money. Keep looking for a job, maybe you find one out of the blue. Looking into and understanding your financial aid is important. You can refinance your loans as well but it’s important to look up all you can on making smart money decisions now! One last piece of advice: take advantage of the discounts you have for being a student! You can have special prices transportation wise, as well as cheaper menus in some coffee shops. Always have your student card with you, you never know when you will need it.


Going to college by train is something you will find awkward at the beginning, but eventually you will get used to it. You will read a lot during the way to college (maybe you should invest in a good e-reader, paper books are kind of heavy) and some days you will get really tired, especially when there are no seats and it is 8 am. There is going to be a day when you will share the 20 minutes journey with your new friends, since some of them have to pick up the same train as you. It sounds great, doesn’t it? After the first week of college or so, you will start hanging out with these guys and are going to become very close. You will have lunch together, hang out after classes, laugh in the middle of the lesson when you were supposed to pay attention to the teacher, start sharing some adventures… You will soon realise that there are people who share the same interests as you and that they are actually very kind and friendly. Take care of them.

I don’t know what else to say, enjoy this time of your life and keep doing what you do

Best wishes from your tiny-wiser self


15 October 2016

BOOK REVIEW: HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD


Hello dear readers of mine! Today I'm doing a book review on "The Cursed Child", the latest (and the last) Harry Potter book. It has been on the market for a while and I finished reading it about a month ago, but I decided that it was the perfect book to do my first review.

Here's some general information:

Original title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (parts one and two).
Author(s): JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Throne.
Number of pages: 330
Published: July 31st 2016
Genre: fantasy and fiction.

On the back cover...

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

Summary

The main characters of the book are Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy (Harry and Draco's sons). The two kids meet in Hogwards and they become best friends, something that bothers both parents. The relationship between Albus and his father isn't the best one as the kid has to live up to his father's expectation: he is the son of "the Boy Who Lived". One day Amos, Cedric Diggory's father, reaches out to Harry Potter, who's now the Head of the Departament of Magic Law Enfocement. He wants to bring his son back from the death because he has discovered that the Ministry of Magic holds a Time Turner, something unthinkable (and illegal) since all of them were distroyed after the Battle of Hogwards, nineteen years earlier. Somehow, Albus overhears this conversation and decides to tell Scorpius. From then on, the two guys start planning how to get their hands on the Time-Turner without their parents noticing it, and the adventure begins!


Personal opinion and thoughts

This book was a birthday present and I was very excited when I received it. I have always been a huge fan of the Harry Potter books (and movies) and I couldn't believe that there was an eight book coming out. Something that surprised me was the fact that it wasn't a novel, but a play. I'm not used to reading theatre plays and I realised that it was very fast to read, but nothing really happened. Being used to reading the enormous Harry Potter books, I felt as if it wasn't deep enough. The description of the actions was very superficial and there weren't any unexpected changes or turns. 

I really appreciated that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco and the other "original" characters had a relevant paper in the story, even though the most important ones were their children. I did have very high expectations for this book and I have to admit that I haven't been completely disappointed. The idea was original and it had the kind of vibe that the other books used to have. However, I think that it has lost the "essence" and now it's all about squeezing the juice out of the Harry Potter sensation. After almost ten years of publishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows they release another book with the same concept as the previous seven but a bit watered-down, just to keep up with their fandom. I don't blame them, cause I was the first one to look forward for book, but I think that the Harry Potter myth should have ended with the last book in 2007. 

Rating

Overall I give it a 7/10.


15 September 2016

REACTING TO A LETTER I WROTE TO MYSELF TWO YEARS AGO


Two years ago, during Religion class, my teacher told me and the rest of the students to write a letter to ourselves. She would keep it and send it to us in two years time. The idea of being able to talk to my future self was something I never thought of, so I was really excited. I remember wanting to write a very long letter, with loads of details in order to capture what was going on during that stage of my life. If I'm not mistaken she let us bring the letter home, finish it and then bring it back to her the next day.

I wanted this letter to be something that would make me think about myself and reconsider my goals in life. When I finished I sealed the envelope and wrote my address in front of it. I was sure that the day I received my own message I would feel proud of myself and I would realise that I had accomplished some stuff that looked as if it was impossible at that time. The next day at school I gave it to the teacher and then waited. For two years.

A week ago or so, my letter arrived to the mailbox, and believe me when I say it was an extremely awesome fantastic moment. I had very high expectations to read my own advice from a younger and less wiser self, and guess what? When I read it I kind of felt a bit disappointed. Everything I wrote back then didn't make me question anything about my present situation. The pages were filled with anecdotes and other stories that I thought were important by the time I was writing them, but now, they barely made sense. Of course I was glad to read it and I got a bit nostalgic, I also liked knowing what my thoughts were about certain people and other aspects related with studies, family and life in genera, but at the end of the day, the message wasn't "that big of a deal". It was good to know that I had accomplished some stuff I was planning on doing back then, and that I also wished that my future self would be as happy as I am now (which is a big achievement). 

I feel great knowing that I haven't disappointed the young girl who had big plans (and is still working on them).

The point is, even if my intentions were good, the result could have been better, but I don't care, because all the enthusiasm was worth it. I don't know many people who can say that they have received a letter from themselves and after reading it they are proud of who they are and who they used to be. One of my biggest fears when I started writing mine, two years ago, was to aim to high for myself, to write things that could make me feel bad depending on the time that I read the letter. However, nothing of this happened. I wrote everything I wanted and still, it turned out fine. 

Now I'm planning on writing another one... Anyone wants to join?

5 September 2016

18 THINGS I'VE LEARNED IN 18 YEARS

I did this kind of post when I turned seventeen last year, and I think it is time that I do it again, because now I'm one year older, so here it is. These are some of the things I've learned in the past few years (I'll try not to repeat myself):


1. You can do anything but not everything: you are capable of doing lots of things, but in order to accomplish what you really want you need to prioritise. Choose what you want to do and focus all your energy into it.

2. Working hard isn't always enough: yes, I contradict myself. You can't be good at everything, even if you put a lot of effort into it. Sometimes it has to do with talent, sometimes it doesn't. Example: I will never be an amazing football player, even if I try my best because I have never been a sporty girl and my body isn't appropriate for these kind of games. The point is to find the things that you can be good at if you work hard on them.

2. Sing out loud until you have no voice and dance like nobody is watching until your feet hurt, because, why not?

3. Quality over quantity: would you rather have a diamond or a bunch of trashy jewellery? I think you all know what I mean.

4. Don't take anything for granted, work hard to keep what you already have, whether its people, your job... Take care of your friends and family, let them know that they are more than "just another friend", that they really matter to you. Make everyone you love feel special.

5. Be the best version of yourself.


6. Read novels and poetry, Sometimes you'll discover a side of yourself that you weren't aware of before.

7. It is okay not to have everything figured out at the age of 18, even when you're 25 and you have no clue about what you want to do, there's no need to panic. Life is a process and (as I always say) the best is yet to come.

8. Do good and good will come to you: no matter what, be nice to people, even if they were rude to you at some stage in their lives. I'm still working on that, but I think it is very important to be "the good one" since you never know when you're going to need someone in a determined situation.

9. Take care of your body: eat healthy, drink water and all that kind of stuff because you're going to live "inside" it until you die (does that make sense?).

10. "Having fun" doesn't involve getting drunk. It's okay to have some crazy nights or whatever you want to call them, but that doesn't mean that it always has to be like this. Get out and find something amazing to do and enjoy during your teenage years: climb trees, have deep talks on a rooftop, throw yourself into a pool fully dressed... Be creative and live life to the fullest.

11. Don't be afraid to take risks because at the end of the day, you're most likely to regret the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. Follow your intuition whenever you feel like it.


12. Changes aren't easy, but the more you change, the easier it will be for you to get used to new situations. 

13. Put yourself first, and no, it is not selfish. You have to be okay with yourself before loving others.

14. Listen to people, it is the key to learning. It's very hard for me to say that, as I am a very talkative person, however, when you take time to listen to other people's thoughts you see that (sometimes) they have very interesting things to share.

15. Find things to look forward to (ex: a holiday, an special date...), this way your life will be more exciting.

16. Treat triumph and disaster the same way (yes, I'm quoting a Kippling's poem)

17. Learn to diminish the importance of things. Maybe now you make a big deal out of something (example: can't afford going to your favourite singer's concert), but at the end of the day you'll realise that it wasn't that much. 

18. Do whatever makes you feel happy and free and never forget that you are still young.

PS: For some strange reason all the comments on the blog have disappeared and I'm very sad, if someone knows how could have happened, please tell me :)

Best of luck,
xx Cecil

28 January 2016

HOW TO DEAL WITH FRUSTRATION

I usually like to start writing my posts really casually, you know, talking a bit about what has been going on with my life or sharing any anectode that happened to me recently. A few minutes ago I was loggin into my Bloglovin' account and I realised that it had been ages since I went there for the last time... Now I have plenty of opened tabs to read blogposts, which is exciting! Anyways, let's move on to the actual post.


I'm such a perfectionist and when something goes wrong I make a big deal out of it, when there's nothing to worry about. I still have to learn how to cope with those situations, but meanwhile I get so frustrated, an it's depressing, believe me. The smallest thing can completely change my mood and I'll become really mean, which is something I'm not proud of, because I end up hurting (not physically) people around me when it's not their fault. However, I've been trying to improve my behaviour towards the issue and, even though I have a lot to improve, I think I can teach you some steps you can take if you are like me and you get disappointed very easily:

1. Learn lo lose: you won't always win and it is not a problem! Many things can be learnt from your defeats. If your really want something, keep trying.

2. Don't take it personally: sometimes people say things without knowing how they're going to affect you. Ignore those comments, they are most likely to be harmless. Don't waste your precious time thinking too much about it (says someone who does it all the time...).

3. Don't give up and remember why you started: never forget your main motivation and how excited you where at the beginning of your journey. It's okay to have ups and downs, you just have to keep going, because the best is yet to come! Yey :)

4. Take time to assume that not everything goes as you expected. Your thoughts won't change overnight, but you can train your mind. Think about what makes you upset or disappoints you a few days after it happened, everything looks clearer with a cool mind.

6. Try to think about the situation from another point of view, what would someone else do? Sometimes it is easier to think about your "problems" as if you were another person. Try doing this exercise ;)

5. Talk about it with people you trust. Sharing your feelings with your friends and family is not something you should be afraid of, further. In my case I find it really hard because I don't want to disturb them, but after you have explained what's on your mind it feels great.


I took this picture back when I was in Amsterdam and I think it's lovely :)

Before I go I would like to add that there's nothing wrong with not having everything planned out in your life and it's fine to feel under the weather when things don't go as you'd expected. Life is awesome and chocolate is always there for you!! No, I'm joking, but seriously, there's always something that will brighten up your day, you only have to figure it out. 

17 January 2016

WATCH OUT 2016, HERE I COME!


Hello from the other siiiiideee (of the screen)! Yes, I have been away for a while but new year is the best time for a come back, and I couldn't be more excited. I know I'm a bit late for all the new year related posts, but it's fine. This whole blogging thing always goes very early! Anyways,  I think I should start with my new year's resolutions... Well, I'm not the best at making goals and sticking to them, I don't know if you remember that time I tried doing it monthly and I failed... However, I will try (again) and see if this year I can achieve them all:

1. Learn how to make decisions: I'm the most indecisive person in the world and whenever I have to choose something (even if it's something as simple as: what do I eat?) I don't know what to pick and I become really nervous.

2. Think before I speak: it's a mistake I have to change. It's not that I don't think at all, but sometimes I say things that may offend people and I regret it. The resolution would be to choose wisely my words so I can control what I say.

3. Stop apologizing when it's not necessary: I constanlty say "sorry" or "forgive me" for no reason and I want to stop that because it seems as if I was a very insecure person and besides, I don't like people who do the same.

4. Exercise twice a week... I'm not going to say anything about this one because it's the typical fitness goal that appears in everybody's resolution list. Let's hope I can make it, it's pretty realistic isn't it?

5. Post once a week: (from now on) I'm still a student so I don't have much time to dedicate it to my blog. Since it's something I really enjoy I've decided to continue posting regularly. 

I think what happens to me is that I set up unrealistic goals for myself, therefore I can't accomplish them, so this year I tried to make them more realistic, if that makes sense. I will also try to make monthly/three months goals (mainly with blogging but also other stuff) to keep track of my process and stay motivated.


organisation layout with iphone and journal

At the beginning of this year I was in Ireland, a place that brings me the nicest memories ever. What else can I ask for? 2016 has been great so far, it can only get better. I wish you all an amazing year and I'll see you around :) xxxx


PS: I wanted to thank all the people that has read the blog during my absence, The number of views has been great guys! Thank you so much.