Sunday Inspiration

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While the Vienna University's start and fall exams are moving closer every second, I took the time to make a collection of some motivational pictures and illustrations to enjoy on a late Sunday afternoon, possibly with some coffee or tea in your hands - I hope you like them as much as I do :)

 

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Question: What really gets you angry?

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And the song of the day today is from Ellie Goulding - cover of Kodaline's "ALL I WANT".

Happy Sunday everyone! :)
 

A dizzy mind & a heavy head

This picture represents my state of mind quite well. I didn't know if I should write about this, but I end I figured: it's part of me, so it's part of my blog.
In the beginning of September I got stung by a horsefly and some days afterwards I had a lot of pain in my right foot, where the thing bit me, but also in my ankle and I barely was able to walk.
I went from doctor to neurologist, who told me I "probably have borreliosis or Lyme disease". I have never heard of this before and I started researching. It is usually given by a tick bite or a horsefly bite and a rather aggressive illness.

The problem about lyme disease is the following: it is a very complex bacteria and it is not well researched yet. Doctors all over the world are still fighting over the treatment of lyme disease and patients all over the world are suffering due to that. Also, there is no "final cure" for it. Only various antibiotics, which you have to carefully combine and adjust to the individual's case. Of course, if you know you suffer from it after a tick bite or horsefly sting and you take the right dosis of antibiotics right away, you will be completely healthy again. But if you find it out too late or, like me, get the wrong dosis of antibiotics, it might turn into "chronic lyme disease". I got really scared when I read about it and I felt left out by the medical care system, because the doctors at Vienna's biggest hospital told me "You can take those antibiotics for two weeks. If you are not cured by then, we can't help you."

I was going crazy feeling left out and not being taken seriously. I found a forum which focused on Austrian doctors who specialized on the treatment of lyme disease. Fortunately enough, I found a doctor who gave me an appointment one week after my first antibiotic treatment ended. My boyfriend drove me there - she is living 2 hours away from Vienna - and was relieved as well that I finally got taken seriously.

The doctor took one hour to examine and talk to me. She made a four weeks treatment plan including three different antibiotics and various supplements to save my liver, my kidney and my stomache. I'm currently in my second week and I do feel better.
If you'd see a glance of my filofax, where I noted down all my medicaments and when to take them, you'd think I am crazy. I am not. This radical treatment is necessary, because this bacteria is severe and can do severe damage to your joints, your heart and in later stages even your brain. I try to be optimistic and focus on a positive outcome in a few weeks. If the symptoms will reoccur then, I have to take antibiotics again. It's a back and forth fight against the lyme bacteria.
 
The negative side of taking so many antibiotics is feeling really dizzy and tired all the time. Plus, you are not allowed to go outside and play in the sun, because your skin would have a terrible reaction and you would turn all red like a tomatoe. So although it's sunny and lovely outside in Vienna, I have to stay indoors. :(

Adding to that, the biggest exam in my bachelor's degree is coming up in October and I try my best to study for it. The medication is really making me think more slowly and makes it harder to study the way I usually do. I still try to keep up with the studying and try to pass the exam, it's one of the only things which make me feel normal at the moment.

I've also been thinking about changing the direction of my blog and pinning it down to one or two main things which I love, but this is a process in the makings and I will try to keep you updated on that.

I hope you guys enjoy the late Autumn sun & don't let yourself be biten by a tick or worse, stung by a horsefly!

My first "blogging conference" - my personal experience at 'Vienna Fashion Camp for beginners 2014'

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to be part of the Vienna Fashion Camp for 'beginner' , which was organized by Anna Heuberger, Maria Ratzinger and Sophie Burian. The location was in a place where usually people train for working in a hair salon, but it was enough space for about 40 people and had a nice setup including flowers in glas mineral bottles and tons of mini cupcakes.

a perfect match!

you can't keep away the girl from the mirrors

What did we do? Well, I was definitely not the target group of this blogging camp. I am by all means no fashion blogger and I do not care about fashion all that much. Nonetheless, I used the breaks between the various talks to get to know the people around me, find out if they are already blogging or what they want to get out of this conference.
The talk which inspired me the most was held by Sandra Konrad from Girls Guide to Blogging. She talked about how to find the right direction with your blog & how to find more blog readers. When I met her outside in a break, she was really talkative and friendly. When I asked what she misses the most in Australia, when she can't be in Germany, she said: "Of course, friends and family. My parents can't travel that far or are afraid of flying for so long, it's tough. And the Milchschnitte." (Milchschnitte is a sweet cream between to cocoa sponge cake layers.)

In the afternoon there were various workshops and the big group was split up into little teams. I was part of the 'photography basics workshop' held by Cliff from www.pixelcoma.at. He held a short talk about various tips tricks for photography beginners and then let us experiment on our own in different stations. We should portray a cupcake in front of some flowers, using depth of field. While there were too many people for him to answer all the questions, he still offered to answer questions by mail. I think he was a refreshing photographer from the ones I've met before, very down to earth, nice and funny.

Unfortunately I had to leave early and was missing out on two more talks, one about "nasty comments" and the other one on "social media". Since I am rather a twitter addict, I hope I haven't missed out too much on the other platforms. But there's only so much time you have before you have to run to catch your train to your grandma's birthday ;)

I am really happy about meeting so many different people there and finally "seeing" some Austrian bloggers in real life. Due to my blog being in English only, not beauty or fashion related like the other 90 percent, it's rather rare to find them on my blog. So that was a nice change. Honestly,  I sometimes found it hard to 'mingle' with the fashion bloggers, but that's because I felt extremely underdressed with my jeans, sneakers and t-shirt. But in the end, I forgot about all those stereotypes and made some new friends. Can't wait to see them again!

What did I like about the event? It was really well organized, beautifully decorated and you had enough time to get to know the other bloggers or "beginner bloggers" around you.
What did I miss? I was hoping for some tech geek explaining the pro's and con's of various platforms (including squarespace, tumblr and weebly), as well as find a direction suitable for yourself. Probably that's a topic itself worthy of a conference or self-study.

Some visual impressions for you guys:

the photoshop workshop

where fashion bloggers are, there are amazing coats ;)

Cliff from pixelcoma.at during the photo workshop

the pretty feet from Ela from nerdsofmunch.com

the photography workshop in action ;)

flowers in mineral bottles

my street style #irony ;)

& Let me know in the comments down below: Have you ever taken part in a blogging conference or blogging camp? How was your experience?

The Beauty Experiment - facing the real world

Since I am down to another four weeks of antibiotics, one of the 'highlights' of my everyday life is going grocery shopping. I meet neighbors or people I know, I spend most of my time in the veggie section or in the newspaper section and I know most of the cashiers working at the checkout.

Recently, I noticed that a new cashier started working at my local supermarket. I haven't seen him before. When it was my turn to pay, the line behind me was short and he wasn't busy. Still, he wasn't open for a quick chat or a smile. One could say, that is due to his mood or whatever.
When I went there a few days later, I saw him again. This time he treated me really friendly and was all smiles.
Wonder what the difference was between the 'ugh, another customer' and the 'let's chat a bit'? Simple as that: The first time around I went shopping without make up on. The second time I was wearing make up since I was ready for a meeting later on.

I know that make up and fashion items can have a big impact on your surroundings, but I am still surprised when I notice how differently people treat me when I am wearing makeup. I usually only wear concealer when I mean I go "without makeup" to the shops and nowhere else later on. Makeup on for me means wearing concealer, foundation, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow and sometimes blush and contouring, if I want to.

I would like to know if you have had similar experiences? Or try the beauty experiment: Go to your favorite shop wearing no make up and notice how people (especially the shop assistants or the cashier) treat you. Do the same thing a few days later, but with make up on.

It irritates me that a "no make up" me is not as inviting as a made up one. Also, if I wear winged eyeliner, people tend to notice me more and are more polite than usually. Sometimes I forget that I am wearing that type of makeup and have to remind myself "It's okay, you just look really pretty or really intimidating with your winged eyeliner and your mascara-ed eyelashes. You didn't wear your sweater the wrong way around. It's all good."

Of course, it would be nice if our society appreciated make up free faces as much as make up-faced ones. Guess, this is just a wish not a real possibility. It's in our nature to draw our attention to enhanced aesthetics and nice looking people, there were even psychological experiments which have shown that people who are perceived as good looking earn a higher income and get jobs more easily (see the statistics here: *statistic brain).

If you want to know more about facial attractiveness, look here. The National Geographic has made a informative video and a website about the laws of attraction.

What do you think about these findings?

A tribute to Autumn

Hello Autumn! Where did you hide Summer?
[Apologies for my long blogging absence, I'm currently on really strong antibiotics and all my foggy mind was able to do the last few days was tweeting or watching tv. Seriously, why do I have to get every possible illness all at once in the beginning of Autumn?]

I mean, actually it's still Summer. But here in Vienna it's been rainy and cloudy for days, with temperatures being really low. So I consider that Autumn is already here. I like Autumn. It brings the best colors to the leaves of trees and the wellies on your feet. The hot chocolate on the way to work or Uni. Fall fashion. Comfy coats, boots and scarfs. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.

What else do I like about Autumn?
I love Halloween. Reading in bed. Having a hot bath while it's raining. Drink some hot tea or strong coffee. Take a walk. Cuddle with your beloved one. Go to a museum. Dance at your favorite artist's concert. Watch new episodes of your favorite TV show. Make a soup. Take out your wellies and dance in the rain puddles. Making mood boards in the middle of your bed while in your pj's. Go to your favorite coffee shop with your friends. Sign up to a new sports class. Learn a new craft. Enjoy the smell and sound of Autumn in a park or a wood. Cranberry granola. And so much more :)

If all of those ideas don't help and the Autumn blues still gets me down, I just remember what Albert Camus said: "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." Another day, another try.

What do you love about Autumn?