Monday 27 July 2015

About people who need to be more human

Sometimes I'm just one of those organic-bio-green-yoga-meditation addicted (amazing) freaks, whom people from the outside sometimes don't understand, because their values and opinions are so much different. But while some of them may be addressed only to a specific circle of people, the rest would definitely be beneficial for all of us, human beings, who forget what our role is.

I have always been very protective of environment and I always make sure to never drop any litter on the ground, recycle, use reusable water bottles, save water and eat and dress green. Even though it would be nice if they did, I don't expect anyone to be as much engaged in this topic and issue as I am. I want people to realise that, at least in our solar system, we have only got one planet we can live on. The ground that we walk on is a product of our actions. Animals that we kill to enjoy a certain type of meat will soon become extinct. The people we hurt will become those few words sadder. The wars that we seem to enjoy so much that we don't want to stop cause deaths of millions of people. They destroy so many beautiful cities and countries. What in the world can be worth this much? Money? Religion? A need to prove who's the strongest? What is inside our minds, what causes such ideas and actions? Why do we have to be scared of getting robbed, raped, kidnapped or abused in any other way? Why does anyone need to do this?

I will never understand what leads people to kill or hurt. Thousands of years ago we killed animals because of our own hunger and those animals killed other animals because of theirs. It's the circle of life. So when did we start to want more?
Where are our values? What is a value? People are being chased for stealing food, and yet there are others who watch "their people" being killed in "their wars" from their luxury homes. Why do we consider people who kill other people "for our country" to be heroes? Don't we consider killers to be heroes? Yes, otherwise we could lose our country. Therefore, on the other side, they are not to be blamed. But isn't this the problem? Why do they have to fight?

War is a big subject and I do not want to blame nor justify anyone for this here, because I'm not the one to judge thousands of people, but one thing I know for sure is that war shouldn't exist. Not one where we are forced to do such terrible things and which affects innocent people and other living creatures.
We don't need to do this for money. The sums that are spent on guns and tons of other equipment are ridiculous. Peace is cheaper. We don't need it to be happy. How can one be happy being responsible for uncountable deaths? We don't need it for religion. In no religion should fight and hatred be worshipped and no god would ever thank anyone for fighting for their faith in such way. We don't need war to prove that we can win. Winning without the need for war is much more satisfying and attractive.

Addressing the recent issues that focus on feminism, I do not consider myself to be an extremist, but what I will always support is equality. There is one thing that I would like to make clear, because I see many people being confused by the meaning of this word. A "feminist" doesn't mean a "woman". A feminist is a person supporting gender equality and fighting for better conditions for women all around the world. A feminist is not a woman who hates men. A woman who hates men is an example of sexual discrimination. This is why I don't understand why anyone would consider themselves as anti-feminist. What is wrong about fighting for a better life for discriminated people? Maybe we don't feel like we need feminism in Europe, but this is because we live in countries where human rights are usually respected. But there are many places where they aren't. Women are attacked for not being obedient or leaving their men. This is why we do need feminism.

As most things do, it all starts with small actions. The world is so big, what really matters in life then? Our minds are too limited to realise that there is more than one path to choose from. We don't have to continue this mess. I believe that if we try and work for it, we can create a better place. We only have one Earth. Our race is still very young and we need to learn a lot, but we can try to open our minds. I am certain that no one is born with such hatred and disrespect and I believe that we can learn and teach others what we know. We can prove that money isn't worth killing. We can prove that being popular at school isn't worth hurting others. Our refusal to place litter in bins isn't worth weakening the nature. The perfect red colour of strawberries isn't worth putting so many chemicals in them and poisoning ourselves.

I hope that we will gradually become more aware of the effects of our actions and maybe some might think that there is no point in worrying about such huge issues, but I don't want to be scared of the world. Of course I am not always a good example of excellent behaviour. I have so many flaws. And I have moments when I forget about what really matters. But I want to live my dreams and travel. See people. Meet people. See people happy. I don't want my friends or parents to worry about me going somewhere alone because of the chance of something bad happening to me. Everyone has a choice and no one has to be that way. We can all choose who we want to be. We need peace and equality. We need love and happiness. The world will never be exactly what we want it to be, but it can be a better place, because we can make it a better place.

Saturday 4 July 2015

Liverpool and Banana & Peanut Smoothie


The Easiest and Quickest

Banana & Peanut Smoothie

1 banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup almond milk

Blend all ingredients together. If you're using crunchy peanut butter
then give it some more time to blend well. Bon appetit!


Summer holidays have officially begun and the weather is incredible! I spent my last three days in Liverpool on a Liverpool Hope Summer University course and it was amazing. I've met loads of new, friendly people and I would recommend this experience to anyone thinking of going to uni.






I found this magical bookstore while wandering around in town. It's a great place to visit when you're in Liverpool and aren't really interested in clothes shopping and tourist attractions. I feel like I'll be going back to Liverpool a lot this year to find more places like this.

Saturday 27 June 2015

Chia Pudding and International Day of Yoga


On the 21st of June some of us celebrated the first International Day of Yoga. I wasn't able to attend the meet up in London, but I went to a morning yoga session in a yoga venue nearby and then did some practise in the park on my own.

Yoga doesn't mean only exercise. Yoga is both practise and lifestyle. Such a good lifestyle. Here is another healthy breakfast recipe worth trying.

Chia Pudding




Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup chia seeds
  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 2tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
  • strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or any other fruit you like
Directions:
Put all ingredients into a bowl and stir. Leave the pudding-to-be in the fridge overnight (or at least for a few hours) for the seeds to swell. Stir the pudding again when you take it out of the fridge, put your favourite fruit on the top and voilà!

Friday 19 June 2015

"Talk Is Cheap" and Avocado Toast

This week has been a busy one. I feel like I say it every week. I spent over 3 hours in Starbucks yesterday, drawing sketches and uploading my new recording to SoundCloud. I'm in the process of exploring the opportunities I have to make music and I'm finally starting to use them more.

Slowly drifting into my world of dreams, I recorded my version of Chet Faker's "Talk Is Cheap". I've spent a lot of time in my life assuring myself that I'm not good enough to do something or that I just simply shouldn't do it because of some ethics, but not much later I discovered that this is not a path leading to achieving anything. So what is the theory behind all success? Fuck it. Simply and honestly fuck it. Do what you want to do and don't be scared. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm a few steps further than I was before I recorded it. The truth is nobody is going to bring you the opportunities and achievements and you have to work for them yourself. Is it so obvious? I guess I wouldn't have had to waste so much time on struggling to make decisions in life if it was. So here we are with today's moral of the story: work hard for what you want and don't stop because you think you're not enough. That's it.
I always feel like all those positive speeches sound extremely cliché and that they're full of unrealistic ideas, but when I think of it more I am able to see that it depends only on the way that I look at it and want to see it. And the way they're presented.
"10 ways to become a happier person" guides don't work, at least for me. It's like being told how to live by an anonymous creator of some tabloid-style website. What really works are our own experiences, aims and everyday's happenings. We don't usually wake up emotionally and mentally until something shocking or exciting happens. How many times have we heard the "change your way of thinking" advice and how many times has it affected us? For me it's easier to start with changing the way of working and doing things instead of the textbook "positive thinking" advice. As soon as you start to see benefits of your work, you gain hope and motivation. The way of thinking automatically changes. You pick up guitar playing, you practise, you stop, you lose it, you come back, you practise more, you see the benefits, you love it.

This week's healthy recipe is an avocado toast. I feel like I can't really call it a recipe, since all you have to do is put raw avocado on a toasted bread. Let's call it a recommendation.


I remember trying an avocado on bread for the first time about a year ago and I remember that I found it awful. I gave it another try this week and I'm so glad I did. Toasted bread, ripe avocado and some pepper. That's all you need.

Friday 12 June 2015

It's the one that says Bad Motherfucker: coconut & almond pancakes

I made some amazing healthy pancakes a few days ago. I'm going to share the recipe with you, for now I'll tell you that they have almond and coconut flakes inside. I've done quite a lot of cooking recently and I've been enjoying it. That's my #1 thing to do when don't know where I'm going with my life. I took a few pictures (thanks to my summer scarf in the background and the beautiful sun). In the post I obviously wanted to make some thematic reference and this one could have not been possibly better.


I don't think that I need to explain it.

Moving on, in the past month I have made my very own first raw Nutella, used Matcha powder in my green smoothies for the first time, spent the most money on eating out ever, drank the most Starbucks and bubble teas in my life, drawn the most sketches, deleted all my tweets, set up an Instagram account (which I hardly ever use), got myself an Italian textbook (and actually started learning the language), came back to practising yoga and spent the most money on things that I probably didn't even need, but also sold some clothes and books.

I have improved some of my cooking skills by trying new recipes and coming up with my own food ideas, so here is the recipe for the most delicious pancakes that I've ever eaten.

Coconut & Almond Pancakes 

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • almond and coconut flakes
  • 1 cup milk (I used soy milk)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
  • 1 mashed banana
  • vanilla or almond extract (optional)
Directions:
Put all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them together. Then add milk, an egg and oil and whisk everything together until smooth. I add the banana at the end together with almond and coconut flakes so that I can see how much of them I need. Add a bit of vanilla or almond extract if you want to and stir everything. At this point you might need to add more milk to get the right consistency (it should be a bit thicker than a usual pancake batter). Fry the pancakes and voila! I've put some organic apple purée at the top, but you can use strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or anything else that you want. Bon appétit!

Friday 5 June 2015

Damn good coffee!

I've spent much time on thinking about the future lately and it's getting over the healthy limit. I'm at this point where planning overcomes doing, ending up in a vicious circle. I felt like I already had one direction that I should go in, but now I'm starting to notice that it keeps changing overtime. Now I do many different things, but is it wrong of me to do so? I'll have time for settling down and doing my one and only job later in my life.

Inspired by one of the my favourite TV series of all time, the 90's "Twin Peaks", I made myself a "Damn fine cup of coffee" tote bag. Maybe I will find some similar souls soon. When it comes to "merch", I prefer symbolic images and quotes to an actual logo or movie/band/book name. It makes the thing more magical.


To be honest, like I once wasn't ready for the taste of spinach, avocado, caviar, unsweetened oatmeal and tea, I am not ready for the taste of black coffee yet - it comes with age perhaps. 1-0 for Dale Cooper for this. Since it's been raining for a few days now, I've been treating myself with some small presents each day not to let the weather depression get me (read: yoga, Starbucks, bubble tea, sushi, new recipes, Italian textbook) and I came up with a more feminine coffee recipe for the cold, rainy mornings.

White Chocolate Mocha

Ingredients: 
strong brewed coffee
3/4 cup milk
25g white chocolate chips

Directions:
Pour the hot milk over the chocolate chips and while they are melting, brew your coffee. It should be a bit stronger than usual because of the extra milk and chocolate. Whisk the milk and chocolate together. Fill your coffee mug with the chocolate texture and then fill the rest with coffee. Stir and add some whipped cream or cinnamon on the top if you enjoy a fancy looking cup of coffee.

Friday 29 May 2015

I've spent my last £1.49 on a garden wire



Having quite much time lately, I've been visiting many galleries, cafes and parks. Getting a coffee or tea out somehow works very motivational and I'm still not sure if it's a good or a bad sign.
What I've learned today is that you shouldn't buy a garden wire if you're not going to use it in the garden. It is way too thick but I made and I will make use of it in different ways. I definitely took the next step in my experimenting journey. One more thing: it actually is possible to cut a garden wire with scissors.

I've seen some impressive exhibitions during the last month. The Whitworth Gallery has an amazing collection of work of one of the most recognisable contemporary artists, Cornelia Parker. Some of her works led me to exploring wire drawing art and even on the web search there are some incredibly good wire sculptures and drawings.

I never was the dictionary definition of an "artist" and probably never will, but creation definitely makes me feel like I'm a bigger part of this world.

Friday 22 May 2015

Graze Box


Hi! A few days ago I bumped into a NatureBox advertisement and review and thought that it might be something worth trying - however, they only do NatureBox in the US (and perhaps Canada?). I went on to look for something similar to NatureBox and I found Graze, "healthy snacks by mail". I thought, why not, let's check it out. I'm usually quite distrustful when it comes to "great online deals", as usually the offers are very cheap at the beginning and then require to pay more money with every month. I registered with a promo code, which offered me my first, fifth and tenth box for free. I had nothing to lose, so I ordered a breakfast box, which I got on Wednesday.


The breakfast box contains four packets of musli/granola/porridge and you can customise your preferences on the Graze website (you can bin ingredients that you don't like or are allergic to and choose which cereal you want to get 'as soon as possible'). I chose these four and they sent me exactly the ones that I wanted so I was quite happy about that. The size of the portions is bigger than I expected. Until now I've had two of the different flavours and I absolutely loved the Dark Chocolate&Orange Granola! One portion is really satisfying and I wasn't hungry until about 2pm.


The nutritional values are nice as well, for example the Chocolate&Orange Granola contains a lot of pumpkin seeds, almonds, orange peel and oats and it all sums up to 346 kcal, which is good for the first meal of the day.

I've seen some negative reviews before and, as I wrote at the beginning of the post, I was starting to get a bit worried and ask myself if I'm not just throwing my money away. I'm really happy to say that I'm satisfied with my box and I'll be continuing subscription - it's also possible to change between boxes, so maybe I'll try something different soon? For now, if you're wondering if you should make an order, I would recommend trying the box and if you don't like it, you can cancel the subscription at any time. It's not something you can't live without, but it's definitely something that you're happy to see when you come home and for me it works as a nice surprise after a long day.

If you want to give it a try, you can get your 1st, 5th and 10th boxes for free with the promo code N6MCZ5KMU or by entering the website through this link: https://www.graze.com/uk/p/N6MCZ5KMU.

Have you ever tried Graze? What is your opinion? Have you tried any other boxes? Let me know what you think about it!

xx Julia

Sunday 17 May 2015

Blue jean baby

I'm so glad it's finally weekend. The weather is amazing, which means more going out, running, walking and smiling. I've already had three exams, it's only three more left now. I actually like to spend time on campus so I usually go to study there and not at home (they've got some nice benches in the sun, 1-0). I also got my old little Bamboo Fun tablet sent to me recently (I first got it for Christmas about 6-7 years ago, so long ago!) so I can finally add some personal messages to my graphics. I still need to get myself some proper camera, my phone one doesn't do the right job at all. Anyway, here are my two favourite vintage items that I got myself recently.


Short dungarees - COW Vintage, Manchester

Levi's 501 jeans - Pop Boutique, Manchester

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Spring Running Challenge

Winter depression is officially over, as we've just witnessed the day when I got a little sunburn - the summery weather encourages to go outside and it is my favourite time of the year. It is also the exam period, so some of us are probably getting a little stressed out. I'm not usually great at dealing with stress, but running is one thing that helps me relax.


Speaking of which, I am setting up a 30km running challenge on Nike Running, which starts on the 1st of June and will last for the whole month. It's suitable for both beginner runners, as well as those who already have some running experience. You can join the challenge right now by adding me to your friends on Nike+, I will then send you an invitation to the challenge. The game will be set up on the 26th of May, so let me know before the 25th of May if you want to participate.

If you don't have Nike Running on your phone yet, it's free to download for both iPhones and Android phones and you can easily set up an account. To join the challenge:
  1. Add me to friends on Nike+
  2. Let me know in a comment that you've added me so that I know who's who

How to find me?
There is a link to my Nike+ on the top of the blog, which will direct you to my profile. Alternatively, search for Julia_Str on Nike+.

Why running?
Running is a great opportunity to increase your fitness and physical and mental health - it helps to reduce stress and is very good for your body and skin.

Remember!
There is one important rule in running - always do your best and a little more, however you have to listen to your own body. Especially if you've never been running before, start slowly and carefully.

xx Julia

Saturday 9 May 2015

Hello!

This time of the year is quite stressful and the weather doesn't really help here. I sometimes wish I could go back to the past when people used to go out every weekend and talked and laughed together.


I get this kind of feeling like I need to re-organize some things (probably sort my life out) so here I go with a to-achieve list:
  1. Write down my thoughts here instead of drowning in them or telling them to inappropriate people.
  2. Sleep more.
  3. Draw more.
  4. Write and sing more.
  5. Take more photos (a Fujifilm Instax Mini is an absolute number one wish).
  6. Read more (Murakami's Elephant has been Vanishing for good 3 weeks now).
  7. Less social media? I'm an example of a paradox, if you compare this to the beginning of this post.
  8. Do more yoga.
  9. Run more often (7 out of 15km completed this month!).
  10. Get more clothes that aren't necessarily black (if you open my wardrobe you get instantly sucked into a giant black hole of my black t-shirts).
  11. Buy a last minute trip to Spain - never been!
This eleven is probably an OCD nightmare but I really needed to include my travelling goal. I'll post the documentation and my experiences here, it's kind of motivational and maybe some of you will find it interesting so here we go.

It's study time and I need to get some work done. Good luck to everyone doing their A-levels and having their exams next week!

xx Julia