Notes from January

Hello, 
let me join the common trend that sees 2016 as one of the worst years ever, and celebrate what's been good with 2017 so far. Being me, of course, expect a few 'fail of the month' too. Oh, and some cool articles that I enjoyed reading and would like to share with you as well. In a nutshell, a few random notes from the past month!

January has been a crazy month! A dear friend of mine (hi Daria!) visited from Italy and she's been here for three weeks. Weeks full of walking around, finding the best food, visiting places, and changing bags according to what's planned for the day. A lot of sunblock has been used, bottles of water have been refilled, maps have been poorly folded, and steps have been counted.


Going up:

• PARKS. I have never really sat down in a park and just let time go by, watched busy people walk past, and relaxed to the point I fell asleep. During the past weeks I have done that almost every day! If it's true that time is the real luxury, then there is nothing quite satisfying as enjoying the warm sun through the leaves while sitting underneath a tree.
• FIT BIT. One of the most useful presents I have ever gotten. It is a watch, but it counts my steps, stairs, water intake, sleep, heart rate. It reminds me when it's time to get active, and for the not surgically attached to their phones, it vibrates when someone is calling you so that I can start looking for my phone 'that should be somewhere in this bag'.
• FUSION FOOD. Down Under is gaining more and more popularity this sort of fusion food, where you mix American dishes, with European flavour, and Asian ingredients. I have always called it 'Instagram food' because it does look pretty damn cool from above. Just imagine a rainbow bagel with matcha mascarpone and Turkish fairy floss. Sounds good huh?

Going down:

• INACCURATE MAPS. In order to serve their primary function, maps should be precise and let you know exactly where you are. Well, maps in Sydney don't do that at all. I saw more people looking at scrunched up maps than at exotic animals. And it took me three days before realising the public transport map for tourists is not the same as the one shown on every platform.
• FREE MUSEUM ACTIVITIES. How could free things not be positive? Well, if you are in Sydney, free tours come with the free entrance to the Museum, but you still need to pay for the specific exhibition entry. Also the advertised 'grab a drink while you paint' wasn't a free drink either. And the free exhibition we wanted to visit wasn't open during free Late Friday opening times. 
• TWEENAGERS. I thought, by now, there would be a word that defined us late-twenty-thirty-something gang. People that are going through this adulting phase trying to figure it all out while balancing the will to grow up and the need for family support. I thought twenty-agers could be shortened into 'tweenagers', to indicate this second evolution we are going through after our teenage years. Turns out, tweenagers are twelve year old kids. Do they need a phase!? I call that childhood. 

Links worth clicking:

• When high fashion meets 'kawaii' hand drawn art.
• Finally, cellulite is on the front cover of Glamour magazine.
• An accurate depiction of different types of flatmate behaviour.
• The traps of setting new year's goals and resolution.
• Sometimes it's good to remember that 'online' is not 'real life'.
• It is possible to stop caring about being cool.
• Ideas on how to spend 48 hours in Melbourne.
• Sad but insightful article on how it feels to lose a friend.
• Following the international runway trend of genderless aesthetics.
• How to approach minimalism in the beauty department.

Image: via