Notes from April

April came and went. Autumn is here at last. I know it sounds odd for anyone on the Northern hemisphere, and that's something I am blatantly failing getting used to. What's really exciting, instead, are my new Ups and Downs for the month!

This month started off great! I got my Visa approved. Yay! And I finally played my very first video-game, that is not The Sims, it's called 'Life is strange' and the story changes according to the choices you make throughout the game. A pretty cool concept that got me thinking of butterfly effect, freedom of choice, predestined paths, and all sorts of fun philosophical stuff. Also, I set foot on a stage for the first time for my very first improv show! Was I nervous? Yes. Did I survive? Obviously. All in all I'd say it went well! 

Going up:

• DISNEY LIVE ACTIONS. Not all of them deserve a gold star, although I have to admit they have increasingly improved in the past years. Remember Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland? No? Well, don't worry about it. It's been a long journey but, finally, Beauty and the Beast is worth it!
• RAMEN. It's funny how I think I had ramen only once during my trips to Japan and, of course, it's practically impossible to find any ramen place around my mountain village in Italy. Luckily, Melbourne offers a huge variety of Asian cousine, and ramen is slowly becoming one of my favourite dinner options.
• FREE TIME. I am talking real leisure time, like when you slow down and contemplate life. Twice a week I stay in the city after work, waiting for my improv class, and I take the chance to grab my favourite green tea, find the perfect spot to sit, and read or watch people, or both.

Going down:

• SNIFFLES. Nobody likes the sniffles. I don't like to hear people sniffling and I like doing it myself even less. But it is a pain that comes with the change of season. Grab your tissues and be prepared. Sniffles are coming.
• BEING JUDGEMENTAL. I found myself rolling my eyes at people taking hour long selfies with all sorts of filters saying absolutely nothing to the friends they're with. Or who turns their back to something worth watching because their face needs to be in the picture too. And you know what? I shouldn't even care. It's their life, their time, their friends, their memories, their photos. 
• RESUME. You know when you open that dreaded file that you will waste hours of your day. Every small change makes you doubt every life choice you've ever taken. And as soon as you finally exhale, save your file, and export as PDF, you will find a grammar mistake. 

Links worth clicking:

• Let's face it, humans are gross.
• Some more thoughts on adulting.
• Using technology to budget and save money.
• Disney Princesses reinterpreted under a different light.
• Is there anything more behind this fear of growing up?
• Does 'faking it till you make it' really works?
• Where did all the opinions go?
• Skills you should have to be indispensable at work.
• Do we have a responsibility to use Social Media for social good?
• Social media are totally getting out of hand here.

Image: via