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Luana Loves

Hi lovelies! Things are going great, I love everything and it is snowing in the most unusual places in Spain yet we had such a beautiful day in Madrid today. Things I’m loving:

• Waking up for class and actually feeling rested! I am not sure why since I’m still going to bed a bit later than I should. I think my naps after class are helping, maybe?
• Makeup. Damn you, Youtube! I have new goodies to play with so I’ve been trying some things around. Also loving the MAC Syrup lipstick Tom got me for Christmas :3 Sounds and looks yummy.
• Getting a higher mark than I expected on my stats test! I left the entire last question blank so I must have done everything else right…yay! Now to find out how to do that last question so I can do it for the exam. Grr.
• Drinking a glass of water as soon as I wake up. I’ve heard about this being healthy and a subtle form of detox for the body (for the start of the day anyway.) But mostly I do it because my allergy pills make me thirsty so I wake up craving water.
• Crunchie Bars, courtesy of Tom again. I think everyone should be granted the privilege of Crunchie Bars, not just the UK!

The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before. — Albert Einstein

What have you guys been loving this week?

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15 Things I Learnt Living in Beijing

I was 18 and fresh out of high school. Most of my friends went straight to uni, but I was thinking of a gap year in Beijing. I absolutely loved it and stayed for a second year. Here is a brief list of some of the (many!) things I learnt during my time there!

1. Language barrier  shmarrier — when your life depends on it your brain will spit out words you never thought you knew!
2. Cup noodles are not a good permanent dinner replacement.
3. Cab drivers are not only full of insight and street smarts, but they are a good source for practicing both listening and speaking.
4. Having a day of the week to sort yourself out is key; laundry, kitchen & bathroom cleaning, bill paying.
5. True friends will always have your back, no matter how drunk you were.
6. That said, finishing two Soju bottles on your own is definitely not a good idea.
7. When you buy tickets to see Tiësto, make sure you’re there 3 hours early or risk not even making it to the dancefloor.
8. Student life is the life.
9. The Great Wall is not so Great after 9 times. If you’re planning on going then get yourself to the old part in ruins; it has not been touched and is beautiful, without all the tourists and vendors around so you can get a nice photo!
10. Government censorship.
11. An afternoon out at Ritan Park, in the boathouse, with dumplings, is an afternoon well spent.
12. Bargain! Anything for sale you can get for less.
13. Hou Hai and the surrounding Hutongs are beautiful, even in the freezing winter; bikes are available for rent so you can explore to your heart’s content! One of my favorite places in Beijing.
14. Coming home at 8am in last night’s getup while everyone’s grandparents are out doing TaiChi does not make you look very good.
15. I want to go back.

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The Key To Everything

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This Week

Hi lovelies, happy Friday! I’m so excited for the weekend to come, if only for the fact that I intend to sleep in, take naps and finish reading The Bell Jar. In my life of academic chaos, this seems like the perfect way to spend time when I’m not in class ;) This week:

I’ve received some wonderful news, though they aren’t definite ♦ I bought a netbook for taking notes in class; it is tiny and weighs only 1kg, so it is absolutely perfect for carrying around! ♦ I had the most amazing sushi lunch with friends followed by an afternoon of shopping, much needed girly time ♦ I realized the benefit of liquid foundation used in moderation to cover unwanted redness (I’ve always been too scared to try because I was afraid of looking like a rubber mask like a lot of girls do).

Here’s a collection of gems around the internet for this week (including latest Lemon Soda goodness!):

• Nerves are natural responses, good in some cases and completely inhibiting in others. Check out How To Deal With Nerves!
• On Wednesday I posted about a brief but blunt reality check I received.
• For another reality check: The Picture by David Cox.

I want you to look very closely at this picture and try and keep it in your minds eye. This was a perfectly healthy twenty two-year-old young man who in the service of his country got half of his head blown off. I think that’s important, I think that’s newsworthy. Let me tell you how newsworthy I think it is. I think that it’s more important than chocolate cake recipes and far more important than comic book reviews.

• Sarah Von’s True Story Series are amazing. The latest: I’m a Recovered Junkie.
• For a think: Do You React Consciously and Responsibly?

Have a great Friday and Weekend everyone!

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Luana Loves

So far this week I still have a cold that won’t let me breathe at night and a ton of assignments piling up on my desk. I found out my Windows 7 Starter doesn’t allow for the option of changing the wallpaper, threw a mini (nerdy) fit only to find fish on my plate for dinner. Then a documental came on TV about Africa, the forgotten continent. A few minutes in I just felt stupid, because I have everything and so many have nothing; then helpless, because I can donate but never really know whether or not that made any difference, and where’s sitting at home and doing absolutely nothing going to get me?

Remember Live 8? The G8 summit? Where’s that gone? So much research going into beauty procedures, how to enhance this and that, and so many people dying of diseases we might not even have heard of in Africa. I’m guilty too; it’s not like I think about it every day, or like I don’t indulge in makeup and shopping, but seeing things like this is a big slap in the face I think we all need once in a while.

“If anyone has any suggestions on how to stop this, how to make it better, please come and tell us. We don’t know how to stop the war, we need help because we are born into it and die in it”

That is what one of the Ugandan kids from the documental was saying. I wonder what it feels like to live in constant fear, to lose your family and have to live as the world watches on and does nothing about it. I’m not saying we can eradicate the wars, but so much more could be done. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like a lucrative option for businesses or pharmaceutical companies, and then it comes down to money over lives.

So this week, I’m loving everything in my life. I don’t think I’ve ever been truly unhappy, so I’m thankful for that! I invite you to take a step back and put things into perspective; what’s really important in your life, and what can you do to make someone else’s day/life/experience better. Join Bloggers Unite and blog for causes, help spread the word!