#WhyIWrite

Today I discovered the Hashtag #WhyIWrite on Twitter and it´s made me think: why DO I write? I mean noone pays me to do it and I don´t really get a lot out of it objectively. But the point is: I do. Writing is very cathartic in the sense that it helps put your thoughts in order and become more clear about your views and perspectives. Not that I consider myself to be an expert or a pro or anything, I simly like putting my personal opinion down on paper – or rather a screen. Also it is a very natural act for me, to write. Back in school I was always relieved when we had written assingments instead of presentations. And I´m not shy when talking in front of people. It is just easier for me to write those things down. I never once worried about not getting enough pages - quite the contrary: I  usually had to shorten my essays. 

I guess the way some people just enjoy certain sports or drawing or cooking, I enjoy writing. That is the main reason I do it: I ENJOY doing it. Which is also why writing for work or uni is a lot harder, especially when you´re not feeling all too inspired. Actually I just wrote a post about that on my German blog.

Apart from all that I have a lot of ideas for storys or blogposts all the time. Whenever something catches my interest or I hear about a new trend or I listen to a certain song, I get inspired. It can be the simplest things. And then an idea forms in my head and the only way to get it out is to write it down so that´s what I do. I am currently working on a short story which I might publish  soon. Also I´m trying to keep this blog as up to date as possible. So to sum it up: why do I write? Because it´s fucking fun that´s why.

When life gives you lemons...

Sometimes life isn´t fair and sometimes things just suck. But at the end of the day noone is going to solve your problems for you so you´ll have to figure out a way yourself. The older I get (and yes I do know I sound like I´m 80 when I say stuff like that) the more I realize how hard these things really are. When you´re young your parents usually swoop in whenever you´re in real trouble. And then one day you´re 22 and have no idea how to sort your problems out. So you can´t really rely on anyone else anymore - you just have to make the best of a crappy situation.

What I´m saying is you learn how to deal with things simply by dealing with them. There is no shortcut. And I´m not talking about skills like doing laundry, paying taxes or making doctors appointments. I mean heartbreaks and disappointment and hurt and all the every day frustrations that life throws at us just when we started thinking we´re perfectly happy.

This is not necessarily negative though, because I honestly think that this whole „when one door closes, another one opens“ shit isn´t all that wrong. To be honest no door needs to close for another to open it´s only that we often don´t see the many options we have until something bursts our comfortable little bubble. So never sit down and sulk for too long because the things we often see as failures can prove to be great opportunities if we only find the courage to deal with them the right way. I´m trying to not put myself down as much anymore as it´s seriously started affecting my health both mentally and physically and I doubt I´m the only person who does that. So instead of freaking out every time something doesn´t go the way I wanted it to I will try and start making the best of a bad situation. You know what they say: „when life gives you lemons…“

„...get salt and a bottle of tequila and have a fucking party.“

London - Shoreditch

One of my favourite areas in London has got to be Shoreditch. While I lived there everyone kept telling me to check it out. East London has this whole hipster stigma, which is true to some extend. Nontheless if I could choose where to live in London (whithout having to debate the costs of every square meter) it would be Shoreditch. There is just so much to do at any time of day and altough Shoreditch is a busy place especially at night it feels very homely and less crazy than central London. Brick Lane gives the impression that you left the big smoke for a more relaxed town full of small stores, coffee shops and little bars. The Brick Lane market on Sundays is especially colorful and you´ll find pretty much anything you could ever want: from Vinyl and vintage fashion to food of every country and fresh coconut water. At number 159 you will find „Bagel Bake“ which offers the best creme cheese and salmon bagel I have ever had – and that is quite something. Also if you crave Indian food look no further than Brick Lane to find the perfect tikka masala.

A quick walk past the Boxpark (a line of containers containing various pop up shops) and you will find yourself on Old Street, which has always been my favourite place for a bar tour in London. Spending a night in Shoreditch is fun and crazy and you will almost definitely hit more than one place...here are a few suggestions: if you just want to grab a drink or two without any fancy fuss, go to Trafik. It feels more like a small club when it's busy (hence the door staff) and they have exceptionally good liquor (Sailor Jerry rum, anyone?) and cool people. It is by far not the cleanest bar, but then again nowhere in Shoreditch is.

Just around the corner you'll find a club called Plastic People which has speakers lining all the walls. This club plays any genre possible and there are lots of events which is why going spontaneously is a bit tricky, but the sound is terrific in here. Go stand in the middle of the dancefloor, close your eyes and just listen.

If you'd rather have a more chilled pub atmosphere the Old Blue Last might be right up your alley with its long bar, comfy chairs and beer taps. Not to mention the good looking tattooed guys and the (kind of) hidden extra room on the first floor.

For a midnight snack Shoreditch has a lot to offer but my fave is a tiny little take-away burger shop not a minute's walk from Trafik. I can't recall its name or find it anywhere online but if you face the bar, turn left and it'll be just a few meters away on the corner. It's worth searching for, trust me.

For the EDM fans I highly recommend XOYO which is among my favorite London clubs. The first time I went there was a techno DJ in the basement room, which was absolutely amazing, not your usual generic crap. Upstairs I´ve also danced to RnB and Hip Hop before. The drinks are rather cheap compared to other places and while the line outside is usually long, there is no guestlist required like in most Mayfair clubs. XOYO is really cool and edgy and everything you would expect from an East London club.

The only trouble is getting home: finding a taxi in the am has proven to be tricky and you´ll be competing with many other (loud and drunk) nightowls. Not very glamorous, but then neither are the night buses so you choose.
Seasonal events in Shoreditch are a blast, too. Especially the Red Market in August. They have sand, beach chairs, music, a bar and everything else you need for the ultimate summer feeling. The later it gets the more fun this place is and whether you want to have a relaxed cocktail or drink tequila shots and dance, it is perfect for a mild night.

I love many things about Shoreditch and I keep discovering more every time I come back there so I don't think I'll ever get fed up with it.

*I have just come back from a weekend in London and I always seem to drag my friends to all the places I love. Up until the point where none of us can walk anymore. So I thought I´d start doing a little series on here talking about all my favourite areas and what you can do there - kind of like a travel guide. :)

Movie Moments

Sometimes words can't quite explain a feeling. And maybe I sound all romantic and head-in-the-clouds-y but I love those rare beautiful moments that feel like they belong in a movie rather than real life. While staying in Rome we went out shopping at a really busy street. They had it all there: H&M, Mango, Zara and the likes.

And right in the middle of what can only be called consumerism at it's perks sat a guy my age with a keyboard and played a gorgeous melody while singing along to it. I loved it so much I sat down across the street and just watched him for a bit. And while hundrets of people passed by, holding their shopping bags and rushing to the next place, only a handful stopped to listen or leave the musician some money. There were only about three other people that sat on the pavement next to me and actually took some time out of their day to enjoy the beautiful music. And I must say I kind of loved that. We can all get really distracted by the stuff we feel like we HAVE to do. I am totally to blame for this myself but my life often feels like a never ending to-do list and I rarely take a moment to just live and genuinely enjoy something. That is why this little encounter in Rome was so beautiful, I honestly almost cried. It might sound over the top but I did feel like it was a special moment for everyone that sat down to listen there. Somehow we were almost like a secret club and everyone there wanted to feel something and stopped everything else for a second to be taken away. I´d like to think that the guy next to me filming the singer with his go pro was an aspiring film maker and the dude to my right that was clapping louder than anyone else might have been a writer or an actor. This could well be a clichee but creative types seem to have more appreciation for this sort of thing. Maily because, to me anyway, watching other people´s creative work is always inspiring. In this case it made me to think more about the whole thing and I ended up writing this blogpost, so there you go. Generally it´s hard to come across these little moments in life that feel special and precious so I believe that when you do, you have to really cherish them.