5 Shows You Have to Watch on Netflix

Who doesn't love a good Netflix session? I personally love plopping down on the sofa or on my bed after a long and tiring day and putting on one of my favorite shows - and believe me, I have a lot of them.
One of the reasons why I love Netflix that I simply cannot run out of things to watch because every time I finish a show, I scroll through my recommendations to find another one that appeals to me - after I've finished mourning the end of my other beloved show, of course.

However, all of us TV show lovers will know that all that glitters is not gold - some shows might seem interesting, thrilling even, when you read through their synopsis, but once you're actually two episodes into them you're either bored to death or might even have fallen asleep.

In order to avoid the feeling of being catfished by promising looking shows, I thought I would recommend some of my favorites to you guys!

18 Things I'm Excited for This Fall

Happy fall y'all! Now that September is upon us, it's officially fall - or autumn, if you're from Britain. Now, I myself don't have a favorite season because I'll always find something that I adore about a certain time of the year, such as long summer nights and pool days in summer or Christmas and snow days in winter.

However, I feel like there's just something special about fall - the scent of pumpkins and of change is in the cool, breezy air; all the best foods make a comeback and nature turns the prettiest of colors.
As I've seen so many people on Twitter and Instagram who were buzzing for the new season, I thought I'd share some of the things I'm super excited for this fall!

(source)

Recent Reads #15 - Stranger Than Fanfiction

I can't believe how long it has been since I've written a post for my Recent Reads series! As many of you will know, I'm a huge bookworm and just cannot resist purchasing new books everytime I enter a bookstore, so not being able to read a book I genuinely enjoy for over half a year was really bugging me.

I hardly enjoyed the assigned readings I had to read before my exams, so I wasn't inspired to share them with you guys, and I didn't have any time to sit down with a book I had picked out for myself between classes, work, assignments and studying for graduation exams either.

Due to that, I've been all the more excited about the fact that I'm now finally able to work off my to-read list! Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer is one of the books that have been sitting on my bookshelf for longer than I can remember - which is a shame because I once I actually came around picking it up, I finished it within less than a day! 

The Dreamiest Jumpsuit for Under 7€

I know I've always said that because of my height, babyface and general dorkiness, jumpsuits make me look like a slightly tall toddler running around in her romper, so I didn't like wearing them at all.

Shortly before I was off on my holiday, though, I found the cutest, yet casual jumpsuit I've ever seen while looking around H&M - I'm usually stuck in a love-hate-relationship with the store, where I either love almost everything I find or go months on end without seeing anything of interest in there.
The discovery of this jumpsuit, however, reignited my love for H&M - their fall collection is so cute - wishlist material, anyone?

Zoella Beauty Haul

Every blogger has probably heard of Zoe Sugg, alias Zoella, before - and if you've heard of Zoe, you will probably have heard of some of her various projects as well. Not only has she published an entire triology of books, she also has her own lifestyle and beauty range.

Now, while I have read her books, I've never tried any of Zoe's products as, up until recently, they weren't sold anywhere here in Germany. Around two months or so ago, however, a drugstore near me started selling Zoella Beauty products, so I thought I'd pick some of them up to see what the hype around them is all about - especially as all of the products I purchased are cruelty-free!

What's Waiting on My Bookshelf

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know how much I adore books and reading. Ever since the beginning of this year, however, I haven't really had any time to just flop down on the sofa with a good book and not get up for six hours because during my last semster before graduation, shit sort of hit the fan, with all the studying and exams.

But even in times when I don't have time to read them, I just cannot stop purchasing new books, so you can only imagine how many books have been pilling up on my bookshelf over the past months. And even now that I've officially been out of school since June, I still haven't been able to read even half of them.

With that stack of books sitting on my shelf, I thought it would be fun to share all those books waiting to be read with you guys - who knows, maybe you'll find something you want to read amongst them as well?

9 Tourist Mistakes to Avoid in Barcelona

If you've read my latest blog post, you'll know that my friends and I spent a week in Barcelona in July. I'm still upset that I had to leave this breathtaking, bustling city behind to fly home - compared to my hometown, which isn't that small at all, Barcelona seems so full of life and endless possibilities.

I've got to admit that we went into our trip without all too much preparation. We thought of a few places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do, but we didn't go as far as purchasing a travel guide or read up too much on tips on travelling around Barcelona.

So, as quite a few of you commented on my photo diary how you also want to visit Barcelona, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the typical tourist mistakes you shouldn't make in Barcelona in order to have a smooth trip!

Barcelona Photo Diary

Way before our final exams even started, three of my friends and I decided that we deserved some time away from all of the stress the year leading up to our graduation had brought us - and what better place to visit than the city where you can combine both beach days and some intense sightseeing?

I was getting more and more excited in the lead-up to our vacation, but I never could've imagined all the incredible things I'd get to see and do during my time in Barcelona. As the city has so much to offer, I was constantly snapping away with my camera - I took over one and a half thousand photos, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite pictures from the past week!

I've Graduated!

  

It's been a while - again, I know. After finishing my exams, the lead-up to a very important event had been consuming all my time and attention - my graduation! 

I've been a student all throughout the journey this blog has taken me on during the past two and a half years, so I felt like it was only right to share this big milestone with you guys as well.

5 Excerpts from a Novel I'll Never Write

Writing has been my way to escape and to process my thoughts and emotions, it has been for as long as I can remember. I've always been writing short stories or experimenting with poems, and for over two years, I've been writing for this blog.

However, while I've been writing short and sweet pieces for what feels like my entire life, it has always been my dream to write a novel. A full-blown book, from start to finish - not like all the stories I started writing and then just kind of stopped because my motivation fizzed out.
Now that I'm just four weeks away from graduation, I have a lot more time on my hands, though, so I'm one step closer to actually start working on it!

Even though I have an acutal concept and even a few characters in my head that I'd love to play around with, I have not written out anything at all yet, probably because I've spent the past two months studying 24/7. However, now and then, sentences or short passages pop into my head that I'd love to incorporate into my novel, if I was to ever write it.
Because of that, I thought that I'd share five extracts from the novel I might never write with you guys today!

Where Have I Been: Meltdowns, Graduation and New Beginnings

It's been really long, I know. I thought about my blog a lot during the past few months, and I really missed having a spare hour or two to sit down and write a post. I was so incredibly busy ever since the beginning of the year that I managed to publish exactly a handful of posts, and it made me feel awful.

There is, however, a reason why I haven't been able to find time for my small space on the internet since January - the past five months have been leading up to my Abitur, which could be described as the German equivalent of British A-Levels, and ultimately, my graduation.
The closer I got to my first exam, which was on May 3rd, the more I felt like all I did was revising. My butt was pretty much glued to my desk for hours on end - I didn't go out, I didn't get to spend quality time with my family or even read. I literally have a pile of 12 books that I've accumulated since Christmas and haven't touched since.

Exams were one hell of a ride. I think everyone who has graduated will be able to recall the stress and both the physical and psychological exhaution they bring with them. I was glad when I had the chance to creep into bed at night, so there was no way I was going to produce enjoyable content for you guys - and if I myself don't feel like my heart is in my writing, then I really do not want to share it with you.

My Love/Hate Relationship with 13 Reasons Why

Trigger warnings for this post: sexual assault and suicide.

In case you missed it - if you did, how? - "13 Reasons Why" has been all over the internet for the past few weeks. Everyone and their mother (and probably the family dog) has watched it and is discussing it on social media as well as in real life so naturally, I wanted to see what all that talk was about.

The eponymous book was a mandatory read for my class in 8th grade, so I already knew the outline of the story. In case you don't, let me enlighten you:

"13 Reasons Why" starts off with Clay Jensen, a junior in high school, receiving a box which contains audiotapes. When he inserts them into a cassette recorder, his life changes forever. What's on these tapes isn't music, it's Hannah Baker's voice. Hannah Baker was a friend of Clay's - was, because Hannah committed suicide after she had recorded the tapes in the box. On these tapes, she explains the reasons why she ended her life, all of which are connected to certain people who were once part of it - 13 in total. All of these people are to receive the box containing the tapes in a certain order, or else the tapes will be published - which would be fatal for people mentioned on them.

Finding the Right Prom Dress

I don't know if anyone who reads my blog is aware of this, but I'm going to graduate in three months! I know right, three months - ever since the beginning of my last year at school I've felt like final exams and graduation were light years away, but now they're just around the corner!

Besides wondering how the hell I'm going to revise the past two years' content in time (save me), I, like pretty much every other girl in my year, have been on the hunt for the perfect dress to wear to our prom/graduation party. 

While I myself have already found a dress for the big day, I thought I could offer some prom dress inspiration to all the girl out there who are still searching for the one to take their breath away.

So I teamed up with alessmode, an amazing online shop that offers a broad variety of formal dresses - including wedding dresses, homecoming dresses, and - you name it! - prom dresses.*

When it comes to prom dresses, most of us will have at least a vague idea of what we're looking for - if that's the case for you, you can sort the dresses by style, color, or price. While going through the pages and pages of gorgeous dresses, I found four that I adored - here they come!

(picture credits to alessmode)

18 on 18

So. This is a bit awkward. It's been so long since I last sat down to write a blog post and I can't even describe how bad I feel for neglecting my little corner of the internet - and because of that, I didn't quite know how to get back into writing.

During the period of my disappearance (sounds a little more mystical than what really happened - being burried in workload and having a mental health crisis, but more on that at a later time), I happened to turn 18, so I decided to pick up an idea I had on my last birthday.

Last February, I shared 17 things I had learnt in the years leading up to my birthday, and since turning 18 means (technically) becoming an adult, I thought that it would be interesting to share some more important lessons I've learnt on my way to adulthood.

So, without further ado, let's get into it!

28 Things I Want to Do in 2017

Happy new year you guys!

As I already mentioned at the beginning of last year, I'm not someone for new year's resolutions. I used to make them, and then failed to keep them most of the time, which was so frustrating.

Due of that, I've stopped making the "usual" new years resolutions - "I'm going to get into running this year!' "I'll eat less junk food!" "I'm going to lose weight!" and the like - and create either mantras or set small goals for myself that I'm more likely to achieve - because I don't believe in the whole "new year, new me!" thing, I want to become a better version of myself for each year!

I've made a list of all the things I want to do in 2017 and, because I'm nosey and always read these posts and thought you might want to have a nosey as well, I decided to share them with you!
Bonus feature for people who read this later on in the year - every time I do one of these things, I'll put them in bold to keep track of my achievements!