Note

So, I really! did want to post last week. Honest! But I fell ill on Tuesday with a high fewer and I never get fewer.. even a low one, so a high temperature was really bad for me. I didn't do much all week but sleep and rest.

I am fine this week and will get some more posts up soon! My plan is to post about:

• LA - I have so much more to write up with some awesome summer photos to make us all think about it or at least a little holiday.
• Cooking - I have written a few vegan recipes so I can post my favourites here! 

And in addition just some rambling of what is happening daily. So let's hope I can pull myself together this week.

M

Downtown, Los Angeles

As the weather gets colder here every day, it really makes me miss LA! Even though LA was now about 3-4 months ago, I am going to write a few posts about looking back on it. I miss the warm wind, the sun on your skin, the sun.. in general! No wonder people here lack vitamin D - where are we supposed to get it? I work from 9-5 Monday to Friday, so no hope of getting the sun during the week, and well, as far as the weekend goes, today there is a blizzard out and no hope of seeing the sun.

So, we were really lucky as we got really cheap flights - about 300€ for round flight from Tallinn. This gave us a bigger budget for hotels and we decided to stay a week in Downtown LA and a week at the beach. Staying in downtown area made it easier to visit all other places such as Hollywood and Beverly Hills for example, and for the second week we just rested in Santa Monica and Venice, as we had done all the busy touristy-things the week before.

We flew with American Airlines, which was very friendly, seats were fine and food was actually good! At least going to LA, coming back it wasn't as good. I had pre-ordered a vegan option, and on the flight back they were serving the exact same thing for both vegan and non vegan breakfast - yogurt - with the only difference being that vegan food had pineapple chunks and non vegan had a chocolate muffin.

We knew before that we were going to save as much money as possible and walk as much as we can. But no one walks in LA :) Meaning people did look at us funny as we were dragging our luggage around town! But whatever, it was only about 40 minute walk from the train station to the hotel.

And our hotel! Itself it was fine and the location was good. But, it was so hot - it had no air conditioning and the windows didn't open, so it was impossible to stay at and at night it was even hotter than outside. Later we found out that it was supposed to be haunted! I don't know about you but I never research the hotel I am staying at more than what it says i TripAdvisor or Booking, so we didn't really know to be prepared for that.. But it turned out people had been killed there, people had committed suicides and there is also supposed to be a few ghosts wondering around.. Well, lucky for us we didn't see any, but were more than happy to get out of there as soon as we could, haha!

Everything in LA was so.. American. I know, it's a given, lol. But, it was just so different and yet the same, compared to London. I can't really explain it the best, but for example, the people, they were so vocal about their rights in the smallest places, people were really chatty and friendly, there were homeless people sleeping in tents on the street, there were loads of Mexicans, everything was in two languages- English and Spanish - including information on buses and metro, you had to tip everywhere as it was written on the cheque , there were so many options to choose from in the shops, every food was sugared. But it was awesome.

Our plan was to look around downtown are for the first days and then go to other places. When we actually got there though, it was a heatwave, which meant the temperature had risen to about 40+ degrees! Compared to Estonian weather (where we lacked summer... or have been lacking summer for about 4 years now), this was a big change for us! But we braved the heat and went sightseeing during the hottest days.

So prepare yourself, there will now be about a hundred pictures from Downton, LA :)

M.

Welcome, 2017, and New Years Eve

It is here! It is finally 2017! Happy New Year!

Okay to be honest, my New Years Eve was super chilled. And therefore the actual moment of "This is now 2017" was also quite random for me.

Me and S decided to stay home, as we had gone out the night before with out friends (and with a little help from too much wine + beer we really didn't want to drink either). For the past 6 years! we have either thrown a New Years party or been to a one, so every 31st has been a whirlwind of getting the place ready, the food, the music, organizing and planning the night and finally, very quickly, getting ready ourselves.

2013?

2015

So, a few weeks ago, we decided that we want to spend the last day of 2016 chilled and not do anything crazy. And, also, we got home around 2 pm, went to bed as we were both hungover, and got up around 6 pm. We watched some (crappy) TV, played ALIAS, worked on a Minions puzzle (a Christmas gift) and ate loads of epic vegan food.

As it got closer to midnight, we decided to go to the city center for fireworks, and thanks to someone (me), who decided to change their clothes about 100 times, we made it on the last tram and were squished with people who were all also late. But we made it to the Freedom Square just in time for the fireworks!

When I stood there, watching the fireworks, I thought that is this it? Every year for a while new years has been a loud party, and when you're at a party, things feel different. But now, standing there completely sober and chilled, the moment of the "new year" seemed so trivial. And as I didn't want to feel like that, I decided to see what was so special - and then it hit me. It is special, that there now is a new year, and not because it is a new year to be "new me" or to start some fad diet or whatever. It is special because we have lived another year. I am well, the people that I care about are well and healthy and happy, we are safe. I know this might sound lame, but I really did feel very grateful at that moment and think that this is something important to bring along to this year and was a good note to start the year with.

On that note, this year I also decided to make some "resolutions". At first I wrote them down as plans, but after seeing a video about when you make a resolution to be happier, for example, you set out the idea that you are not happy enough at the moment, I changed up my resolutions to statements. Statements of what I am and what I will continue to be this year:

• I am in the present. I don't over analyze and things go as they do, while working towards my dreams.
• I trust. 
• I believe in the good.
• I love.
• I am calm and balanced.

And, fair enough, for good measure - some more typical plans for this new year:

• Drink less! I started the year sober. Let's make it a thing this year? ;)
• Take more pictures! I used to take loads of pictures, of everything, but over the past years I haven't focused on it as much, but I really do want to take pictures - they are memories!
• Travel! In 2016 I managed to travel more than I have before. Travelling is amazing, it gives so much and there is so much I want to see!
• Blog! To write to myself, to record my life.
• Create! I used to draw a lot and I want to get more into it again.

There you go - let's see in a year if I manage to keep my plans! :)

Hope your year goes as you plan! 

M.