Music Monday #93

Interior design

Regarding interior design, I immensely like Scandinavian design; simplicity, minimalism and functionality. Light and bright colours, such as white and pale beige. Wooden floors and big windows.
I was scrolling around on Tumblr as a form of procrastination and found these images that sum up what I like about home furnishing.

Stream of consciousness

Sometimes I get asked the question what language my stream of consciousness is speaking. Often the answer is English, other times I say it's Swedish, and sometimes even Italian. When I'm angry or frustrated, I express myself a lot better in English, and so my thoughts are naturally in English. When I count to myself, I count in Swedish, odd. When I'm in a social setting where it's not exactly appropriate to swear, I swear in Italian, and sometimes Danish. Why Danish, you may wonder, truthfully I find it extremely satisfying to swear in Danish. I don't know why exactly, I just do.

Something quite interesting, which I thought of just now, is that my stream of consciousness has an American accent, whereas when I speak in English, my accent varies depending on who I'm speaking to. But I think my accent is predominantly American/Canadian, but has changed over the course of the two years that I have been living here. I now pronounce certain words with a Scottish accent, and other words with an English accent. Sometimes I even throw in a word or two in an Australian accent, just for the hell of it!

Ben Howard

I have listened to this famous singer-songwriter from London for a good long while now. Several songs from his first album "Every Kingdom" have been played many a time on my Spotify, as well as many of his singles that were released prior to the album. This includes songs such as The Wolves and Keep Your Head Up and Depth Over Distance.

Whilst browsing around on iTunes the other day, I came across the new album "I Forger Where We Were" that was to be released two days after. I immediately pre-ordered it, before even thinking twice about it, as I was sure I would love it. After two days of waiting, it appeared in my iTunes library, and I have been listening to the songs on repeat ever since.

Music Monday #92

If only I could spend a couple of days on Santorini, absorbing it's beauty!

Bucket list

I believe that every person has something they want to do before they die, whether that be sky-diving or bungy-jumping, or mayhaps witnessing the beauty of the Taj Mahal in the early hours of the morning, just as the sun breaks through the horizon.
I know that I have a few things that I want to to before I die. Some are a little more ostentatious and crazy, whereas others may not seem as outrageous, but nevertheless incredible. Here are a few things on my bucket list:

One of the things on my bucket list, which I will be able to tick off the list sooner than I expected, is celebrate New Years in Sydney. On New Year's Eve, roughly 1.6million people congregate in the metropolis of Syndey, New south Wales, Australia, to witness the 7 tonnes of fireworks explode in the night sky.

Even though it might be a chilly night, I would absolutely love to spend a night in the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. Th whole concept of actually building an entire hotel of pure ice, mesmerizes me.

Planning a trip to Iceland has been on my mind for months now, and it may be happening sooner than I expected. Stefanie and I are really keen to go in January, to witness the beauty of the Aurora Borealis. Visiting the Blue Lagoon, Eyafjällajökull (I managed to spell that without using google!!), and hiking in the mountains is also on my list of things to do in Iceland.

When I really got into watching short documentaries of surfer girls such as Alana Blanchard, Lakey Peterson and Bethany Hamilton among others on YouTube, I was completely blown away by the beauty of Hawaii and its many islands. Above is a picture of Kauai; no words are needed. But what I really want to do is surf the waves on the coast of Kauai, even though I'm a rookie...

This is a very recent addition to my "Things to do before I die"-list. The Inca Trail is one of the most, if not the most, famous treks in South America. It starts in Chillca and follows a route up to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. I've always thought that the ruins at Machu Picchu seem unreal, perched up on that mountain, almost as if they belong to a folk-tale, but to witness them with my own eyes would be incredible.

Ever since I saw the Pippi Longstocking movie where she flies a hot air balloon, I've wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride. The location for my ideal hot air balloon ride would be over the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, East Africa. However, I am a little skeptical towards the landing, or should I say "crash-landing" of the hot air balloons...

Over the summer, my brother and I had a conversation about visiting Toronto, Canada. Toronto is a city made up of great cultural diversity, as it has one of the highest percentages of foreign-born populations. I don't just want to visit Toronto, I would actually like to live there. Something about the city just appeals to me

To make the big move down under, a.k.a. Australia, has been on my list for the longest time! People always ask me why I like Australia so much, and first of all, the accent is my favourite accent of all times, but also it's diversity in natural beauty, the food, the people, the lifestyle, the beaches, the desert, the animal life, the list goes on. I'll be visiting Aus in December, and I literally could not be happier :D Ultimately, I want to move out there on my own; get a flat, a job, live life, meet awesome people, and travel around the ginormous country!

My list is long, but these are 8 things I really want to do right now!!

Song from Memories - part 5

I thought I would do another one of these posts as I got inspired whilst listening to my shuffled Spotify playlist!

Dance our tears away - John de Sohn, Kristin Amparo

This first song reminds me so much of when my dad and I were skiing down the moutain of Trysil in Norway, back in April 2013. I remember so clearly how much I wanted to know what the song was called and I kept humming the tune for the rest of the day so I wouldn't forget what it sounded like, as I was already obsessed with it and needed it in my playlist, haha

Younger - Seinabo Sey (Kygo remix)

I think this song will almost always remind me of my workplace from this summer. I remember my work colleague would always turn up the volume on the radio when this came on as we both really liked it.

Strövtåg i Hembygden - Mando Diao

The first time I ever heard this song was when I was watching TV with my dad and a Volvo commercial came on. I instantly fell in love with it. So I quickly flung myself over the sofa to where my laptop was laying and googled every possible song that I thought it could be. It took me a little while to find it, but when I did, I pressed the replay button over and over again. I think the lyrics are so incredibly beautiful.

All I do is win - DJ Khaled

Lol! This song just cracks me up, but it reminds me so much of when Helen and I were in Cyprus. We were sitting in a bar in Ayia Napa sipping our drinks one night, when this song suddenly came on. We didn't get up to dance or anything but I just have this very clear memory of me and Helen sitting next to each other listening to this song and laughing and joking around like we normally do - good times, good times!

Days like these...

It's days like these that I wonder why the heck I chose to live and study in Aberdeen of all the places in the world... No but seriously, I love it here but the weather... oh, the weather....

It was really nice for about a week, with sunshine and +15 degrees, but on Thursday the weather started getting worse. It started with being incredibly windy! I almost fell over outside the library because the wind was so strong, and when Matilda and I were heading over to 6° North for a beer with a few people in the evening, it felt like the wind had picked up even more. When we headed over to Oskar's flat on Friday, it was pissing it down with rain, resulting in Christel, Matilda and I arriving at his flat completely drenched as he lives quite far away. Saturday and Sunday were pretty bad as well, but I spent both days in the library writing my psychological assessment essay, so it didn't really bother me. Yesterday was when the weather really flipped out! The rain was chucking down all day and it was quite windy, just like today. Absolutely terrible.

It's a funny thing though. Almost every time I say that I live in Scotland, people ask me "Isn't the weather really bad!?" and I always respond "Not always... but when it's bad, it's really bad!" Truer words have never been spoken, haha

Aberdeen on a nicer day than this

Music Monday #91

Sir Duncan Rice library

I thought I would share my study music as I have spent a lot of time in the library these past two weeks.

Volunteering: Fresher's 2014

Saturday 6th of September:
The day after I arrived was the first day of my volunteering week for Fresher's 2014. I headed up to the student village, Hillhead, where I stayed in my first year at uni at 8.00. I was greeted by the lovely sun and a big group of other volunteers, ready for the hectic day to come.
Lucy and I got assigned to direct the cars at the entrance. We basically had to ask the people in the car which building they were heading to, and then told them which car park to drive to. We also stressed the issue that there was very limited parking space.
Lucy and I were there for about 3 hours, before James and Katie took over for us. I headed back to "the dome" and had some lunch. I was then asked to help out the students in "the dome", answering queries and general mingling. I also helped a few people find their way around Hillhead as well as telling a girl where to go in town to purchase bedding and the like.
I was then assigned to help people carry their bags from the drop-off point to their accommodation. This was fun, but also very tiring, as some of the people had loads of bags with them, and they were so heavy! I helped a girl from Romania (who I am now friends with), a guy all the way from India, a few girls from Edinburgh and a guy from Edinburgh.
I would also like to point out that it was chucking it down with rain for a few hours on Saturday as well, so I was soaked.
On my way home at 18.30 I stopped by my old accommodation (where I lived in 2nd year) to visit Hannah. She gave me a cup of tea and we spoke for about 45 minutes. It was so nice to finally sit down after having stood up for most of the day! I then headed back home where I collapsed onto my bed and didn't want to move because my joints hurt so much! But the annoying thing was that I was really hungry, which meant that I had to get up and make some food before I passed out.

Sunday 7th of September:
At nine I met up with Katie and Lina in the train station in town for the meet & greet. We were told to get the Fresher's from the trains and busses and bring them to the minibus which would take them to their accommodation. This day was not as hectic as Saturday which was good, but it was quite chilly in the train station. I was there unit about 14.30 when I headed off to meet Hannah outside the cinema. We had decided to watch "Before I go to Sleep" with Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. I really enjoyed the movie as it had quite a few plot twists (which I love), however, the story is a little creepy. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about the movie.

Monday 8th of September:
I only did about an hour or so of volunteering which was nice as I got to relax a little for the first time since I got back. I then went out with Maria and Alice in the evening, although I can't for the life of me remember where we were pre-drinking….

Tuesday 9th of September:
I spent the whole day on King's Lawn in the marquee as it was the Sports Fayre. IT was a lot of fun but it was incredibly warm in that tent! Also, we had about 4000 students walking in throughout the whole day - that's pretty amazing. The polo club even had a horse there; a great incentive for people wanting to join.

Wednesday 10th of September:
Spent the whole day in the marquee as it was time for the Societies Fayre. As I am a committee member of the Nordic Society, I was there all day talking to people and recruiting new members. I was also outside doing some PR-ing in the form of sticking stickers on people, promoting our first event of the year, the free beer and crisps event!

Thursday 11th of September:
In the evening I had an event for a few hours but it wasn't at all tiring as there was hardly anything to do. However, after that I headed into town as I was volunteering in Garage (a nightclub). This is the night that Kristian Nairn (Hodor from Game of Thrones) was the DJ. I had so much fun and the music was really good as well! I got home at around 3.30 after I had helped all the Freshers get on their busses back to their accommodation.

That's all the volunteering I did for Fresher's week. It was exhausting but so much fun! I also met so many new people which is great :)

Music Monday #90

Lots of good music this week as I haven't update my music Monday's in a while!

Madrid day 5

I have completely muddled up the days and don't know when or what we did anymore…
I have completely forgotten what day we had beer in las Huertas, and when we went to del Prado… Anyway, we did squeeze those things in our tight schedule.

Wednesday morning I woke up with the rest of them and we had breakfast. I packed my bag and got ready during the time Helen was washing up, getting ready and bossing the kids around. I said goodbye  to Helen and the kids. It was pretty emotional, as it always is. I don't know when I'm going to see Helen next, but I hope it's soon as I miss that girl whenever I'm not with her!
I headed over to the metro station to go to the airport. I got there in about half an hour of traveling, and had to walk about 1.5km to get to the actual check-in desk… Ridiculous amount of walking in my opinion.

I checked in, went through security and headed over to my gate. I popped into the bathroom to change into my jeans as I was preparing for the long and chilly flight ahead. After that I headed over to a café to purchase I panino and a bottle of water. For 7 bloody euros… I hate airports. They're outrageously expensive!

Our flight was delayed by about half an hour, no surprise there. I finally landed in Stockholm at seven or so, and briskly headed over to the bus which would take me directly to Fridhemsplan on Kungsholmen. I walked the short distance home and stopped by 7/11 to get a few snacks for myself as I wouldn't be able to get into the flat as nobody was home and I didn't have the keys with me…
Thankfully though, my mum arrived only after about half an hour of waiting and I actually managed to connect to our WiFi out in the hallway!

Madrid day 4

Somehow, I managed to drag myself out of bed in the morning when I was called for breakfast. After breakfast, homework, getting ready and general faffing about, we headed out to the park around noon. This time Laura from next door came along with us. It was nice to meet her as I know Helen and the kids hang out with her quite often. We only dat in the park for about 15 minutes before we headed over to an American candy shop across the street. We were all just window shopping but it must have looked quite funny to the public as we were literally staring at all of the sweet for about 15 minutes. We then headed to a flower shop on the corner to check out the pretty flowers. We then headed back home as we wanted to bake cookies.
Helen, Angel and Esther were in the kitchen making cookies while I was in the living room on the computer. I couldn't be anywhere near the kitchen as it was absolutely boiling in there. not only was it hot from the sun, but the oven was on and I felt like I was going to melt every time I went in there.

In the afternoon we headed over to Gran Via for some shopping. We went in a few stores such as Bershka, Pull & Bear, Zara and Stradivarius. Everytime we came out of the air-conditioned shops we were hit by the tremendous heat outside. It hit us like a slap in the face along with the sun blazing into our eyes, it was pretty horrible. After our wee shopping-spree we wanted to rent city bikes, but we couldn't as the only way you could do it was by buying an annual pass… Literally the dumbest idea I have ever heard of in my life. I mean I thought the whole point of having accessible city bikes around cities was so that people could get them whenever they wanted, plus it's great for tourists or lazy people like Helen and I. We were properly gutted that we couldn't go for a cycle ride, so instead we headed over to a little street adjacent to Plaza Mayor. My memory is really blurry, but I think this is what we did. Anyway, when Helen had been down that little street she had seen a shop that sold handmade leather satchels. We popped in and I found a small one that I liked. I paid for it and they kindly altered the strap for me.
We then headed around the neighborhood we were in, slowly making our way to la Reina Sofia. We walked around for a good long while before we finally got there.
After our look around in the museum we headed home for some dinner with the family. I think we went to bed fairly early that night as we were both exhausted from the late nights and miles of walking.

Madrid day 3

At 9 o'clock on Monday morning I was woken up by Angel knocking on my door, telling me breakfast was ready. I headed out into the kitchen where Helen and Ester were waiting for me. Helen and I finished our breakfasts quite quickly, but as Helen has told me previously, the kids took quite a while to finish their minuscule breakfasts. After breakfast I helped clear up a bit and then I got ready for the day, which for some reason took about 2 hours.. I was faffing about with so many different things. Meanwhile the kids were doing their homework and playing 2048, while Helen was nagging them about finishing their homework before we headed to the park.
At 12 o'clock or so we were ready to head out to the park. It was quite hot today and within about 2 minutes I was already sweltering.. After half an hour at the park I decided to head to the pharmacy at the corner as I needed to get Compeed bandaids as I was feeling blisters coming. We didn't stay at the park for long after that. Once we got home we let the kids watch some TV while Helen and I prepared lunch. Which was absolutely delicious, but the kids took a long while to finish it, and they needed Helen's help. Shortly after we finished lunch Angel (dad) came back form work. This is when Helen and I decided to pop out for the day.

We headed to the underground which would take us to Parque del buen Retiro. This park reminded me so much of Giardini Estensi in Varese. We walked around for a bit before we decided to sit down in a café by the lake to have a Calippo. We then headed down towards the Crystal Palace which was absolutely incredible! This is by far my favourite building in the world. It was so incredibly beautiful and I was in awe the whole time we were there.
After a long rest of our legs, we headed towards the exit and headed up to Salamanca. One of Helen's favourite parts of Madrid. We wanted to get tapas at a tapas bar however, the one we finally ended up going into had really bad service. This is why we decided to just head back to Santiago Bernabeu and have tapas at a tapas bar right next to the stadium. One which we had discussed eating at one night.
The service was pretty bad again, but at least we finally got some food in us. We got back at about half eleven and decided to have a bit more to eat. We then went to bed and a brief hang-out in my room, before we went to bed at about one in the morning.

Madrid day 2

After quite an uncomfortable and sweaty night, I finally got up at 8.30 to get ready, pack my bag and get some breakfast. After my breakfast I headed out on a short walk around the neighbourhood, soaking up the beauty of the quiet streets of Madrid on the Sunday morning.
As Helen and I had decided to meet up by the Alonso Martinez metro station, I headed over to the plaza. After a short wait we were reunited again. Helen wanted to head over to Bilbao so we walked down Calle de Sagasta for about a 15 minute walk. We found a Starbucks and sat down with a coffee and decided what we would do that day. As were on the West side of the city, we decided that we would do the more touristy things.
Firstly though, Helen wanted to check out the sports section in the nearest Corte Ingles, so we headed over there. Helen has been wanting to get a Real Madrid football-shirt for a long time, and the shirts in the kid's section were 64.99euros. This is cheap compared to the 85euros one has to pay to get ''the real deal.''
We then headed out of Corte Ingles to go to the nearest metro station, Arguellas. We headed to Opera, to visit the Palacio Real. After a quick look on the map, we found our way over there. It was magnificent! Even though the shutters of the palace were closed, and the facade looked the same everywhere, it was pretty amazing. We then turned left and headed to the Cathedral which is right next to the Palace. We arrived just as mass was starting and we felt a bit awkward to be in there during mass, so after a brief look-see, I lit a candle and then we headed out.
We decided to go to Mercado de San Miguel for some food and a drink. On the way we saw quite a few interesting people and buildings. We passed by Plaza de Villa for example. Upon arrival at the Mercado, I was mesmerized by the atmosphere, it's just like nay other crammed market with people everywhere and food in masses! We found a place we liked, just by the entrance and decided to get a beer. This is where everything started going wrong. Helen and I were standing next to each other, and Helen ordered her cerveza. But the man didn't take my order, for some reason. He asked the next person, who arrived after us, and served him. This went on for about 10 minutes, he absolutely didn't give a rat's ass about serving me. I got fed up and asked Helen if she could order for me. At this point, a new person was working at the counter. Helen finally got served and bought a cerveza and salad for me (not what I had wanted, but we shared the salad anyhow...) After the quick lunch we headed to Plaza Mayor. Right in the middle of the square we encountered a 30-something man on a Segway  He came up to us and started advertising his company, and what kind of tours they do on the Segways. After a quick chat, he asked us if we wanted to try riding the Segway. Helen was skeptical at first as she thinks they look dorky, but in the end she went on it. I filmed a bit of her ride on it. It was then my turn to go on it and i really enjoyed it! this is now another thing I can tick off my bucket-list! Also, I decided to name the dude Cedrick.

On our way from Plaza Mayor we passed by Plaza del Puerta del Sol, or simply just called Sol. on the plaza we bumped into a few people dressed up as cartoon characters, there was Spongebob (whom we took a photo with), Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Bart Simpson and other goofy characters. They must have been sweltering in those thick costumes as it was bloody boiling. We finally ended up on Gran Via after a long walk where we got lost amongst the many streets and tall buildings, but proceeded down towards Plaza de la Cibeles. This is where we decided to finally sit down on a bench as our legs were hurting so much!!
At this point we decided that the best thing to do was go home, where we would grab something to eat, have a quick nap and
finally be able to put down my heavy backpack which we had been carrying around Madrid for the whole day...
At about four we headed back out again to go and visit the Real Madrid stadium, Santiago Bernabeu. We finally go to the bar where we got a drink voucher. We sat down by the window with our cervezas, overlooking the football pitch. I thought that the outside of the stadium was quite boring, I mean it was huge, but I feel like it could have been more extravagant. Helen was in heaven though, she says that the Santiago Bernabeu area is her favourite part of Madrid, along with Salamanca.
We finished our beers and headed out again. We walked around the stadium and headed over to the metro station. At this point my mind is a little fuzzy, you have to understand, it felt like this day went on forever. It's been a good long while since I have done so much in one day. And so much walking!

We got on the metro and headed over to a rooftop bar near Plaza de Cibeles. After a bit of searching, we finally found the place, payed the entrance fee of 3euros and headed up in the lift. Once we stepped out of the lift, we were greeted by a large group of people and a lovely view of Madrid. We decided to get our drinks and look at the sunset. Helen ordered two sangrias for us, but we ended up getting two Gin and Tonics instead... this was the second time our order was screwed up! Anyhow, after a quick photo-session we walked around the place looking for a place to sit, but the only free seats were reserved, which was a pest for us as our legs and feet were hurting after having walked several km's during the long and hot day. I think the rooftop bar was one of my favourite things about my trip to Madrid, it was just such a nice atmosphere and the view was impeccable.

We stayed there for about an hour and a half before we needed to head back home to have dinner with the family. It took a while for us to get down though as the lift was quite small and a lot of people were leaving at the same time as us.
Once we got back to the apartment the family was waiting for us at the table. We said hello and we sat down to eat. It was very good! On my bed there was something that looked like a note. On the front of the envelope, it said To Sofia, From Angel. I opened it to find a nicely drawn picture of a house, a tall building and a tree. Angel had been so thoughtful that he drew a beautiful drawing to me. My heart melted. After dinner we helped clear up and then Helen and I skyped Jen in my room. We stayed up quite late, and after such a long day I passed out almost immediately after my cold shower!

Madrid day 1

Barcelona Ariport

My backpack. It looks tiny but it's very spacious

My journey started in Stockholm. My flight with Vueling airlines was meant to leave at 13.35,which would take me to Barcelona. Upon arrival to Stockholm Arlanda airport, I realised that my flight was delayed by an hour and five minutes. I was disappointed, of course, but I also had a strange feeling that this would happen. Almost everytime I fly with a new airline, I am skeptical. Skeptical to what the future will bring onboard that flying vessel, and curious as to how many hours my flight will be delayed by... Anyhow, after a brief examination of the information screen, I briskly headed over to the check-in counter. I told them my situation; that my final destination that day was Madrid and that I would miss my connection in Barcelona due to the delay from Stockholm. (As a side note, I would also like to point out that I was nervous about my short 50-minute connection time in Barcelona... it's almost impossible). They told me that they could not help me book a new flight as the Vueling office was in Barcelona. This meant that I would have to wait until I arrived in Barcelona to book a new flight to Spain's capital.

As a frequent flyer, one is used to the many queues, mishaps, delays and hours spent at airports staring into thin air. You just get on with it. All I could do was say goodbye to mother and head on over to security. After a 15-minute wait I was trough and headed over to my gate. I made use of the free wifi that Arlanda offer (Yes Arlanda!), and when my time expired I started reading my Madrid-guidebook, soaking up information about the city I was about to explore. After a long wait we finally got to board our tiny plane, which would take us to Barcelona. I felt sorry for all the tall Swedes for the tiny legroom on the plane. It resembles any Ryanair flight but with better service (Thank the Lord). Even I, measuring at 1.66m felt claustrophobic in that tiny space, crammed between two people, and the seat in front of me.

Upon arrival in Barcelona, after an very uncomfortable flight, we stepped out of the plane onto the tarmac, greeted by a comfortable 23 degrees Celcius. As per usual in southern Europe (at least in my opinion), the transit busses took us to the termial. I quickly headed on over to the information kiosk to ask for information, racing several other passengers on my plane. They guided me over to the Iberia desk, where I would get help to rebook my flight. After a quick explanation of my situation and a short 5-minute wait I was presented with a new boarding ticket and a dinner- voucher (one of the perks of the day).
After a quick look-see in some of the many shops Barcelona airport offers, I made my way over to the canteen to eat some food. God it was good. Any other day I wouldn't have eaten that crap, but that day I didn't care; it tasted like heaven!

After a couple of hours wait in the airport, it was time to head off to Madrid, at last. After a short flight, and a long day, we finally landed. I quickly headed on over to the salida, where upon I headed for the metro, which would take me into the centre of Madrid. Line 8 took me to Nuevos Ministerios, where Helen kindly met up with me. We then hopped on the dark blue line (line 10) to Alonso Martinez. I was happily surprised that it was quite easy to find my way around the deserted metro stations. As well as the way to the hostel, where I checked in, received my key, and was to shown to my 2people dorm.

Day two of my Madrid adventure will be up tomorrow!!

Autumn loving

As a sweater-loving type of gal, who adores to bundle up warm with cozy scarves and don the chic chelsea boot, autumn is prefect for me! It has actually become one of my favourite seasons due to what I can find in my wardrobe; simple items which one can layer, cozy items (a.k.a. knitted sweaters and scarves), and boots.

With autumn just around the corner (read: it's already here…), it means I'll be heading back to Aberdeen for my third year at university. I'm looking forward to coming back and catching up with all of my friends and hearing what they got up to this summer! I'm especially eager to hear David's story, as he is cycling all the way from Orlando, Florida to Seattle, Washington. Last time I heard from him he was in Montana. Crazy bastard.

During Freshers' Week 2014 I'll be volunteering, as well as PR-ing for the Nordic Society, which I am so incredibly excited about! Since first year I have wanted to volunteer during Freshers' - the week of madness, followed by the infamous "Freshers' flu". Last year I had the flu for over a month. But it was worth it!

Music Monday #89

Terrified...

I turned my bed side lamp off at roughly 23.00 and put my head on my pillow. Just as I was about to slumber I hear a noise in the house. It was one of those noises which completely freaks you out. It's not that it was super loud or anything, but it sounded suspicious. One of those noises that you don't normally hear.
At this moment I froze in my curled up position in bed, swaddled by my duvet, and I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I lay still for a while, hardly breathing. Listening for that sound again. I heard it several times and started to freak out even more, as I was almost certain someone was in the house.
In these situations, I usually am too afraid to even breath, and will absolutely not move form my frozen position, not even to turn on the light and sit up in bed. But after a serious debate in my head of the consequences of me not getting up and investigating, I finally rolled over and turned on the light. I then sat up and reached over for my phone on my bedside table. I quickly punched in 112 into my phone (just in case), but didn't call. I then put my feet on the ground as quietly as I could and snuck over to my door and put my ear against the door. At this point I felt my adrenaline rushing though my body and my  heartbeat was pounding like never before. I then heard the sound again and mustered up enough courage to open the door. Just in that instant I recognized the sound I had heard as the sound of water dropping from a tap. I cautiously headed over to the bathroom but it wasn't coming from there, so I stood still for a while, listening for the quiet "plop" sound again.
It wasn't coming from downstairs, so I headed into the living room, thinking it was coming from in there (weird.. I know). But apart from the buzzing lights we have in there it was silent. So I headed back to my room, when I heard the "plop" once more. It then occurred to me that it was coming from my brother's radiator in his room. As his room is right opposite of mine, and his door is open as he isn't home, I could hear it very clearly from my position in bed. I cannot describe the relief I felt when I finally figured out where the strange noise was coming from, and what was causing it. I let out a huge sigh of relief and instantly felt a bit queasy, but headed back to bed to try and calm myself down by listening to calming music and watching 2 clips of Robin Williams' stand up on YouTube. Now, after writing this, I am going to catch some z's.

Time

I don't think any song has made me feel as emotional as this song has.
As I was sitting on the sofa in the TV room, with the speakers blasting out some good tunes, Wait by M83 came on. As soon as it came on I leaned my head back on the sofa and closed my eyes.
This song makes me happy, sad, nostalgic, excited - all at the same time. How this is even possible, I have no idea. As the song was drawing to its close, I opened my eyes and looked out the window, only to realise that I had tears in my eyes. No song has ever made me feel this way before.

I found this song before sometime during the end of June, just before Helina came to visit. We played it a few times during the week she was here, and takes me back to that week with her.
I get especially attached to songs that remind me of cherished memories. For example, every time I play the playlist I have of all the songs from our time on Ios (Greece), I get extremely nostalgic and want to book a ticket back right in that instant!