Tops & Flops (September)

Hello Muggles,

September has already come to an end and I thought of telling you what I liked and disliked. :)

TOP:

1) Danisnotonfire

If you could see me writing you would know how red my cheeks are right now. :') 

I'm turning into a creepy girly-girl when thinking about Dan from danisnotonfire 

I don't watch his videos because he's handsome as hell (oh yeah, we all know it's true - you know it's true, Dan) - although this probably is the reason why I watch so many of them - BUT he's just the funniest guy ever and he makes me laugh every single second - pure entertainment especially in the grey days of autumn that are to come! :)

Watch his videos, if you like a good laugh... and you can handle the handsomeness. ;D

(I also love AmazingPhil, of course! Rawr!)

2) Essiebutton

Let me just talk about Youtubers at once. You probably already know how much I adore Estée from essiebutton but I can't get enough of watching her videos. :) She is hilarious and entertaining like no other and you just have to watch the video I put up below - especially the end will demonstrate you why I'm so in love with her. :D

3) Books ("The Future of us")

As "books" is quite a lame headline for something I liked this month (because I didn't just like books in September...) I added one of the novels I read, which was "The Future of us" by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. I read within 24 hours because it's just very easy to read and to be honest I had a lot of time and fun reading it so it was ticked of very fast. I will do a more detailed review about it because it's one of the few books I read in the last couple of months that is actually written in English - so everyone of you should be able to read it, which makes the whole thing of writing / reading a review more interesting! ;)
Other books I read were "Log Out" by Sylvia Witt and Oliver Uschmann, "Das Portal" by Elke Pistor (which I didn't like), "Der Krähenturm" by Kerstin Pflieger and last but definitely not least: "Solange die Nachtigall singt" by Antonia Michaelis!
I also finished the "Jane Eyre" audiobook - which I loved! :)


 

4) Dark red / Plum lipstick

Picture by P2 - I bought the middle one (Rue de Rivoli)

 

This is probably mostly autumn inspired but I love darker lipsticks on other people and so I bought my first really dark one, which you will also see in an upcoming collective haul very soon. :)

My favourite look for autumn is wearing a dark lip and only mascara on your eyes - no eyeshadow or anything else that diverts from your lipstick.

There`s a quite interesting "Dos and Don'ts of Dark Lipsticks" on the Glamour page. Just click here to check it out. :)

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FLOP:

1) The Hunger Games (Film)

Picture by mmm-mag.com

Okay, I know that it's not nice to talk about anything in a bad way but I'm just being honest here and I don't want everything to be perfectly good every time because it just isn't. 

After this short disclaimer I would like to talk about how disappointed I am about "The Hunger Games". This film is SO hyped and everyone I know watched it in the cinema and liked it so I wanted to have a look myself. Here's the truth: I watched 30 minutes! That's it.

Firstly, the camera was driving me insane.

Secondly, I think the actors aren't good and convincing at all - worst of all: Liam Hemsworth! I just didn't believe him. He was like thrown in there like anyone told him: "Just be the "pretty" friend of Katniss, don't show any personality:" o.o

Thirdly, the animations. How can a film, which was this expensive have animations that look like in Blue's Clues? 

And in the end: I felt sooo bad watching! I literally felt like one of those crazy people in the Hunger Games world that watches the Hunger Games in TV or something. I couldn't deal with that and felt so bad after thirty minutes that I decided to end my Hunger Games experience there. 

Maybe I will read the books but probably the topic in general is not for me.

Don't be mean with me because I'm just talking about my opinion and if you liked the film than why shouldn't that be okay? Hurray for you. ;)

2) Learning Latin in 3 weeks

Yes, it's as stupid as it sounds. Because I'm about to do "English Studies" in university I have to learn Latin. It's not enough that I already did 4 years of French and 3 years of Italian - no, it has to be Latin, as well! -.-
The genious I am, I decided to do two crash courses for three weeks each. I finished the first one last week and should be able to know about 600 words and a million forms of grammar. Sad story is I am not. So the plan for the following 11 months is to do revision all the time. Hopefully that will work because there is an Latin exam to come next year... and I have to pass! 
Hurray to the future. ;D




 3) Bye, bye summer - hello autumn

Picture by wallpaperzzz.com

As romantic as this autumn picture might look like... I don't like it. I'm surprised how many Youtubers and Bloggers adore this time of a year - but they mostly said they like it because of the fashion... I also like autumn fashion but I fancy warm and sunny days anyway. :'D
I don't know how to survive winter yet... -.-
xD


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Okay, I think that's enough for now. I hope you enjoyed it.

Please let me know what your September top and flops are or link your own blog in the comment section down below! :)

See you next time,
Hermione 

Tips for school (A-levels): #6 Take breaks!

Hello Muggles,

as every friday it's time for another school tip. :)

6) Take breaks!

-> Taking breaks probably is one of the most important things to do while learning something. Especially when you're young you're brain can't work 24/7 and additionally: you're a child, who has many other and better things to do than concentrate on learning all day!

Don't start doing your homework right after school but eat a proper meal first and do something you like and enjoy! After all you've been to school half of the day. ;)

If you notice that your concentration says goodbye to you, do something. You can either take a walk outside and just breath some fresh air or you just eat a little bit of chocolate that makes you feel better.

A very important thing you as a student need to realize is that you can't study all the time. So if you have an exam to come organise your time instead of learning four hours a day for one subject.

By advising to take breaks I'm not talking about procrastinating. ;D 

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I hope that was helpful. If you want to check out the tips I already wrote about just click on them down below. :)

Tip #5: Talk to your teachers

Tip #4: Ask questions

Tip #3: Do your homework

Tip #2: Be organised

Tip #1: Choose the right courses

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Comments are appreciated as always. :)

See you next time,

Hermione

"10 Day You Challenge" - One Photo of You

Hello Muggles,

so the challenge has come to an end. I hope you had some fun and if you hadn't than you will probably look forward to more normal posts in the future. :)

One picture of yourself

Here we have it. I did an extra beautiful and sexy face for you. xD

See you next time,

Hermione

"10 Day You Challenge" - Two Songs

Hello Muggles,

so this is the second to last "10 Day You Challenge" entry and today it's all about ...

Two Songs

 

1) ...baby one more time

 Oh yeah, you probably think of me as mental right now BUT here's the little background story:

"Baby One More Time" by Ms Britney Spears has been the first song / CD I ever bought in my life! :) I remember that I heard in in the radio after a family trip in the zoo (I was about 7/8 years old) and I looooved it. After seeing it in TV I freaked out and then became obsessed with Britney Spears. I thought she was the most beautiful and awesome person in the world... yeah. :') So, when I saw her CD in our nearby supermarket (which was a Wal*Mart back then, just for your information xD) I ran home and asked my Dad to give me money so I can buy it and this is the story how I bought my first CD ever - my Dad, who is mainly into Queen, Yes and all this "older" Rock stuff probably wasn't that excited about his daughter's first CD being Britney Spears but it could have been worse, right? :D

2) Anemoi

I chose "Anemoi" by the icelandic band Agent Fresco to be my second song because it simply is the most played track on my iTunes. :) 
I love the song and the band and I'm glad that I decided to go to their concert in June although I was stuck in the most horrible moving stress.


Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Tomorrow is the big final of the "10 Day You Challenge"... which isn't that spectacular because all you will see is my face. xD


See you next time,
Hermione


Comments are well appreciated - as always. :)

"10 Day You Challenge" - Three Films

Hello Muggles,

today it's time for another part of the "10 Day You Challenge":

Three films:

1) Grave of the Fireflies

"Grave of the Fireflies" was the first film I watched that really made me cry. When little Setsuko puts buttons into her mouth thinking they were candy (and because I don't want to spoiler, I won't talk about what happens after that) just made me cry SO hard! I felt confused and sad.

It is just an excellent movie.

 Aaand it's representative for all Animes and especially Studio Ghibli films, which I looooove! *.* My favourites are: My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo

 

2) The little Mermaid

It was so hard to choose one Disney film because I love so many of them (my fav's beside The little Mermaid are: Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled...).

What else is there to say?

3) Emma

   
Since the last two or three months I'm obsessed with Jane Austen and the Bronte Sisters' work and the most fun I had watching "Emma". This won't be an all time favourite of me but I just like it at the moment, so I included it. :)

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Although I always answer the question "What's your favourite film?" with "Harry Potter" I chose to not put in on the list because I don't really like the actual films but it's much more an emotional thing because I love the books, characters and the story in general so much. Unfortunately I don't think they made a big deal out of it and I was extremely disappointed with part 7 (1+2) because even J.K. Rowling said that they are close to the books... uhm, no? -.-


Well, the challenge is almost over - I hope you enjoyed it so far and I hopefully "see" you tomorrow when it's about two songs. ;)

Leave a comment telling me your top three films if you'd like to - it would make me happy. :)

See you next time,
Hermione 

"10 Day You Challenge" - Four books

Hello Muggles,

today it's time for my favourite bit of the "10 Day You Challenge". 

Four books

1) "The Storyteller" by Antonia Michaelis

If there is one thing I am really excited about it is to read "The Storyteller" by german authot Antonia Michaelis in English. I have already read it in German of course, which is why I can tell you that it's the best book I have ever read! I am going to write a detailed blogpost about it now that it is published in English and I can just recommend it to anyone that has a preference for some tragic in books because it really is tragic - but beautiful at the same time.

I just love it and since I read it in summer 2011 I still think of Abel Tannatek, who is one of the main characters, everday!

2) Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

 

Harry Potter probably is the thing I talked about the most on my blog. 

However, I chose "Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban" to be my top 2nd book because it's my favourite one besides "Deathly Hollows". What I love about this one is that what happens inside of Harry becomes clearer and I think the story of his parents and their friends (Sirius Black, Remus Lupin...) is so exciting. Sirius Black is my favourite Harry Potter character after Hermione Granger. :)

3) The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Of course I had to add this all time classic to my list. 

The first book of the series is my favourite because I love the introduction into what Hobbits are and how they live and the beginning, which lets you have a look into the Shire is just my favourite part ever. :') 

What I think is the most astonishing thing about "The Lord of the Rings" is the writing. When I read it for the first time I was literally out of my mind because of the beautiful language Mr Tolkien used. Just reading the first lines makes me smile all over my face. 

4) Dark Canopy by Jennifer Benkau

I'm sorry but this one hasn't come out in English yet. :/  
BUT I just love it and can't wait for the second book to be published in March 2013, so I included it to my little list. :)


I hope you liked it.

Please leave a comment telling me what your four favourite books are or link your "10 Day You Challenge" if you did it on your blog. :)

See you next time,
Hermione

"10 Day You Challenge" - Five Foods

Hello Muggles,

today it's all about food! :)

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Five Foods

1) Salad

Picture by wikimedia.org

 

2) Pizza

 

Picture by istockimg.com

 

3) Vegetable lasagna

 

Picture by veggiegrettie.wordpress.com

 

4) German bread and rolls

 

Picture by br-online.de

 

5) Cake :')

 

Picture by audreycooks.com

 

As you can see I'm a very healthy eater. :')  Although I might eat too many sweets I still have a loooot of fruits and vegetables every day - so I think that's fine especially because I'm one of those hatred people, who don't gain weight. :'D

 

If you haven't read my past five "Ten Day You Challenge" posts than you can still check them out. ;)

 

I would appreciate a little comment and maybe you want to write about your favourite food in the comment section down below. :)

 

Have a nice day and see you next time,

Hermione 

 

 

Tips for school (A-levels) #5: Talk to your teachers

Hello Muggles,

as it is friday again it's time for the fifth school tip I can give you. :) To be honest I almost forgot about it BUT here it is - a little later than usual. ;)

I would appreciate a feedback-comment in the comment section down below and if you like this tip OR the others I made (which you can click on at the end of the post) OR anything else on my blog you can follow me by clicking "Join this site" at the right. :) :)

5) Talk to your teachers!

-> Now, we all know that many teachers are strange. I don't know why this happens (maybe they all get something like a brainwash in university that makes them act less human) but fact is that they are teachers and they learned this job just to help you! If they started for the right reasons they should have known that their main task in school is helping pupils / students and maybe you have to remember them a little. ;)  

Nevertheless, I think that it is important to talk to your teachers a lot. Firstly, because they see that you're interested in what is going on in school or your particular subject and secondly, because they often are willing to help you get better. Even when your marks are fine they can wake a little more motivation in you so you want to reach more - which sometimes can be a great feeling! 

I hope you understand the idea behind this. ;)

Are there any funny teacher stories you know? Let us all know by writing it down in the comment section! :D

I hope you had some fun and found it helpful! 

Have a nice day and see you next time,

Hermione

"10 Day You Challenge" - Six Places

Hello again Muggles,

 first I would like to thank everyone, who still hangs on and is interested in the "Ten Day You Challeng" - remember you can do it on your blog, as well! ;D

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Six Places

1) England <3

Picture by globeimages.net

  

2) Australia

Picture by nationalcapitals.net

 

3) Japan

4) Scotland

5) Iceland

Picture by autocarhire.com xD

 6) Hogwarts!

Picture by mugglenet.com

I hope you liked this (maybe a little unconventional) six places challenge. :)

Leave a comment and I would be happy if you did the challenge on your blog, as well. Leave the link in the section down below. ;)

See you next time,

Hermione

"10 Day You Challenge" - Seven Wants

Hello Muggles,

so far, I really enjoy doing the challenge although I found it difficult to write down today's seven wants. I'm not comfortable with saying: "I want this, I want that!" so it might have turned out a little cheesy -> meaning me wanting world peace. :'D

I hope you have fun anyway. ;)

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1) Peace

Well, I just start with the biggest cliché: World Peace. No, I'm not a beauty peagant lady, I'm just a little (well, actually rather tall) girl in a huge world full of more or less crazy people and I'm addicted to harmony. ;) There is just no reason for some powerful (wo)men to run around the world fighting like little children!


2) University Degree
My university time will only start in October but I'm already looking forward to finish it. I love learning new things and I can't wait to do English and German all day long but somehow I just want to be finished with education and starting to live a nice family life. :)


 3) Furniture
Uh, it's getting materialistic. Yes, indeed. ;) I moved into my own flat with my boyfriend in July and we still don't have cupboards in our living room (except for one, which is full of Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation and XBOX stuff...). This is just the one thing missing - I could go on about new curtains, a proper sitting area for the kitchen and everything you connect with decoration items, but who wants to know all that, huh? ;D

This is what my living room currently looks like... NOT! But isn't it pretty as a pink hell? 

4) See the world
This is not just a "want" - it is a "need"! I'm so sick of my hometown and Germany in general. It's okay living here but I just never travelled a lot in my life. I need to see other countries and cultures and I would love to settle down in England one day. Places I would love to visit you will see tomorrow when the challenge topic is "six places". :)


5) Kindle
I really enjoy reading books and I love pretty covers and to thumb through books but sometimes they can be very pricy why I always have to lend them in a library. I also need at least one book to take with me when I'm out and sometimes my beloved books can be very bulky. This is why a Kindle would come in handy. It's just very practical and now that every 2nd person has one they got very cheap. Looking forward to christmas. ;)

6) Summer
Although autumn just started I want summer to come back as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong I'm super excited for christmas and I'm in a christmassy mood already but I miss the sunshine and temperatures already. 


7) My Own Stories Published
I am writing and would love to hold my own book in my hand one day. Since my sister became an author and published her books this dream doesn't seem to be too far away. It is possible and I'm also quite confident about making it one day.


I hope you had some fun.
Feel free to do the challenge on your blog as well and don't forget to leave a comment. You can also just write about your "seven wants" in the comment section down below! ;)

See you next time,
Hermione

"10 Day You Challenge" - Eight fears!

Hello Muggles,

here we go again. If you already read through my past two challenge-days: I'm glad you're still hanging on! If not: read them!! ;D

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Eight fears

1) Darkness

I am a scaredy cat and unfortunately I could write down 100 fears but the thing I am most afraid of is darkness. After thinking about it quite long I can't even explain why I am so terrified of it. :/

2) Silence

  With this it's quite similar to my fear of darkness. I just don't like it at all. Most people (my boyfriend in particular) really enjoy the countrysides quitness while I only sit there freaking out because you can't even hear a car passing by. 

3) Paranormal stuff

I do believe in ghosts and demons and all that and I don't want to be scared of it but I am. When my nieced or my nephew slept over at my place and they said: "Becky, I'm afraid of ghosts showing up." I always answered: "Ohhh, don't worry. Just ask them for a cup of tea! ;D" But in reality just the word ghost makes my head go insane. :(

4) Horror 

Does this even make sense? Can you be afraid of horror? What I mean by that is that I can't watch any horror film at all and I don't want to have anything to do with anything horror-related. 

5) Having an unfulfilled life

What I am also afraid of is that I will die one day not having done things I dream of. Two major things I "want" before dying is having a baby and seeing the world. I never had the opportunity to travel a lot and I just can't stand the thought to be in Germany for the rest of my life. Not because it's so awful over here but because I need more in my life. I need new cultures, climes and landscapes!

  

6) Dying in pain

By this I don't only mean to suffer in the last few minutes / seconds of my life but also to like die in an apocalypse or something like that. I really don't want the world to be more destroyed than right now - ever. :/

7) Losing loved ones

To be honest I'm not surrounded by a crowd of people and this is why I value every single person of my family or friends even more. I don't want anything bad happen to them and if I could I would put them all in a big bubble so they're always save. :)

8) Speed

This is a strange one. What I mean by being scared of speed is for example when I'm sitting in a car and the driver goes super fast I'm like "Oh my goooood, drive slower!" - same thing when I am a passenger and cars drive "next to me" extremely fast like it happens in front of my house every day. o.o Strangely I don't mind trains or planes to go even faster than cars. :'D

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Okay, so now that I'm finished I'm not sure if I really want to upload it... you must think of me as a total wreck. :D I'm okay though. ;)

Please leave a comment or do the challenge as well and link your blog in the comment section down below - that would make me happy! :)

Have a beautiful day and see you next time,

Hermione