Zeljko Joksimovics new song is on repeat, along with his other songs, mainly ballads (i'm in that mode right now). Some periods I only listen to for example Zeljko, Crvena Jabuka and Tose Proeski, music that always hits straight to the heart. What I have noticed though is that I become very emotional and thoughtful afterwards - not always the best for an overly analytical mind like mine. And when it becomes too much, I turn to mainstream music instead which makes you more stupid, but carefree and in a festive mood.
Anyway, I hope it is true that Zeljko is coming to Sweden in May, I'm really looking forward to it!

I'm trying to update more often, I don't want my blogging to end, even if it feels like the whole blog thing is slowly dying, probably because our generation has better things to do, or because we have found other social media that require less effort. Or is it just me? It's hard when 1. What I do and who I am with every day is not something I find interesting to write about, and what's potentially interesting in my daily life I post on Instagram. 2. I need pictures, but when you're at the university until it gets dark, there is not much to photograph. 3. I find it hard to write what's on my mind, like I used to. Every time I write a longer post, I just erase it or save it in the draft. Even right now I'm forcing myself to keep the upper part, because I really feel that it is unnecessary and would prefer to delete it. Don't know why I feel like this. And what's left then? Posts about architecture, about trips that rarely happen and about some fun events when I happen to have my camera with me. That's not much.

Freakin' awesome weekend. The whole weekend was spent in Uppsala and not only did I get to spend time with my favorite Svrakas for a few days, but for once we managed to gather 5/7 of our group of girls from high school at Karin's place who now lives in Uppsala. Besides from Karin, it was a long time ago I saw the girls and it has been difficult to gather the group since everybody is either studying, working, going away to other parts of the world or moving abroad. But regardless of what it feels like in high school when we meet! Since I obviously can't make a weekend without Erna, I brought her with me and afterwards we met up with Jasmin & co for the best night out in a long time. We really went for it! Who would have thought, before paycheck? My whole body still hurts after dancing on the hip hop floor and my abs hurts after all the laughter, especially at the evening's two great comedians, Jasmin and Adi. Oh, you feel so incredibly good (mentally) after having so much fun with people you love. I can live a long time on this weekend.  

November - February. A small selection of images from my Instagram during the winter months. Some studying, some partying, some illness, a lot of food, a couple of nice sunsets and much longing for what is to come. Instagram: lanakarat

February is not my favorite month. Actually, it's at the very bottom of my list. By now, the lack of vitamin D has really made its mark (I always get sick this month, my skin gets so pale that it starts to glow in the dark and I would rather burn my winter jacket) and summer still feels too far away. And I fool myself by thinking that warmer weather is on its way and then literally get a bitchslap by a new snowstorm. Just wait and see...

I felt spoiled with many wonderful trips the last year, and since travel is among the best there is, I always had a great highlight to look forward to that wasn't very far away. However, this year we plan a big USA trip(!) in August, which unfortunately not only feels distant but also means that I have to save and work every free moment I get from studies. My monthly budget prefers that I sit at home and do nothing that costs money, which is not the easiest since it's coffee with friends, partying, shopping and stuff like that which makes everyday life more enjoyable these cold and dark days. For that reason, I neither will go on the study trip in spring or to Bosnia and Croatia in the summer, which will be the first time since we started going there after the war. The thought of that is a bit painful to my heart (is it weird that the first thing that came to mind is all the food I'll miss?) But on the other hand, I look forward to the U.S. more than anything else right now. That experience and the fact that I even have the opportunity to plan such a trip makes it easier to sacrifice another. Yes, every trip makes me think of what a privilege I have for even being able to do it.

Must complete the post with pep talk: Firstly, February is almost over! Yey! And I must praise myself because I have become very good at harmonizing (not sure if it's the right choice of word, but you get the point) my life and to turn negative into positive in my mind. I get myself in a better mood by simple means. Even in boring February. But more about that in another feel-good post.

Project 2 was short but intense, not as tiresome as the previous but still a difficult task to solve, and I wasn't looking forward to do it. The task was to make an extension of the Great Church in the Old Town. 1. How the hell do you do an extension of a medieval church, without it looking brutally unfitting? 2. The church has been rebuilt several times since the 1200s and has no precise drawings, which meant we had to measure out everything ourselves, and I should add that it's crooked and uneven in all directions. 3. The spiritual and religious is not my thing. 4. Not the constructional either. But as an architect, I will not always get assignments I like, so I just had to bite the bullet and do it, and it went well in the end. Looking forward to the next project!