Writer's block? Maybe not...

I have a hard time blogging. Fact. I've written about it before but I need to write about it some more. I find it really really challenging. And not because of the popular 'language reasons'. I actually find it easier to write a lot of text in English than in Croatian because English has all of these expressions and words Croatian is dramatically lacking. My problem is inspiration and creativity. When I was a kid everybody was stunned by my creativity and my ability to create things to play with and my parents were happy it kept me occupied for hours on end. I used to be this innovative little person with a million ideas on my mind, but I somehow lost it. Almost completely. Over the years I became an entirely different person to what I seemed to be growing up. Not completely in a bad way, I am in no way unrecognizable, but parts of me were obviously just a part of my childhood. One of those being my creativity and imagination. I could contemplate about the reasons for quite some time, but I won't get into it since I don't feel like this is the place for that. And this is where it affects the blogging. The SUK blogging is mandatory, but the topics aren't. Which gives me such a hard time. I could literally write 20 posts monthly if I was given exact topics to cover. This kind of 'freedom' scares me and pulls me backwards in more ways than one. Yes, surely it is none of anyone's business whether I have a knack for writing or not, but it depresses me that I leave an impression of an uninterested, lazy person when I have another point of view. I never ever felt a desire to write a blog, not even back in the day in high school when blogs were a big thing. The reason being the fact that I DO NOT KNOW what to write about. I have absolutely NO desire to share my deepest personal thoughts on the internet, nor do I think anyone is interested in those. I am aware of the fact that no one actually reads my blog except the teachers, which saddens me some more. I can not imagine this blog being interesting for you (teachers) if I don't find it interesting myself. So when I go ahead and try to write a post I can not for the life of me choose a topic to write about. Myself? No. My family/friends? No. My studies? No. My detailed opinion on xyz? No. Then I am left with general topics which I can not make interesting for the reader/s (teacher/s) nor do I find particularly riveting myself. Am I making sense right now? I do not wish to make excuses for myself nor do I look for pity, I just consider blogging an elective activity which I would never elect voluntarily. I am not a writer. I don't enjoy it as a hobby. Don't get me wrong, I don't find writing difficult in general, it is just the topics that bother me. While some people live for the sentence 'write about anything' coming from their teacher I would prefer it if they would say 'write about the weather/Schlossberg/Stadtpark/dog neutering/memory foam mattresses'. None of which particularly excites me, but I would rather research those topics and write a paragraph or two than ramble on and on about my life and opinions. I am not the kind of person to appreciate being given too much freedom but rather the kind that works better on a tighter schedule. Am I just coming across as weird? Hopefully not, that was not my plan. All in all, I feel very weird and misunderstood and I pray (figuratively) the blogging will stop in SUK3. Or at least change in form….

Female Formula 1 fan?!

Yes. There is such a thing. And it is me. People are always shocked when I tell them I am a Formula 1 fan. But it is true. Not like 'I occasionally glance at the screen when it's on', I really know my stuff. I watch the practices, the qualifying, the race, the pre-show, the post-show, the interviews and the analysis. It is fascinating how much goes into that sport and how it sucks me in. The main reason I got into watching F1 is my dad; ever since I can remember we always had the race on the Tv on Sundays so my older brother got really into it and I copied everything he does so I watched it too. Little did I know I would really start watching it. I suppose I would have given up watching it by now if I didn't really find it interesting, but I honestly do. I am a Ferrari fan. That means I support no particular driver, I support whichever two drive for Ferrari because Ferrari is an institution in the world of motorsport. No other team exudes such pride, success, team spirit and
above all, passion. It is no wonder Italy is so proud of Ferrari as a company. It represents
them around the globe in the best way possible. My impression is that all the drivers wish to be Ferrari drivers at some point in their careers. Not all of them will admit it, but some have.
I was lucky enough to get to go to a Formula 1 race in Monza, Italy a couple years ago. It was spectacular. Yes, I would have probably seen more of the race at home on the TV, but the excitement that fills the air around the track is just a unique experience. What is more, that is a home race for Ferrari and the Italians were just mad with excitement and cheering. It was so special and I really hope I will get to go again. I would also like to see a race in Monaco since it is a legendary track and I have seen it in real life when I was in Monaco, but I would like to see a F1 race there.

My favourite drivers are Michael Schumacher (picture above) (an obvious choice, I know) and Fernando Alonso (pictured right and below). Both Ferrari drivers, one retired and one current. People are quick to judge when I say I am a fan of Michael's just because he is a legend with his 7 titles and everyone knows him and loves him. And why not? It is easy to love the best ones. But I was just getting into F1 for real when he was in his peak years and I remember some of his races and how he overtook drivers in impossible situations. His style was aggressive and unscrupulous, but this sport kind of demands it. I was so shocked when I heard of his skiing accident last year and am I am so incredibly glad his health is slowly improving. I believe he will recover a decent amount because of his fighting spirit.
My current favorite is FErnando Alonso. This spaniard is just fantastic. He is an unbelievably talented driver (not that I am the best judge of that, but experienced people and motorsport experts claim so) with the most positive of attitudes there is. He is a two-time world champion for a couple years back, but is yet to win a title with Ferrari. Which they a re making a bit difficult for him, but he is certainly not the one to ever give up. I admire his mental strength, his skills and his modesty despite the success and compliments he gets constantly. I believe he has still got a lot to show and I know he is going to.
This week's race is being held in Spielberg just outside Graz and I am sad it is so close, yet so far away from me. But maybe next year I will save up and go see it! You never know! Forza Ferrari!

I'll be there for you

What is it about "Friends" that gained them this enormous popularity that has hardly dropped even though we just marked the TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY of their LAST episode? The entire world has been watching this famous sitcom for 20 years and, by the looks of it, their reign is nowhere near done. The producers, writers and actors obviously came up with something very special since it took the TV world by storm and became the most successful sitcom of all times. I am probably not the best one to be telling you about "Friends" since I am a die hard fan and arguably the biggest fan ever :) I have seen the entire show (which is 236 episodes in 10 seasons) multiple times and still can't get enough. I feel like the characters are equal parts funny and relatable. It picks me up when I'm down, it helps time go by faster when I travel, it is fun to watch with my family or friends. I can't think of a single occasion watching "Friends" wasn't a bad idea. I even went to the building that was used to film the outside of their apartments while I was in New York City.
Normally when I watch an episode I know exactly what they will say in advance, but it never stops me from seeing all of the episodes again and again and again. I prefer the "newer" ones; season 5-10. I can't say why, I'm not sure, but I tend to gravitate towards those ones when I choose an episode to watch before bedtime. It sends me off to sleep in the most perfect way :D

Culture Days

We had the Grand Finale of our Culture Projects this week. We did the best we could to work on our topic, write the paper, correct it, make a presentation and present it in front of our classmates. We had to see 10 presentations, 7 american and 3 irish. I chose to see the following 10: The Korean War, Same-Sex Marriage in the United States, The Reinventions of Malcolm X, Captain America and Propaganda, San Francisco's rise to popularity, Media Violence, Great American Entrepreneurs, Irish influences on C.S. Lewis’ work, What did the Fenian Brotherhood achieve with their raids on Canada, The role of Oliver Cromwell in Great Britain and Ireland. If I am being completely honest here, I enjoyed the american ones way more than the irish ones. The american topics were really interesting and the presentations were great. The irish ones are probably just not my cup of tea. Not saying that the presenters influenced my "bad" impression, the girls in the irish class were really very successful in their presenting, it's the topics that I felt disconnected to. But that's alright. Not everything is for everyone! :) I wish I could have stayed to watch more american presentations, but I had classes and couldn't. Therefore I will take a look at their Prezis and handouts. My overall impression of the Culture Project is extremely positive and I hope we will do something similar in the future!

What good bloggers do

So. Here's the thing. I am aware of the fact that I am very late on this topic, but I just realized a couple minutes ago that I was even supposed to write it. But it is not as bad because it kind of builds on our previous experiences with blogging from SUK1, but I didn't attend that class because I started studying in the second semester. Therefore, I don't know what to improve based on my past blogging, but I can try to express my opinion on interesting blogging. I think blogs should be at least somewhat informative to be interesting. Of course you can turn your blog into a diary and just write random stuff about yourself and your life. But why not be informative at the same time? For example, if you write about a place you visited, why not give a bit of a background of where it is, what is it famous for (if anything) and such information. Humour is probably the next good advice. Yes, I realize my blog isn't funny, but I don't expect a larger audience to read it. Blogs should also have plenty of photos because they make the experience more enjoyable for the reader and they look appealing when someone stumbles upon your blog. A good blogger should also have a posting schedule and stick to it because people will expect you to post regularly and be consistent with your work. We can all better ourselves and I suppose I will also get better at blogging if I end up sticking to it.

A manual for all things Croatian

There is this american guy from Oklahoma named Cody. He lives in Zagreb because he married a Croatian woman and teaches english at the University of Zagreb. Why am I telling you this? He writes the best blog I have read in my entire life. (http://zablogreb.blogspot.com) Seriously. He's been living in Croatia for a couple years and he observes the life, the people, the cities, the customs, the food and everything else. The thing is: he is a genius. Yes, I am aware of the fact that anyone who lives in a foreign country notices differences and things around them but his style of writing is just fantastic. I feel like he reads us like a book and it really took him an unbelievably short amount of time to figure everything out. When I read his posts I just think OHMYGOD, YOU'RE RIGHT after every single sentence. And it amuses me. I find it extremely interesting to hear how foreigners see us Croats and what they think of our customs and lifestyles. And it is even better for me that he is an American because I am hugely interested in America and all things american so I love it when he draws comparisons between the two countries. If anyone is interested in Croatia and would like to read a witty "handbook" on living in Croatia as a Croat, you should most certainly visit Cody's blog at http://zablogreb.blogspot.com.

Summertime happiness and wintertime blues

Summer is a very big deal where I'm from. Croatia basically lives off of summer tourism for the entire next year. The so-called "Summer tourist season" spans from early June until late September. The exact dates being largely influenced by the weather. Croatia typically has a continental climate which means we have below-zero-snowy winter months and sunny-hot-dry summer months. Well, that seems like the best of both worlds. Is it though? For the most part, yes. The snow never comes when I would like it and when it's stereotypically expected, which is around Christmas and New Years, right? It usually falls in early December and late February. And then it falls like it is the last snow we will ever get. Literally blocks the traffic and causes mayhem. Why, snow?
Why? I don't need you then. I have to study for my exams, I can't enjoy your perks :( I don't want to come across as ungrateful, at least we have snow, I have friends who have never seen it in real life and I think they are missing out big time. It is just so calming to look at once eve
rything is covered in fresh snow! You can even ski in Zagreb. (That is a bit far-fetched as there is only like one track and it is a fairly beginner one, but we have been hosting FIS Ski World Cup slalom races for both men and women for the past 9 years). But that is not the main source of income for the country anyway. It is summer. Oh, summer! I feel like many Croats consider it a religion. They live for it. Have countdowns until it begins. Save money for it.  Seems crazy, right? But we truly have such a beautiful coast it is no wonder it attracts plenty of tourists.  I will honestly say I haven't really appreciated it quite enough before I travelled a bunch and saw what some other countries consider being "a beautiful coast" or where they spend their vacation. It is all very pretty and unique but Croatia is blessed with a vast territory of diverse natural sceneries along the coastline. I have also seen the majority of it and it is really pretty. I know I am easily perceived as biased just because I am a Croat after all, but my brother and I have had quite a few friends from various countries over at our summer house and they were all pretty amazed even though we were only able to show them a small piece of the coast. Anyhow, enough of the patriotism, I'm not even a patriotic type of person!

This is the Zlatni Rat beach on the island of Brač

The Modra Spilja cave on the island of Vis

This is the National Park Plitvička Jezera

Also Plitvička Jezera

Kornati

Hvar