What if I was meant to be a dentist?

I have not had too many jobs in my life but I have always had a strong idea of what I wanna do and more precisely, how I wanna do it.  I wanted to love my job and do it well. I wanted to enjoy it. And then I started my current job. On paper, a PR Coordinator role in a global company seemed like a great opportunity to learn and grow. The job involved what I always thought I wanted to do – writing, attending press trips and coming up with ideas and stories that journalists want to write about. Plus free dinners and drinks…

Vladislav Muslakov

STOMPgate

I have never lived in Paris,  New York or Tokyo and my experience only comes from London. I hope – for the sake of readers from those cities and everyone else – that this only applies to London…but it seems to me London is home to the loudest kind of neighbours.

Photo by Mike Marquez on Unsplash

Why you don’t need to love yourself (instantly)

I appreciate how many books, songs, podcasts and blogs about self-love and acceptance exist. learning how to love yourself is one of the most important things to do in life and everyone should take their time to do so before they try to love others.

You should always supply positive energy to both your mind and body. It changes you and changes people around you. But, I believe that people often forget that there is more to this than love. For me, an important part of acceptance is born from negativity, from something that I don’t actually like about myself but I am willing to accept it and make it work for me.

Fabian Møller

Save ’em for a rainy day

London is famous for its rain and gloomy weather. Coming from continental Europe, it took me some time to get used to how quickly but quietly the seasons change at this island. You can experience spring, summer, autumn and winter in one day in London but you can also forget summer is a season at all.

Fortunately, this summer, even England experienced very warm temperatures and not only for one day. While most people complained about the heatwave, I enjoyed the hot days. It was easy to plan my days and evenings when it was warm – all the London parks became very inviting and rooftops were places to be.

However, with the temperatures taking (hopefully) a temporary dip this week, there is now space to plan some indoor activities. If you are bored of the same old Netflix and chill, take a look at my recommendations below. Those are some activities and destinations I explore on rainy days, no matter the season.

Photo by Claudio Testa on Unsplash

How to cope with overwhelming changes in your life

This year was from the very beginning full of changes in my personal and professional life. A lot of the anticipated changes are coming to effect very soon and being the anxious package I am, this makes me stressed. I have moved in with my boyfriend, my best friend is leaving London for good and I have just got a new job which starts in August. I have also just turned 25. Find out what helped me to cope with the new order of things and saved me from spending all my money on the drinks therapy.

Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

The power of Taylor Swift

I am always on a budget in London, but this summer I decided to treat myself and my flatmate to an experience. For E’s birthday, I bought us two tickets to Taylor Swift’s concert at Wembley, London. Shout out to all the Swifties out there!

The gig was great, magnificent and definitely the show of the year. But I have never listened to Taylor for her musical skills. She is a good singer, but I admire her for other things and I can say that her albums have closely narrated my life for the last ten years. Read below how my favourite singer’s music and career improved my life and relationships and let her inspire you too.

via giphy

Application process agony

Photo by EveryGirlBoss.com on Unsplash

A little background info: I came to London to study master’s degree in Media and Communications. Due to a lack of experience, I was unsuccessfully looking for a relevant job for almost a year. Then I found a job as a PR and Communications Assistant but I left the job after eight months due to various unpleasant circumstances. Now I work in hospitality (read: a pub) and I am looking for a dream job once again.

For anyone out there trying to find their first job, change career or moving up the ladder in a different company, I compiled useful tips on what helps me in my own job search. Rather than tips on how to get a job – although some of those might help – this is advice on how to stay sane during the painful process of job applications/interviews/rejections.

Renting in London PART 1: Renting a room and meeting weirdos.

Photo by Evelyn Paris on Unsplash

I currently live with my friend E in a two bedroom flat in Pimlico. Me and E met at university and decided to live together. We set a budget and found a flat in a suitable location. But then my boyfriend happened and our opposite schedules made us think of moving in together. So now we are apartment hunting again – ugh!

If you have never lived in London or any overpopulated city, or if you have never had to rent a place to live, you will not understand why I dread this so much. I am certain that learning how to pilot a plane is easier than finding an affordable place to live in London. That is unless you are a millionaire.

If you are new to London there are genuinely two options you have – shared house or property rent. I learnt the hard way – living in a dodgy neighbourhood with my money being taken by a scammer. I would like everyone else to be spared from that experience. Check my notes on renting in London below which can make the process easier for you.

The art of asking

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There are many skills that we gain throughout the years, which are useful. There are also many specific skills that we gain as individuals based on our choices. For example, academic writing, what a useful skill, eh? Well actually, I think writing an essay can teach you a lot of important skills, but that is not the point I want to make in this post.

I have recently discovered a very useful skill that I gained in the last couple years. It is the ability to ask.

My first English Christmas

Last weekend I travelled with N to visit his parents for their annual early Christmas celebration. Since we’ve been together for a year only, this was also the first time I got to participate in the festivities and the very first experience of English Christmas for me.