Alina Karas

Day 30: one thing you’re excited for

Spending the rest of my life with my husband!

Day 29: five weird things that you like

1. Eating Nutella or peanut butter with a spoon straight from the jar
2. The smell of fried garlic – nothing beats that!
3. Sleeping in a completely dark room, with curtains carefully drawn and with an eye-mask on my face – any of these elements is missing and I can guarantee problems with my sleep
4. Plucking ingrown hair from my husband’s beard with tweezers (he, obviously, hates it! And yes, I know it’s disgusting)
5. Having my eyebrows threaded and getting a head massage afterwards

Day 28: somewhere you’d like to move to or visit

There are so many places on my ‘to visit’ list, but there is this one place that currently is on the top of that list….

… New York!

I have never been to the US, so I am already super excited about visiting this great city. Me and husband are planning to go there late November/early December this year, when all the Christmas decorations are up and the festive atmosphere is all around!

I am already preparing a mental list of things to do, visit, places to eat at etc. but any suggestions / recommendations are of course very much welcome!

(Source: etsy.com)

Day 27: a quote you try to live by

If I have to choose just one quote I try to live by, it would definitely be this one by the wonderful Marilyn Monroe.

I’ve recently realised that I want to focus more on my family, friends and my life outside of work and that a career can be something secondary, rather than something on top of my list. This came after me being unhappy at my previous job and sacrificing my health, time and being constantly stressed - all of this for nothing as I couldn’t even feel accomplished at what I was doing. 

At the moment I have a job that I really enjoy and am more relaxed about my professional future - if exciting opportunities arise, then of course I will grab them and try my very best to succeed. However, I don’t want to chase a career only because the society expects me to.

(Source: tenniswood.co.uk)

Day 26: things you like and dislike about yourself

Like:

• I am very loyal
• I think about others before myself (always)
• I am very patient
• I like my long fingers and a nice shape of my nails
• I am good with money and savings - I think 10 times before I buy anything
• I pick up foreign languages and accents easily - I speak four languages but would like to learn more in the future when I have time
• The fact that I appreciate (or at least I try) little things, which normally I would take for granted
• I care about my friends and family so much and I am always so grateful that they are present in my life and what they do for me
• I think I finally learned to like my grey hair

Dislike:

• Lack of assertiveness
• Lack of confidence (but I’m working on it!)
• Being lazy sometimes!
• My teeth (I just generally hate teeth)
• My stomach (but working on it)
• My troubled skin at the moment
• My anxiety and panic attacks - however, they are now a part of me
• I place a lot of expectations on myself - which sometimes is a good thing I suppose, but in a long run, it’s not!
• I am also a perfectionist, which sometimes makes my life sooo much harder
• I am very, very indecisive
• I procrastinate - a lot!

Day 25: something you’re currently worrying about

I worry about so many things, but recently (thankfully) this list has gone down recently.

Currently I’m trying to get more healthy - eat more healthily, exercise regularly and be aware of all the food that passes my mouth. I try to educate myself on healthy eating and the consequences of not-healthy living

What worries me is how this all is going to fit my busy schedule, if I’m going to stick to it and actually make it a lifetime habit, rather than just a diet before holidays. I am however committed and determined to finally get healthy!

Day 24: five words/phrases that make you laugh

1. “What are we going to do with you, eh?” (used mostly by my husband and it makes me feel like a little girl, in a nice sense of course!)
2. “Undercrackers” (aka “underpants” in words of my husband)
3. “Too many mutha uckers uckin’ with my shi” (from Flight of the Conchords)
4. “I checked my bother pocket and there was nothing there” (I was introduced to this one by one of my bosses) (and no, he wasn’t talking to me!)
5. “Loser sprinkler!” (aka showing the “loser” sign and doing the sprinkler move simultaneously)

Day 23: something that you miss

My family.

Living in the UK while they are in Poland means that I don’t get too see them as often as I would like to. Even though it’s only a 2.5h plane journey away, it still saddens me that I can’t go and see my mum when I want to or when I’m not feeling feel (so I can get sympathy hugs). And it still breaks my heart every time I have to say “goodbye” to my parents at the airport on my way back and seeing them fighting back their tears.

Day 22: your academics

When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist as I always liked to write, read and find out about what’s going on in the world. With this in mind, after graduating from high school, I started a degree in Journalism and Social Communication. During that time I developed an interest in photography, started my first blog, got myself a camera and thought that I could be a photojournalist. I also thought that I could continue my study abroad and after considering various options (mainly Vienna and Barcelona) I set my heart on London, after visiting the city for the first time in the summer after leaving high school.

It was easier to make this decision since my then-boyfriend/now-husband already lived in the UK. I decided to do a Masters degree in Media and Communications. It was such a great experience – studying abroad, with people from all over the world. I made some friends whilst at uni and made my mind as to what I want to do in the future (or what I thought then). I decided to write my dissertation on the use of photography in advertising, which helped me get my first job in this industry.

I was so happy and proud of myself (unashamedly, I still am) that I got a 2.1 and received a Masters degree in a foreign country, not in my mother tongue, out of my comfort zone.

To this day it is one of my biggest personal achievements.   

Day 21: how you hope your future will be like

I hope to be confident, healthy, respected, happy, fulfilled, with a family of my own, living in a lovely house which I could decorate to my liking (taking inspiration from all the lovely pictures of beautiful interiors I’ve been posting here on my blog!). I want to find and maintain a healthy balance between work and private life and not stress too much about little things. However, speaking of little things, I want to notice them more and not take them for granted – I want to learn how to be grateful for everything good that happens to me. I want to grow creatively (mainly in photography) and be able to explore more things – new skills, knitting, learning new languages etc.

I hope I will get to travel a lot – either with my husband/family or on my own. I hope to be more educated on current affairs, other cultures and foreign languages.

And finally, I want to have my friends and family around me as without them my future will completely pointless.

Day 20: your fears

I am known for being afraid of lots of things, worrying and being pessimistic for most of the time, so this list would be endless, if I didn’t stop myself!

• I’m scared something would happen to my family in Poland and I wouldn’t be able to do anything or go there straight away

• I’m scared of heights and open spaces; however I still (somehow) managed to get on top of the Eiffel Tower (even though I was scared as hell!)

•  I’m afraid of spiders

• I worry that I will never be able to have kids

• I’m afraid of losing my husband (mainly him dying before me)

Day 19: five items you lust after

1. Staying in bed on a Saturday with books, magazines and endless cups of tea/coffee in close proximity
2. An almond croissant with a coffee in the morning
3. Holiday feeling and being able to wind down, without having to think about ANYTHING
4. Hermes Birkin
5. Painless high heels!

Day 18: a problem that you have had

I’ve been dreading this question – there is one particular problem that comes up to my head straight away. It’s one of the biggest problems I’ve had in my life. However, I’ve decided no to talk about it here - even though I’m finally over it and I can talk about it without becoming upset. I don’t want to open the can of worms, getting into details, as this would only make me think about it again and ruin the peace and calmness I’ve built over the past months. 

I’m glad that this problem is behind me now though and I can move on with my life.

Day 17: something that you’re proud of

1. Beating my depression
2. Moving to another country and starting my life afresh
3. Completing a Master’s degree in a foreign language
4. Getting where I am today and achieving what I’ve got thanks to my hard work
5. My brother and how well he’s doing in life

Day 16: something you always think “what if…” about

There are so many things I think “what if…” about, but one of the most important ones has to be “what if I never made the decision to come and study in London”.

With this single decision my whole life changed – literally. I moved out from my parents’ house, from my home country, I started living with my then boyfriend, I had to get a job, had to stand up on my own feet, and then started a MA degree in a completely new environment, with new people and in foreign language. Sounds scary and overwhelming and I guess it was at first. However, if it wasn’t for all of this, I would never be who I am today, with all the experiences, emotional baggage and acquaintances. And of course, I would probably not be married to my husband!