Christmas calendar and smoothies

Me and my boyfriend have been giving each other gifts every alternating day, a la Christmas/advent calendar. We wanted to make December a little bit more fun and to show each other some appreciation.

My present yesterday were these two raw smoothies from a coffee shop called Kaffeverket here in Stockholm.

I was going to translate the content, but then I thought, why not let you do it?

Having my English speaking boyfriend here in Sweden, trying to teach him Swedish has made me realise that there are SO many similarities. The grammar is quite different but words on their own are very alike.

Go ahead and try to translate the content and let me know your guess

/ Bella

SPOILER:

Number one contain: oatmilk, raw cacao, avocado, hazelnut butter, coconut water, flaked salt and agave syrup

Number two contain:  Spinach, avocado, chia seeds, chlorella, ginger, coconut oil, orange and banana

Guess where I’m going?!

I haven’t told you guys that we’re going on a little December holiday. It’s been super rainy in Sweden (today anyway) and we thought that we would treat ourself with a trip somewhere.

Can you guess where we are going? It’s two different countries!

Could you guess it?

Of course you could, but I’ll tell you anyway. Just to confirm you’re right;)

LISBON & LONDON

Well, we are probably going to drive around in Portugal because we’ll be there for 5 days and only for 2 days in London.

It’s my second trip to London, but I can’t really remember much of if because it was like 3 years ago and it was only for a few days. But I am especially excited about Portugal, it looks AMAZING, so beautiful. It’s quite “warm” there still, around 15-20 degrees.

Here are a few more pictures to look at….

Miradouro Lisboa – Papel de Parede

Quiet cove at Praia da Marinha, Algarve, Portugal

Have you guys ever been to any of the countries? I would LOVE so tips and ideas on must sees and must eats! 😉

/Bella

 

Glossybox October 2015

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Ok, first of all I am soooo happy that wordpress have made it so much easier to arrange photos in posts. It was a nightmare before 😦

Let us get to the good stuff, the monthly glossybox review!

1. Dax Alcogel Sweet Raspberry, 4,40 USD
   I remember when alcogel was the IT thing, a little bit like body spray. Sure it’s convenient to have one in your bag in emergency cases for when you can’t wash your hands or if you need to wipe something. It’s not something I use on a regular basis, but this Dax Alcogel does smell quite nice, it doesn’t have a alcohol smell at all. It also sinks in to your skin quite quickly, or maybe it evaporates? I’m not sure haha. Would I buy it again? Probs, it smells good and it’s useful enough!
2. Talika Photo-hydra day 30 ml, 41 USD
   WHAT? I had no idea it was that expensive. The positive thing about is that it has a nice gel like consistency, you don’t need much of the product and it makes your skin feel soft. The negative thing is that you get a massive tube and it’s only half filled, well at least that is what it seems like. That tube is made for like 50 ml, and you only get 30 ml. Doesn’t make any sense and that would be false advertising in Sweden.
3. L’oréal Paris Volume Express 75 ml 3,30 USD
   I don’t use hairspray too often, even though I should because my hair is so heavy to I tend to look like a wet cat. This hairspray has been around for ages, and it’s easy to understand why. It works and it’s cheap. It’s probably not the best out there but it definitely works for a night out and it’s easy to comb out when you get home.
4. Elisabeth Mott All day color lip laquer 5 gram, 25 USD
   This actually works quite well! It’s relatively easy to apply, might me easier to finish the lines with a lipstick brush because the big one that comes along get a bit clumpsy, but that also depends on how steady your hand is. It has a nail polish feel to it when you apply it, and after a few seconds it will dry and sink in to your lips and it last for a really long time. I put some on my hand and then wiped it off and the stain lasted for quite a few hand washes. I just wish there where more colors to pick from!
5. Emité Diamond heart base primer 35 ml, 39 USD
   FYI the one I received only contained 15 ml, so you would get a little bit more than double the amount. So what can I say about this primer? It has quite a runny texture, slightly tinted. Easy to apply but you need quite a lot of it because it sinks in to the skin quite quickly. It does give a slight glow to your skin, but nothing to significant. It does feel like my skin tends to get slightly oily/shiny during the day from this primer. But I can’t be sure if it’s this one or something else. I prefer mousse primers actually!

 

/Bella

Piccies

Here are some pictures from the shoot I did a couple of weeks ago. What do you think?

I really like them, they look so serene…

Photographer: Hasse Linden

/Bella

Vegan Cauliflower/Kale Peanut pasta

Ok so I don’t actually like pasta that much but this… THIS was amazing. So amazing that I’m actually writing this blogpost while eating it.

I found this recipe here, but I changed it according to what I had at home and it turned out amazing!

INGREDIENTS

• 300 gr whole grain spaghetti or soba noodles
• 200 gram cauliflower/broccoli
• 150 gram of Kale
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt

Peanut sauce

• 1 dl crunchy peanut butter
• 0,5  dl reduced sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the cauliflower and kale by rinsing it well and patting it dry. Slice off the tough lower ends of the stems and discard. Slice off any remaining stems that are over ¼-inch in diameter and discard those as well, since they will be too fibrous even after cooking.
2. Next, prepare the peanut sauce. In a bowl with or without liquid measuring cup, whisk together the ingredients until well blended. Set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and kale and season with a dash of salt and a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Toss to combine and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the leaves have wilted and the stems are easily pierced by a fork, about 8 minutes. You can also add some pasta water to make helt the cauliflower soften. Turn down to low heat.
4. Once the water is boiling, add the spagetti and cook just until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, return it in the skillet and toss with peanut sauce (you might not quite need all of it) until blended.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls and optionally top with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, a small squeeze of lime juice, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, if you’d like some extra heat.

ENYOJ!

 

*Picture is borrowed from website!

Thomas A. Edison says…

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”

/Bella

Abraham Lincoln says…

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years”

/Bella

Michael Jordan says…

“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them”

/Bella

Getting closer to my decison

It has been a lot of going back and forth, weighing the pros and the cons of either staying here or moving back to Melbourne.

I have done the test I told you about in my last post and it went okay, I think. But not good enough, I got 65 out of 80 on the verbal test and 30/80 on the quantitative part. This would give me a score of 1.0 out of 2.0 based on the spring result 2015, but based on the 2014 spring test, I would actually get 1.2 (don’t ask me how it works) Either way, it would still be far away from the score I would need. So that is why I am looking at studying somewhere else, because the grades I got from high school would alone be enough for me to do a Bachelor of Law if I wanted to.

I am looking at reading a few subjects at La Trobe or Swinburne, anyone that’s been studying there by the way? Below are some of my shortlisted subjects that Swinburne University offer.

• Fundamentals of Marketing
• Introduction to Entrepreneurship
• Social Marketing
• Foundations of International Business
• Introduction to Management
• Professional Communication Practice

The pros of staying here would be… well we wouldn’t have to move, at least not me (But I don’t want to be away from James for that long). But I don’t really wan’t to move right now, I am enjoying the shifting seasons and being home in normality of Sweden. Another pro of staying here, especially if I would be here alone is that I could potentially move away from Stockholm to work with something else within IKEA. There are so many great career opportunities when you work at IKEA. It is actually really good to start there if studying is not for you, but you still want to do something that traditionally requires studies. Interior design, customer relationship manager, marketing assistant or even storehouse manager would all be possible with some “uphm” from your side of course!

The biggest pros for us going back are 1) James could apply for permanent residency here in Sweden. 2) I could learn more about marketing and business, therefore I could also help out a lot more in the agency 3) I could probably get a job as a marketing assistant (would be impossible here), which would lead to me getting a lot of hands on experience. 4) I will meet fellow students with the same interest and aspirations as me in a very international environment 5) last but not least, maybe the biggest pro: SUN!

I think you can tell by all the pros on what we are looking to do XD

PS. Who is looking forward to another monthly Glossy box review?? “ME, ME!”

/Bella

To study or to work, that is the question…

Hello guys! 

The last few weeks have been slightly stressful for us, both regarding the business but also on the private side.

16k Agency and viewa haven’t really been going forward as quick as we wished and needed for it to do. Which is extremely annoying for us, mostly because every meeting we have been to, raving positive feedback is all we have gotten. Either all swedes are incredible liars (which I know most aren’t) or they are just incredibly slow or unwilling to take on new things. The fact that Sweden has the highest smart phone penetration is incredible. But I think we are very much ruled by what other do or have.

We need to rethink or plan, I want to study. Even though I am a strong believer that it is not essential with education. I know that you can work yourself up to the top. But what I have learnt during this year is that there is SO much that I need to learn, and I won’t be able to learn it all as quick as I want to. But also I want to learn more about this industry and I want to surround myself with like minded. 

Studying in Sweden is free, and almost all university’s and alike are public. This obviously means a very high pressure on each school, there are only so many that they can accept. Which of course leads to very high requirements and grades. It is just as hard to get in to a school to get a bachelor of marketing as it is to get one to become a doctor. There is also a test that you can do at any age to test your knowledge in English, Swedish and math and these results can help you to get in even though of you don’t have the right grades from high school. A bachelor of marketing takes AT LEAST 1,8 out of 2,0. So it is quite hard to compete about those spots. 

I am therefore forced to look at schools over seas. Right now it’s leaning towards us going back to Melbourne for 6 months or so. I’ll be able to study and my boyfriend will be able to work, and we can also apply for a partner visa for Sweden. Not super excited about going back even though it will of course be such a great oppurtunity and I’ll be able to see my sister again. I will also try and get a job at IKEA in Melbourne. I absolutely don’t want to give our agency up or viewa up but I think Sweden might not be ready for us just yet.

I’ll keep you updated of how it goes. Take care meanwhile and we’ll speak soon 

/Bella x