Little Things 9

New Challenges, A New Month & Some New Joys

Happy Sunday! February is finally here after the last month seeming to stretch on for 331 days rather than 31. January was a month beset with talk of new challenges and starting afresh. Hopefully, now we’ve made it to February the pressure of goal-setting and the new-year madness will ease.

The past couple of weeks have been like any other; early-starts, teaching, lesson planning and early-nights. I’m still pursuing daily yoga practice. My balance still needs a lot of work, but followed by a hearty breakfast, early-mornings have never felt so good. Yoga aside, here are a couple of little joys from over the past two weeks.

Attending my first Japanese class

A couple of weeks ago I enrolled in a beginner’s Japanese course which being in Madrid, is unsurprisingly taught in Spanish. Yeah, I’m also questioning my sanity. Japan is a country that has always enticed me. Their distinct culture is fascinating and learning the language has been an intention of mine for a couple of years now.

As aforementioned in my Madrid Diaries, I haven’t spoken as much Spanish as I would have liked since arriving. Working as a language teacher, I’m required to speak to students in my native tongue at all times. Therefore, during the two 3-hour Japanese classes I’ve attended, I’ve already spoken more Spanish than I have since I stepped off the aeroplane in September. So by learning Japanese and also communicating in Spanish, you could say I’m killing two birds with one stone.

It is difficult. Unlike French and Spanish, Japanese requires not only learning vocab and grammar but an entirely new writing system. The first lesson was focused on learning Hiragana, one component of the Japanese writing system and their basic phonetic script. After one week of quizzing myself, I managed to memorise all 46 characters. To our joy, the second class involved learning even more alterations. My head hurts just thinking about it. From taking up yoga to learning a new language, 2019 seems to be the year of challenging myself.

The Naked Cherry Palette

Now, I don’t talk about makeup much on this little online space of mine. However, I received the Naked Cherry palette for Christmas and I’m in love. At first glance, they’re not colours I would normally dip my brush into; lavished with shimmering pinks and warm peaches. I’m partial to warm, bronze tones. However, I’ve enjoyed playing with this lately. The formula is incredible. I’d say it’s on par with my holy-grail Morphe Jaclyn Hill palette, each shadow is ultra pigmented. What’s your current go-to palette?

Mellow Music

Whenever I’m working, be it lesson planning or typing up blog posts, I normally do so in complete silence. If I were to stick the charts on, two minutes later I’d be dancing around, singing along, work would be out of the window. However, one album that’s accompanied me over the past week has been ‘Planet Stardom’ by Nick Dorian. This is an album comprised of wistful sounding songs and mellow beats which don’t provoke any of my awful dancing mid-writing session.

Finally February

We’ve made it to the end of January! Although I felt like I was dragging myself up a steep hill towards the end of it, January turned out to be an amazing month for my blog. After months of drifting through the blogosphere receiving a steady 400 views each month, I somehow managed to triple that number – I hit 1.2K views in January. While I don’t have a solid writing routine per se, I’ve dedicated more of my spare time to creating or planning new blog content. Uploading on a more regular basis has without a doubt been beneficial too.

I’m nothing but grateful for all the comments and love I’ve received, in particular on Why I Write. This post wasn’t planned, however, after a couple of hours typing away, it wound up being one of my favourites yet. The feedback just reinforces one of the many reasons why I adore writing so much. May February be another successful blogging month full of love and productivity.

Blogging aside, I don’t have too many plans for February. My parents are coming to visit at the end of the month though which I’m oh so excited about. I’ve been struggling with homesickness a lot recently. Although I’ve only been away a month, I miss all my home comforts and the familiarity of petty family arguments. So, I’m looking forward to strolling around Madrid with los padres, eating good food and soaking up every minute before I have to wave them goodbye again.

Lovesick

I guess it’s becoming a Little Things tradition to mention a Netflix series I’ve devoured during the week. It would be rude not to really. Yep, this week I discovered Lovesick, and I honestly don’t know how it took me so long. After adoring Sex Education, I was thrilled to notice some similarities. It tackles a poignant topic and seamlessly mixes it with humour.

Lovesick follows Dylan, who after finding out he has an STD, gets back in touch with every girl he has ever slept with to break them the bad news. The show then flashes back over the course of 7 years, showing his relationships and those of his flatmates; they’re real, messy and complicated. There’s the awkward romantic, the shallow best friend, and the girl next door, Evie, who’s hidden lasting love for Dylan causes headaches as the show progresses.

It’s British, witty, romantic, and whoever created the soundtrack deserves an award. It’s such an underrated show. What to watch next?

Recent Posts

Mini Reviews: Thrills, Tensions and Trust
Why I Write
January Reading Wrap-Up

Every week be sure to let me know what you’ve been loving! 
What are some of your recent favourites? TV recommendations, foodie finds, music you’ve been listening to, let me know in the comments!

Evie

♥