I have been sucked into various books recently, some self-help, others fiction and the occasional autobiographical ones. Reading them has made my mind a wonderful place to be in and has given me plenty to wonder about, something I enjoy doing. So, without further ado, here are books I loved devouring and think you should read too.
As I tune into creativity and inspiration with more dedication lately, I’ve found several creative initiatives that I admire. Some are artsy, some are business-y or culture orientated and in their own unique way they show me how people turn simple ideas and hobbies into projects, work, art, community gatherings or global initiatives. In this blog post, I share a couple of them with you, first some of the Cyprus-based ones, and then the international ones.
Inspiration in life is important, even if you are not a creative. But if you are, then it’s more than just important, it’s a fire that you can’t put out. Through my constant search for things that have meaning, be it art, hobbies or conversations, I have found a few people that remind me to go after brave, creative endeavours and to build a life and an identity I am truly proud of. This blog post is a brief guide to some of the people I follow – online or offline – whose work or essence inspires me.
After finishing the Journal With Me series on Instagram Live this April, I wanted to keep the fire we started together burning so I’ve compiled the prompts we used along with some journal books and other tools to help you continue writing. Whether you’re just testing the waters or you and your trusted journal go way back, the resources I collected can help dive deeper into introspection and self-discovery.
I’m always looking for something alternative to do and I love discovering new activities in Cyprus. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something fresh pops up. This felt like one of those moments. A series of flower workshops in Nicosia teaching different arrangement techniques. Exciting or what? During one of my Facebook scrolls looking for events for work, I came across this different kind of activity. The event’s cover photo caught my eye first. Colourful flowers spread out on a table and five brown-haired women creating bouquets. I love flowers and the idea of a series of workshops teaching different arrangement techniques sounded exciting!
Ah the staycation. Who would have known that this would be the summer 2020 trend? For those that don’t know what it means, a staycation is when you holiday in your country or close to home. For many of us in Cyprus, that meant long weekends in Protaras, excursions to Paphos or even just being at home, as I found myself doing towards the end of the season and surprisingly it was something I was in dire need of.
I’ve kept this space quiet recently as I tried to unpretzel my thoughts and wrap my head around the new reality which had all of us home-bound. Just when I made peace with self-isolation and the rollercoaster of mood swings that come along with it, things changed again, ‘returned to normal’ and once more we must get used to a new way of living.
What the world is going through right now with the COVID-19 pandemic is quite crazy and if you’re self-isolating at home, it can quickly turn into an overwhelming experience. But it doesn’t have to if you make good use of your time and get creative, not only to watch the minutes go by faster but to also stay sane during this wild episode we’re living in.
Engulfed by the Easter spirit and trying to honour tradition, I decided to ask my grandmother to show me how she makes her famous tsourekia and in this way create cherished memories with this 90-year old soul. What went down was a sweet and funny chronicle I’ll always remember.
The essence of fasting is a clearance of your body's toxins and habitual substances to prepare for a holy significance. Besides physical toxins, there are emotional and behavioral habits that need to be flushed out every once in a while, so it's important to choose something whose absence you'll really notice. Hence, why not take the tradition of fasting a step further and give your bad habits or your routine a detox?
The mayhem and the anxiety of doing some worth-the-while on Valentine's day kind of turns off romanticism. Love doesn't need a specific holiday to be expressed or shown. Instead, I'm proposing that we all aim to experience love every day of the year, through many different scenarios. Here are 14 ways how:
It's a immense thing to handle... responsibility, and scary at times but only this way we have the power to make it into whatever we want life to be. Grab it by the horns, localize yourself and ask what it is you want exactly.
Christmas is meant to be a time of love, an excuse to meet up, and whether or not our society practices that, I’ll take any reason to spend some time with my grandma. I decided to document the kourabiedes-making with my Lellou and share my insights about dealing with the Christmas holidays
Before you set your new year’s resolutions, look back at what 2018 has brought and make its last couple of weeks count by doing something different. I’ve recently come across an alternative advent calendar that’s all about simple, good deeds. Keep reading to discover what it is and how it works.
With 2018 rapidly coming to an end, I’ve looked back at everything that this year has brought and dare I say so, it’s been a good one! And I am even more fueled to make the rest of it count.
During a summer where the feeling of change was persistently creeping up at my door and I was trying to accept and welcome possible amendments, I decided to do something I haven't experienced before, something out of my comfort zone; go on my first solo trip.
This is not your typical best-summer-beaches post but a perfectly normal reflection of self and of taking a deep inner look towards one's inner development. In a way it acts as a reminder to myself and I hope if it speaks to me, perhaps some of you can also relate and gain something from it.
I went on an inter-communal weekend-long road trip visiting the island's ten most beautiful viewpoints in both the southern and the northern edges of the island in quest to rediscover more of the land I call home.
After the huge June 2016 fires which completely devoured an 18.5km green area in Solea valley near Ayios Theodoros, the forestry department has created a re-forestation plan in hope to bring the scenery back to life. I joined a group of volunteers on an early Saturday morning to help re-plant trees.
In one of my favourite months of the year, a lot has occurred in October 2016. My first newspaper article was published, tonsolitis had me bed-bound and I took part in my first art bazaar selling my work. In this post, I look back at what autumn 2016 brought and relfect on a few discoveries.
Back in 2016, I challenged myself to spend more time alone, to feel comfortable in my own skin and to test if I can still enjoy social spaces without the company of others. It was a journey of introspection and here I share my realisations on the matter and finding balance between being an obsessed social bunny to a balanced mind.
As part of the Global Shaper’s project ‘Refugee Fun Day’ I got a personal encounter with a Lebanese refugee, mother of three, staying at the Refugee camp at Kofinou village. It’s a day I won’t forget.
I have been sucked into various books recently, some self-help, others fiction and the occasional autobiographical ones. Reading them has made my mind a wonderful place to be in and has given me plenty to wonder about, something I enjoy doing. So, without further ado, here are books I loved devouring and think you should read too.