20 before 21: What to do before I turn 21

So I just picked this idea of this year's birthday goals list from my penpal and friend Michelle. I'm turning 21 in 2 months, and even though I don't have much time at the moment (exams and stuff), there are some things I'd like to know before my birthday comes/leaving to Korea.

01. Tell my friends how much I love them

Friends are my everything, and even though I could count my REAL friends with my two hands, it's always nice to tell them how awesome they are. That's why I want to dedicate part of my free time to them. Lucas is leaving to Cali, Raquel and Mariona are going to Taiwan, Àngel to Tokyo, Esther, Lisa and Arnau are staying in Barcelona... Distance it's gonna be tough, but... Friendship will stay :)

Buddiez <3

02. Throw a party "Till the World Ends" once I finish my exams

It's been a long time I haven't gone partying/thrown a party, and because of exams and stuff I haven't been rather like a "hikkikomori" recently. Raquel and I want to make the BEST party ever 8D You're all invited btw, hah!

03. Bake something

I have a personal tradition, which is baking a cake/cookies once my exam season is over. Baking helps me distressing for some reason ^_^

Chocolate&Vanilla cupcakes I baked 2 years ago c: Yummy~

4. Clean up the house a bit

My boyfriend is coming over this summer and he's gonna live in my place for 5 weeks, and even though I clean my place every week, I want to give a good impression (ahem)... He loved it when he first came, but still... I'm rather a picky and stubborn person when it comes to cleaning! XD

5. Spend more time with my family

My grandmas and parents are really worried about me going to Korea. Obviously they try not to talk about it, but I feel like I should spend even more time with them now that I'm here. Skype is free and I'll call every week if I have to, but obviously it won't be the same.

Me and my two cousins lol <3 I'm gonna miss them! 

6. Buy myself a new laptop and phone

I'm super broke at the moment, but I don't think I'll be able to bring this shitty HP with me -_- It needs to be plugged and it overheats so easily! My phone is critical as well, the battery lasts (literally) 4 hours! x_x Let's see if I can renew my babies before flying to Korea.

8. Save as much money as I can

Japan, Vietnam, the US... There are so many places I want to visit ;_;

9. Brush up on my Korean

I shouldn't depend on my English when I move to Korea, so yes! I need to review that base of Korean I have (digged in my brain lol) before I get to Seoul!

10. Keep improving my Japanese

Korea is full of Japanese people! I won't be able to take Japanese classes at HUFS (due to this confusing timetable no one understands lol), so I want to find Japanese people I can practice with. I don't want to forget the language after 4 years studying it >_<

My first letter to Taeko, a penpal from Hokkaido (Japan) :)

11. Dress more feminine

Summer is coming, and I definitely WANT to dress more feminine! x_x I hate when people thinks I'm 15/16 when they see me (when I'm actually turning 21 soon), and I don't know.... I feel like I should change my way to dress now that I'm leaving (New life, new style? Haha). Dresses, skirts and accessories... Come to me!

I miss braids ^_^

12. Get good grades

Do I really need to explain? Haha~ That's 100% up to me, get good marks so my parents and (myself) are proud of my hard work :)

13. Catch up with series

Once Upon a Time, The Office, Girls, Breaking Bad, Modern Fmaily, HIMYM... There are tons of TV series I quitted due to exams & boredom! I'll have time to waste in June so... SERIES MARATHON IN 3, 2...!

14. Mentally prepare myself for Korea

Call me sensitive, haha! I've always lived with my parents and I've never moved abroad... Korea it's definitely gonna be a big change for me, away from my friends and family... I'll be re-united with my dearest Korean friends, though ^_^

I miss Sunjung ;______; <3 Can't wait to be with her again!

15. Think of all the things I need to take with me when I move

aka write a list!

16. Visit my summer village

Sant Antoni de Calonge is a village with almost 3000 inhabitants located in Empordà, the northern coast of Catalonia. I've been going there every summer since I was a 2 year-old toddler, and it's like my second home to me. I definitely want to visit it during my holidays, I'm gonna miss it so much! >_<

17. End up with bad diet habits

In a nutshell, I need to control my diet! BUT HEY! I'm not talking about gaining or losing weight (don't get me wrong). What I'm trying to say is, I'll be living on my own for a whole school year and I'll need to control what I eat or what I don't eat. I have the bad habit of (for example) not eating when I'm not hungry, even though that's super bad or the body and viceversa: I eat like a pig when I'm starving. That's not healthy at all, so I need to stop doing that when I move! I won't have mommy if suddenly my tummy hurts, so ending up with skipping meals and "nom-till-you're-dead"meals it's the first step!

18.  Find people who is going to HUFS on Internet

I already found a Thai girl and an Ukranian girl on Interpals who will be exchange students in HUFS, just like me ^_^ Can't wait to be good friends with her and meet new people! 

19. Keep in touch with my best friends

Tyler, Peter and Luke in the States, Esther, Lisa and Arnau in Spain...! Best friends (and boyfriend lol) are everlasting, right? I'm definitely gonna be in touch with them despite all odds (aka time difference lol)! ò__ó I promise!

20. Quit Postcrossing

That's the saddest of the news... :( But since I need to save a lot of money (and I'm changing my address soon) I should stop with postcard swaps for a while. I'm considering retaking it once I'm in Korea, but I still don't know. That doesn't mean I'll quit snail mailing! (Of course not!) However, I'l stop writing in July and re-take it once I'm settled in Korea, so letters don't get lost in the way or get to my mailbox in Spain when I'm already in the other side of the world, lol!

I'm definitely gonna miss my postcard albums... ;_;

And this is all by now, buddies! Wish me luck, I'll try to achieve all this goals before the 7th July :) You guys think I'll make it? XD Haha~

Love,

CL

Exam season & Final May snail mail update

Exams are already knocking on my door! I'm proud that I had finished all my papers&projects, but I still need to study a lot x_x!!! This upcoming weekend it's gonna be extremely boring, so don't expect super interesting posts lol. During the meantime, this what my week consisted in:

I proudly wore this derpy French braid on Monday, it was a free day in Spain so I met my friend Nhaem and we got Japanese food together. I ordered katsudon, yumum ^_^ Later we walked around the city center and we passed by "L'arc del Bisbe" (in English, the Arch of the Bishop). It is said if you pass through it and you make a wish, it'll come true! It worked last time so...! I completely trust this arch! ;)

On Wednesday Mariona and I went to have lunch together and we *ahem* studied at Starbucks. There was no way to be completely focused haha, but spending time with her it's always great :> I'm gonna miss her so much when she leaves to Taipei... >_<

 On Thursday I met my cutie Marion in the morning, we came across in the International Relations office at uni (still dealing with the paperwork for our exchange program, ugh--- x_x). She's going to Zhejiang University in Hangzhou when I'm in Seoul! I'm gonna miss her too >-< We'll be super busy soon and we won't be able to meet, so we spent some time together lying in the grass and enjoying this sunny (but moody) spring weather! ^-^


My weekend basically consisted in meeting friends and going to the hospital (my godmother just had surgery and we need to look after her). On Sat I met my friends and we went to the beach, the weather was pretty windy and chilly, but we still nojyed our time together. 

Irrelevant train station lol

That night I went with Luke to have some drinks (He was paying, so...! <3 Sigh, I love him!). I kinda felt like dressing up, so I put a fancy shirt, my heels and I met him at 9.30. He had a mojito and I had a strawberry caipirinha. We had two rounds each, so we were a little tipsy haha! I'm gonna miss him so much when he leaves to Cali... :( But I try not to think about it!

And that's pretty much it, buddies! Today I'm studying for this thee upcoming exams next week (Japanese Linguistics, Kanji and Asian Gender&Society) and I won't go out, lol~ Basically I'm still on my pj's, wearing glasses and looking hideous (yay!) Cmon cmon, I can do it! ò_ó

 Now let's check this past week's incoming ^_^

 Postcards from Danielle in Canada (top) and Nicole from Malaysia (bottom)

My second letter from Olivia in Norway ^_^ I loved the postcard, thank you so much! I replied back last Tuesday so, hope she gets it soon!  

I finally got my first postcard/letter from Jennifer in New Mexico (US). She's coming over to Spain this summer and she was looking for Spanish penpals, so I didn't hesitate to be the first ^_^ I love this huge postcard she wrote in! However, I need more space to write all she wants to know, haha, so I'll reply in letter paper.

Michelle's letter is finally here, yay! ^-^ She's the best at decorating envelopes with washi tape, really! And she always gets the cuttest stamps *sigh* I loved the "Incredibles" one! I already replied back and I'll send it next week.

Christin's letter is finally here! She's been kind of busy, so she didn't write much this time >_< She promised me longer letters in summer, though! :') 

Kelsie's letter arrived after two months of delay :\ She's not going through her best moment, but I'll try to cheer her up somehow! The pink envelope was cute, though :)

I got this small parcel from Katherine in the UK ^^ She made a CD with her favourite sounds and sent me a bag of pur Yorkshire Tea! Yumyum, can't wait to taste it ^_^

Judy's envelope was ripped off this time :( (d**n customs!). Unfortunately, nothing was missing! She told me she made new friends in Guangzhou (where she studies) and she's considering going to Hong Kong this next semester. I envy her so much ;_;

This is all by now, ladies and gentlemen! ^_^ Time to do our best and pray for good marks! Love you all!

Love from,

CL

Middle May Snail mail Update

I barely have time to be on Internet these days because of all the schoolwork I need to do, also I'm very very mad because Nikon Service and Repair told me I need to pay 318€ for my baby's reparation, so I guess I'll just sell a kidney and a piece of my spinal so I can pay it (?) Meh, whatever! I always feel like I rant way too much in here lol

Before you all die of boredom I'm gonna update this with my most recent incoming :)

 Today I was walking around the street and I just fell in love with these Barcelona polaroid postcards I saw <3 I bought six and I'm gonna send em to Kelly and Jenne, whose envelopes were ready to go till I found something cute to send them. Aren't they aborable? ♥

Kim from Cali (USA) and Chiaki from Hiroshima in Japan

Ash from Taiwan (left), Djuli from the Netherlands (top) and Denise from Singapore (bottom)

Hayal from Turkey and Vuong from Vietnam (YAY, MY 3rd POSTCARD FROM VIETNAM ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥)

Bianca from Tokyo, Japan and Nastya from Ukraine 

Ruth-Anne from Arizona (US) Thanks deary! I love that kawaii stationery she always uses ♥

I'm always afraid that Nadya's letters from Russia don't get me on time (Sigh, I don't trust Russian post! D: ) but yes, I got it this time ^_^ She sent me some floral stickers as well, thank you so much! I know you read me haha, so I give you a shoutout! ;) ♥

I'm always happy to get Dede's letters ^-^ ♥She might come to Barcelona soon, I'd love to meet her tbh ;_; (She would be the first penpal I have ever met in real life!) Let's see how things work out, though!

So, what about me? As you might have assumed, I'm in my exam season already (that means exams&projects till the 5th June! x_x) Ugh, I can't wait to finish them all. The good side of it is, I feel like it passes quickly! So yeah, good luck to you all and let's be positive! Summer vacation in a month, yayayayayay! Cheer up everyone ;)

Love and hugs,

CL ♥

Missing my Nikon so bad...

It's been a week since I brought my baby D3100 to Nikon Repair Center, and it seems I can't stop finding more excuses to take good pictures x_x I need my camera back, sob... I've done so many things this week and I had to use my d**n phone duh... And I hate it :\ My battery lasts 3h without even touching it and I bought so many batteries already that I just want to throw it away. I need a new phone as soon as possible, but I don't have the money to buy a new one D: I even have to turn it off sometimes so the battery doesn't run off in minutes lol... I can't live this way!

Sigh well.. After this small rant sorry ;_; I'll tell you about this wonderful week I just had ^_^ The 1st May was a free day in Europe, so me and my parents went to this village we usually spend our holidays in (I'll tell you where it is someday ;) ). My dad wanted to stay in a new campsite this year, so we just walked around a few to see if they were worth it. We ended up picking the same we always go c:

Those are the views from one of the campsites we visited. I love how blue the Mediterranean Sea looks like :) 

The sea looked so blue and transparent... ;_; You see why I need my camera now? *cries*

We had lunch in a fancy bar next to the sea. It's kind of expensive so we just go there every once in a while lol~ It was worth it though, the food is always delicious and the views are breathtaking. Also the village wasn't that crowded yet, so we enjoyed the visit.

On Thursday I went to have lunch with Marion, a friend of mine from university. She had never tasted Korean food before so we went to have some "samgyeopsal" and "bibimbap". We also ordered a bowl of rice for each of us and fried noodles, so at the end we were pretty full! But it was worth it, of course c:

Then she told me she had never had bubble tea either lol what a sacrilege so we went to have some. She ordered the original one (black tea & milk) and I ordered my favourite of all times: Taro *-* Hope in Korea is cheaper lol it costed me €.340 ;_;

On Friday morning I met Luke and we had a tea in Caelum, a very fancy café I (try to) go as often as I can. It's a very quaint and well-decorated café in the city center, the beverages are spectacular, but their speciality are the pastries...

WHY EVERYTHING LOOKS SO YUMMY? ;_; They're daily made by nuns, and I can assure you they're all delicious! I wish I could taste them all at the same time, haha >-< Once I had a piece of chocolate cake, the waitress put some strawberry jam as a surprise and put it a few secs on the microwave... The inside chocolate of the cake melted with the jam and OH MY GOD, NOW I KNOW WHY THEY CHOSE THE WORD "HEAVEN" IN LATIN TO NAME THIS CAFÉ 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Later in the afternoon I met my friends to go to "Feria de Abril", the copy of the typical "Seville Fair" but in Barcelona. They obviously had very typical Southern Spanish things, and many people were wearing the typical "flamenca" dress.

Churros, nomnomnom c: 

Some Galician pastries 

There were so many food stands to choose from, but I finally bought this "Salchipapas" thingy lol (Hot dogs cut in pieces with French fries, mayo & ketchup ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥)

(PS. I know this is not typical Spanish or anything but I just couldn't resist it ;_;)

Then we found a real fair, yay! (In the left, my friend Hiroki taking a picture) 

Honestly I wanted to give a try to all those rides but I didn't trust the ppl controlling them, lol

Finals are coming very soon so, since I don't have my DLSR with me + exams I might abandon this a bit >< I'll try not to, I'm going to La Rioja in a few weeks and I'd love to take good pictures with my just-repaired baby camera (but that's not up to me! D: ) ♥  However, I need to work hard on those exams&projects so I can enjoy my summer after them! :) 



Let's be positive!♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Love,
CL