I have been a bit AWOL the past days, but I have a REALLY good reason. I went to LONDON! My wonderful man offered a trip to the magnificent city of my heart and we flew from last Thursday to Monday. It was so great to return to where my heart is home even though we missed the red carpet premiere of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (heretofore called FBAWTFT) by an inch (it was on the 15th and we went there on the 18th) BUT we saw the official midnight premiere in the Odeon cinema on Leicester Square and it was AMAZING! 
​But step for step...We had to get up really early as we flew from Munich and arrived at the hotel about twelve hours later, knowing we still had the midnight premiere ahead and would be awake over 24 hours. Still, our minds were high-spirited and we went to Leicester Square to return my HPCC tickets as it was the same night as FBAWTFT. After that we wandered through Leicester Square up to Regent Street and I saw the probably most magnificent Christmas decoration I have ever seen. Regent Street and surrounding streets were embellished with huge angels hanging down and stretching their gigantic wings from one side to the other. Unfortunately, they weren't lit and I must admit I had a little come-on-Britain-you're-the-nation-of-Christmas-what's-wrong-with-you? moment until we reached a crowd of people in Regent Street, gathered around a podium on which a woman was standing and speaking to the public. Intended as a joke, I said "you know, probably they are officially lighting the Christmas lights" and when they started a countdown, my man said "I think that is what they are actually doing." 
Can you believe it? By mere coincidence we witnessed the official lighting of the Christmas decoration, accompanied by marvellous fireworks. We were so happy and the angels looked amazing being lit. 
After long hours of waiting (and two hours of blissful sleeping in the hotel), it was finally time for FBAWTFT and I can only say it is ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWING! I will neither spoil you nor do I think I could actually find the words to describe the fantastic movie, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and think any Harry Potter fan - as well as everyone else who has a taste for fantasy fiction and movies - will truly love this movie. 
I actually had to cry when it started, especially as the theme of the score started with the classic Harry Potter tune, you know which one I mean, right? Du, Du, Da, da, da, da, daaaaa, da...yeah, right, that one. 
Anyway, moving on (is that a pun?). Another cool part of the trip was when we visited the FBAWTFT exhibition in MinaLima's gallery. Briefly explained, MinaLima is the creative graphic designing team behind Harry Potter and FBAWTFT and their work is great. I had already visited their HP exhibition (as described in tasteofbritain.weebly.com) but now they have their own location which is so cool because it is a totally old and crooked house and looks as if they made it to look like a house in HP. Eduardo Lima, half of the team, was there and signed my copy of FBAWTFT and we had a little chat. At the first exhibition I bought a book with the graphic designs of HP in it and I asked him whether there would be one of FBAWTFT and he told me that they couldn't do that anymore because of copyright issues and that of the very book I had purchased there had only been a thousand copies and it was becoming more and more valuable by the minute. Can you believe it???? I actually own one of these thousand copies that no one else will ever have because they will never be printed. Like never again...still, can't believe it. And my copy is even signed! 
Alright, hysteria aside, moving on to something completely else. Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Ever been? I think it's pretty cool, especially the Bavarian Village where my man and I just pondered about what kind of image English people must have of Bavarians (actually, quite an accurate one - beer, pretzels, drinking and partying...that pretty much sums it up). We also wanted to go ice-skating but as it was shamelessly expensive (14 pounds for 15 minutes!!) we decided not to in the end and just enjoyed the Christmassy atmosphere. 
There was also another peculiar event. I seem to have special vibes for Germans and Americans. On the plane back to Germany, I sat next to a really nice German girl with whom I chatted during the flight and she was just as undeniably charming as she was undeniably German (many people might argue these two things don't go together, but believe me, they do, I think Germans are often very underestimated). I must send out a specific American/German friendly vibe which reaches out to them, I don't know. However, we bonded over discussing her wedding and moving-to-England plans and talking about education and teaching, but we decided we were friends when I said I am planning Youtube videos on my channel called PotterTalk and she pulled out a worn out copy of HP and declared we were now friends. This is why I am so happy I am a Potterhead because it bonds you with people. If someone is a HP fan, this person is my friend and vice versa. At the MinaLima exhibition I overheard a woman saying they had seen FBAWTFT at the midnight premiere and I told her we had been there too which resulted in a long chat with her and her daughter about how AWESOME Harry Potter is and we declared each other as friends before everyone went their own ways again. It's magical (get it?) and wonderful. There will always be this community for me who, regardless from where they are, what they're doing, how old they are and which sex they have who are my friends. My fellow Potterheads. And where in the world could you better find Potterheads than in Great Britain, huh? 

Don't worry, I am not about to break up with my man and tell you I don't even want to remain friends with him. I love him and even though we seem to fight considerably more these days, I couldn't live without him. 
No, this is about the difficulty to dissolve friendships or other relations and the lack of guidance there is around for that. 
There are hundreds and hundreds of advice websites, books, blogs, etc, etc which tell you how to break up with your boyfriend and try to remain friends (or not), but no guides on how to ditch a friend. 
At the moment I am reading the stories of the ingenious Marian Keyes (God, I love her) and she pondered in a short (and very funny, it's Marian Keyes, after all) sentence that you never learn how to break up with friends and it made me think about it. 
I have a very bad relation to friendships - all people in my family have. We are five people, my mum, dad and my two sisters and I, and ever since I was born it was the five of us against the world. Our mother protected us from everyone, with good intentions, but my sisters and I all have problems finding suitable friends. The issue with that is that my mother - bless her - made the big mistake to raise us to have expectations of our friends. Baaaaaad mistake. It led to me being permanently let down. 
When I was at Montessori school, I had three close friends, one of which was a bit of an independent know-it-all and when she VOLUNTARILY left school and therefore her friends, I was so sorely disappointed in her that we weren't friends anymore (I'm not saying this problem solely relies on other people, in case you were wondering). 
When I entered high school, I met a girl called Nina who became my best friend. I even chose her, but I always choose the outsiders - probably because I am one myself. 
Anyway, we remained friends all through the four years of school but then she decided her boyfriend was more important to her and I decided I don't need friends who don't give a shit about me, so I dumped her. 
A couple of years ago, I had a big meltdown (I was seventeen, you have to start early if you want to do it successfully) and ended the friendship with a childhood friend because I simply couldn't deal with her anymore at that time. This is particularly horrible, it was not about not wanting or having lost interest, but genuinely not being able to keep up a relation with a person which, at that point, was costing too much of my energy. I was devastated. We had a big fight - understandably, as there are no guides how to gently let down a friend - and didn't see each other for some time and whenever I knew she was in town, I was slightly anxious and prayed we wouldn't run into each other because I felt so crap about the situation. 
Also with Nina the high school friend. We didn't have a fight. At some point, I simply stopped talking to her, but for a long while I dreaded seeing her and whoever has been to Innsbruck knows that there is a GOOD FUCKING CHANCE you will, as it is quite a small city. 
The best way probably, but for it to work both parties have to have lost interest, is the slowly-growing-apart-and-then-realising-you-have-nothing-in-common-with-this-person-anymore method, like it happened with me and some childhood friends. You will still be kind when you meet and probably even say "we really should meet up and chat", but both parties know it will never ever happen. 
So why is there no such thing as a guide to breaking up with your friend? Possibly, because it is required of you to stay with the people you choose (scary thought, I will never choose another friend anymore) or because it is different to say things like "you are weird and most things you do are boring and I don't want to hear anything about it anymore, please leave me in peace" in a non-offensive manner.
This actually brings me to another subject I wanted to talk about and I apologise for my flimsy mind, but it will be a short digression. I think it is very interesting that the better you know (and like) a person, the ruder you get. Shouldn't it be vice versa? Probably not, as you can only be completely yourself with people you can trust won't leave you immediately for naughty behaviour. For instance, one of my dear friends is a gamer and she talks about computer games a lot and people who know me know that I HATE computer games and think they're the worst waste of time. However, instead of saying I am not interested, I keep smiling and nodding and then slowly start to tick off the list for the week in my head while she continues to talk about games (always asking "do you know that..." and I am like "no, stop asking me, when it comes to games, I don't not ANYTHING and it makes me feel stupid and old if you permanently talk about things I don't know" - of course, I only say these things in my head, to her I say "I think I have heard of it.")
The reason why I listen to her is, of course, because I have no courage...no, kidding, because I care about her and also because I guess she has to listen to a lot of my shit she isn't particularly interested in. However, when my man starts explaining about games (he is a gamer too, what kind of vibes do I send out?), I say "my darling love, I love you, but please  shut up." Why wouldn't I listen to him out of politeness? Well, I guess it is as I always say (and with always I mean it just popped into my head) "if you have good friends, you listen. If you have even better friends, you don't." My man is the only person in the world with whom I am exactly like with my family. I don't listen to him and admit it if he asks; I insult him if necessary; we tease each other constantly; criticise our clothing style, etc, etc...still, we love each other to bits. 
Probably we should use the same, lame tricks when it comes to breaking up with a friend. "It's not your fault that I perceive you as so boring", "I will always remember our time with a smile in my mind (and now especially as I don't have to see you anymore)" or "I feel like I have outgrown this relationship, I am a much better person now." 
Alright, slightly exaggerated now and then, but you get the point, right? Well, at the moment I have no friends to ditch and am quite happy with the people around me, but whenever I should come into the situation where I want a friend to get lost, I might write a friend breaking up guidance book and people all over the world will read it and call their friends, saying "Look, I've recently read this book and I think we need to talk" and the friend will answer "Funny story, I was just about to say the same" and I will make a shitload of money for breaking people up, but, hey, they will do it in a manner where they might even remain friends thereafter... 
​

I know it's been quite quiet on my blog for a couple of days, but I had to process what was going on. I mean TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT???? What the fuck? Have the Americans now completely lost their minds? Thooooough, not looking that much better in Europe, does it? 
I just cannot believe that we have actually just stepped about sixty years in the past with EVERYTHING! Every progress Obama managed to achieve will be ruthlessly squandered by this evil man called Trump (or Drumpf, as his ancestors were called...kind of loses the successability factor to it, doesn't it). 
Of course as a woman I am specifically outraged - especially when I think of women in America actually voting for this misogynist, sexist asshole. I mean, how can you eradicate 30 years of female emancipation? Yeah, right, one misplaced tick will do.
But don't worry, I will not wear you down with my personal opinion about Trump like EVERYONE ELSE. If you're interested in my expansive personal insight into the topic and how I link it with - what else? - the public school system, click here to visit my Youtube channel WhateverFloatsYourBoat and watch my video on the US Election and Public School systems and PLEASE comment, I would love to hear your opinions on it. 

These dark times can frustrate and desperate us; however, I believe (or want to believe) that every situation - however hopeless it seems - can enlighten and enrich us. Probably sometimes people have to vote crap in order to realise why they shouldn't vote crap. 
At the moment I am learning to play the guitar and for exercise I write little songs with the chords I need to practice. Today I practiced E minor and D major and the following song came out - it might, slightly, have something to do with what is going on at the moment. 

Out of Our Minds - an original piece by Angie 

How could we get this far, I don't know how...
The world has just turned around, all upside down.
There is no way in or out, we seem so lost...
But can it be, no, will it be at such high a cost? 

Are we out, out of our minds? 
Out, out of our minds? 
Are we out of our minds? 

There seems no hope wherever you go, everything wiped out, 
the rights for her, religious freedom, all are in doubt. 
Step by step, we're going back where we don't want to be, 
To a world where no one was safe, equal, free. 

I am practicing at the moment and as soon as it is halfway decently played I will record it and share it on Facebook. 
Thank you for reading and have a great week and NEVER GIVE UP!

After all the ranting and the ups and downs of my toe (actually, there was no up or down in the past weeks as I had to rest it, but you get the point, right?) and the excitement of steering a death vehicle (aka car), negativity took its toll but I have finally banned it from my heart, my soul and my website. 

Today, I want to write about something which was triggered by a chat with my brilliant father. He worked in education for a long time - as did, and still does, my mother - and we talked about the phases of human beings and their development and needs. He knows a lot about children development and I have worked with many people and even more children in my life, so I want to share some general revelations with you in this post which is going to be quite a report, so I would recommend to read only if you have time, a cup of tea in your hand and made a bladder-check. 
Check? 
Alright, then let's start. 

You know that one of my friends, N, came over for Halloween and we had a blast of a time, but there is something I have noticed - not only with her but with all people in that age (she is nineteen and I am an old, haggard woman with my twenty-four compared to her). 
As the past years have made me much more careful in a phase which I would describe as the "phase of disillusionment", people in their late teens have something I would call "positive arrogance towards the world". They jump even if they don't know what's on the other side, they are fearless and shamelessly arrogant towards the world - and I mean arrogant in the best of ways here, you might also say shamelessly fierce.
According to my dad, they are that way because they haven't suffered yet, haven't failed epically - on a bigger scale - and are on top of the hierarchy they know (school). They are freshmen of the world, fresh soldiers who haven't seen the bloodshed yet and are motivated, eager to attack and also refreshingly naive. 
Now, I don't want to say that I know what suffering means with my twenty-four years, I don't. Even if you add the five years, existential fears are still something I haven't experienced (thank God), but still I have entered the phase of disillusionment where you realise that 
a) no one in the world cares about you
b) you are the very bottom of the working  world hierarchy 
c) people don't take you seriously because you're still wet behind your ears 

To point (a). I don't say this with embitterment anymore, but, of course, when you first realise it, there is some level of disillusionment (at least there was for me). You are just a wheel in a huge machine, meant to do your part in order to make everything work. 

And here, the key point lies, I think. I believe that people develop in stages of stability or instability - egotism and communal sense. Neither of it is bad or good, it is just how we develop and it is essential that we be supported in our various stages and realise that people who are in an unstable phase need more support. But let me explain it in a more structured way (oh, university, if only I could stop hearing your voice...) 

​Phase 1: Baby 
We are born and don't have a feeling for who we are. We see ourselves as a part of the world. We have no I-feeling yet. 

Phase 2: Toddler/Child Transition 
When children are about three years old (like, for example, one of my former proteges), they enter a stage in which they shape and define their personality and become children. This stage I would define as a phase of instability which also explains their tantrums, mood changes and general awfulness...I mean, difficult behaviour... (no, actually, they are stinking cute at that stage, but they certainly do develop their voice and opinion). 
I believe it is essential to support children that age in their egotism and instability because they need it in order to develop their personality without any obstruction. Requesting empathy and understanding for others is impossible at that stage because these children are so preoccupied with themselves that it is literally impossible to include anyone else in their equation called life. Of course, that doesn't mean that they're monsters (or are they?) but that their priorities lie with themselves and it is important that they're given the space for this stage of their development. 

Phase 3: Being a Child Within the Community
My mum always says (and Maria Montessori does so, too) that children develop in three-year-stages and it is true. 0-3: stable, within world view; 3-6: unstable phase of personality development; 6-12 (six years): stable, communal sense; 13-19: unstable phase, finding your voice as an adult; 20+: establishing as an adult and finding your place, supporting community - and so on. 
So, in phase 3, children go to school, they're more involved in the family life (ideally) and they realise that they are a part of a community in which they have to do their job to make it work. Communal sense becomes the most important aspect of life, which is why children that age often cannot cope with communal injustice or unfairness. 

My other protege, a girl, was 6/7 and it was interesting to watch how frustrated she got when she played with her 3/4 year old brother because for him his personal voice and opinion stood above everything in the quest to develop his personality whereas she believed in compromise and fairness in her need for community and justice.  

Phase 4: Being a Teenager: Finding Your Adult Voice
When the hormones rage and suddenly people treat you differently, it can stir up a lot of confusion, frustration and chaos. I daresay teenagers are the most misunderstood category in our education systems. Instead of being supported and guided, they are often left alone, abandoned and overwhelmed with their duties and tasks. They become subjects of their parents' expectations and distorted images of their future already decided for them (not always, I am talking about some cases I had to endure to watch as a teacher).
Teenagers have to learn how to be an adult in this world and undergo a phase of instability and egotism where they develop their second personal self - their adult self. They are, developmentally seen, exactly the same as four-year-olds. No, don't shake your heads, just bear with me for a second. They have permanent tantrums, mood changes and get frustrated very easily, right? Sounds familiar? Yes, because you've just read it in phase 2. 
Anyway, to return to my first point, teenagers need a healthy level of egotism and arrogance towards the world to actually master it. They haven't been eaten alive, swallowed and spat out by the world yet, which is great because that makes them fighters. Fighters for their voice. 

Phase 5: The Phase of Disillusionment: Finding Your Place
This is the last point I am going to discuss today because it is the age I am in. I wouldn't dare to write about ages I haven't been yet because I will only truly know when I have undergone them. 
When you're freshly out of school you think your possibilities are endless, and often it is that case; however, too many possibilities can also pose as a problem and often this sense of freedom and independence is accompanied by fear and feeling lost. 
When I studied, I learnt how unfair the world can be. I also realised - and that was very painful at first - that no one cared a shit about me. I don't mean that in an embittered or negative way now, but it is just what reality is. This world is so huge and there are so many people in it that no one has the time (or wish) to concentrate only on YOU. You are also "just" a wheel in this system, playing your part, making sure everything runs smoothly.
When you have suffered through these revelations, you have to find your place in this big world, which is not only daunting but also often very difficult. Our huge aspirations of our teenage-hood slowly fade away as reality sets in and I think that when you are lucky to find the place you belong, you will realise that the real life you've found probably exceeds your wildest teenage dreams by far. I can say that it helps to spend your time with people younger than you (and older, the stories and wisdom they can tell you) as the late teenagers remind you that sometimes it is good to jump without thinking about it too much and forget the scars that have already made you refrain from daring and risking. So I am trying to stay open for possibilities which I haven't even considered because it is often what we least expected what makes us the happiest. 

Thank you for reading and staying with me until the rest and, please, if you agree or disagree (or something else), just comment here or on Facebook. I would love to hear your opinions on the subject. 

Alright...first of all, sorry to all you good doctors out there doing great work for your patients! 
Howeeeever, after last Friday where something really bizarre happened, I need to tell you a little bit more about, what I call, "My Life Among Doctors." 
So, to get this straight first: I LOVE doctors! I mean, I sometimes feign an illness only to go there - but that is because I am a hypochondriac and want them to reassure me that I am OK. However, after last Friday I think our relationship has suffered severely. I am not sure whether I am REALLY what the doctors all care about because I have experienced that doctors HATE each other, apparently. Really, it seems to be the most competitive job ever in which you - even though you and the other have their degrees safely pocketed - try to trip them up as much as possible - and the trust! There is none whatsoever. 
In order for you to understand my gibberish, I have to explain what happened last Friday. As you all know, my toe hasn't been too well since a stupid a** threw a metal chair on it. I went to the hospital where I was told nothing was broken. Then I went to my house doctor who sent me to another x-ray specialist who actually determined that my toe was broken after all. Then my doctor, while ranting about stupid hospital doctors, sent me to another doctor to treat my broken toe with what he called a Geisha shoe (that sounds AWESOME, doesn't it? "Hey, what have you got there?" "A Geisha shoe"...awesome, you must sound sooo mysterious). 
So after I had spent the morning at my house doctor, I commuted to the other side of the city to see the fourth doctor in two weeks. First of all, I had to wait in a deserted waiting room which was SO deserted that I actually inquired at the reception whether I was waiting in the right waiting room. After I had confirmed this, I continued to sit alone there while everyone was going home (it was Friday lunch time, after all) and I half thought they had forgotten me (well, actually, I was absolutely convinced about it). 
However, eventually, they called me in where a doctor eyed me up and examined my toe again. Then he consulted the report the other doctor had made and decided he neither trusted the hospital nor the x-ray specialist and wanted to do an x-ray on his own. 
Soooo, there I ran, across the hall to the x-ray women to do the third x-ray in three weeks. Here I have to interrupt shortly because I cannot stress how NICE the x-ray man was - honestly, it was balm for the soul. After all these doctors who had treated me like dead meat, he was so nice and friendly I nearly had to cry...
But moving on. I returned with the x-ray and the doctor had to concede the x-ray specialist had been right but instead of getting a cool Geisha shoe, I was told there was nothing they could do (really? I mean, really??? They can bring dead people back to life but a little toe is the border of everything? I am truly disappointed) and that I should just "rest and keep it slow". Wow, thank you. Are you proud you studied all these years for giving advice like that?? 
Well, I know it's not their fault, but still. I wasted hours to get no treatment at all and, honestly, dear doctors, for us patients it is not very reassuring that you do not stand or trust each other. In the end, it should be about the patient, not you egos...just a note. 

So here it comes. The rant about hospital doctors after finding out that my toe was actually broken all the time. 
I want to apologise here to all the great hospital doctors who pay attention to their patients and are good people and doctors, but this post  is not about you. It is about the smug, arrogant hospital doctors who treat you like a piece of meat and hardly  take any time for you. 
If you remember, three weeks ago a stupid asshole of a drunk person pushed a metal chair over which landed on my toes. First I thought it would heal on its own but then the pain became so unbearable that I went to the hospital where my man and I sat for hours being sent from one end of the hospital to another (and we're talking ill people here! Yes, they're actually sending injured and sick people all through the hospital - I could hardly walk). Finally, a smug, young, arrogant doctor took like two minutes confirming that nothing was broken and that it would need about two weeks to pass. 
Here I also want to add how IMPOLITE hospital doctors and nurses are. I asked what would happen and the nurse answered harshly "You have to ask that the doctor" although he was SITTING RIGHT BESIDE US. Why wouldn't he just answer? I mean, he definitely heard us so why wouldn't he talk to me but have his arrogant, smug nurse tell me to actually ask him? It doesn't make any sense! 
Long story short, it's now nearly three weeks and I still can barely walk which, of course, limits me in finding a job, driving the car and my personal life. Finally, I decided to see my doctor who sent  me for another x-ray where they determined within minutes that there actually was a fraction. How on earth could they see a semi-healed fraction and the stupid hospital doctor couldn't see it when it was fresh? If they had given me a proper treatment like a splint, my toe could be much better now. Especially as the doctor also said: "You should rest it but generally nothing can happen as IT ISN'T BROKEN". Damn liar. 
So here I am, running around for weeks with a broken toe, but hey, it is actually sensational as this is the first bone I have ever broken and I didn't even know about it! It's like in Gilmore Girls when Jamie asks out Paris and she doesn't get it and Rory is like "You're going on a date with Jamie" and Paris like "Man, finally someone asks me and I don't get it. I wish I had been there." 
I feel the same. Finally I break a bone and don't even realise it and, therefore, don't get the bonus of someone just having broken something being pampered and babied. I only realise it when it is nearly healed, damn, hospital doctors. 

Whenever you are in a negative mood, there is a point where you think "Hell, pull yourself together. Tomorrow you will get up early, eat properly, don't slouch on the sofa and watch TV and GET SOMETHING DONE." Well, I am quite close to that point so I decided to let off a final rant before I become too optimistic again. 
At the moment I can say with all conviction that my life is not too great (that was so sugarcoated - in fact, it sucks). I have no job, my toe is still hurting and might have been broken after all (another rant about hospital doctors might be following soon) and my driving really needs improving. Additionally, I am in a country I don't want to be and the only person to be blamed for that is myself (it's always the WORST if there is no one else to blame but yourself). 
Anyway, I have been ranting about my driving lessons, my joblessness and other things over the past days and the only thing I hear are things like "you need to change your attitude" and "if you see it that way it will never change." 
I HATE THAT! I claim my right to pessimism. We now live in an age where we are overrun with cards featuring happy thoughts and beshoulding ourselves with sayings like "If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely" or "the biggest sources of motivation are your own thoughts, so think big and motivate yourself to win" (these are actual examples). 
I mean, they're nice thoughts but aren't they also fucking ANNOYING! I tell you what, cards, I CANNOT always have happy thoughts so you're telling me I look crap whenever a dark thought crosses my mind? Will I never win only because I cannot motivate me on some days to think big? I just CAN'T.
I think these thoughts and cards are overbearing and they stress me because whenever I am in a dark mood, I get subtly told that something is wrong with me and I am a bad person. But guess what, there are days where I want to hate everything and I would rather hear something like "you're right, your life is crap, if I were you I would sulk in front of the telly, too, all day" instead of "you have to change your attitude".
I HATE that sentence. Believe me, I know there is a huge debate about the power of thoughts and attitude and, believe me even more, I would LOVE to be someone who is always cheerful and positive, but I simply am NOT. I am a pessimistic, cranky, easily annoyed (haha, this text is getting soooo negative right now because I am listening to the soundtrack of Vertigo...I wonder what this text would be like if I listened to "Pocketful of Sunshine"...well, we'll never know...proceeding) person who feels quickly depressed when things aren't going too well - even though I always get up and some point and pull myself together. 
And I know, I need to work on my optimism but I think just saying "think positive" is pretty lame and far too undetailed for my taste. What does that even mean? Be more specific...
So, people, stop beshoulding others and let them wallow in their self-pity. They will come round eventually themselves (at least I do). Sometimes, you have to hate everything and everyone and then you will get it back into perspective, but telling a cranky person to change their attitude is as effective as telling an angry child to apologise. Neither will accept or understand it and you will only poke their anger even more. Probably just hug them and tell them you're there for them and when they're halfway sane again, THEN you can come with your bullshit pep talk about attitudes and sunbeams on their faces. 

Probably someone should come up with a mean card factory (and I am sure someone already has). Cards with texts like "I hate everyone, don't even bother talking to me" or "I am such a bitch, deal with it" or a stay-ill-card saying "other people suck anyway, so why leave the house?"

Final addition. I am flying to London in November with my gorgeous boyfriend, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and, to be completely honest, my life isn't that terrible, I know that. Of course, sometimes things suck, but actually I have a wonderful life with even better people in it, but sometimes a little rant simply has to be and for all the crankheads out there, I hope you feel better knowing that someone out there understands how you feel, so cuddle up in front of your TV and hate the world for a while. I am sure you will recover soon and learn to appreciate what you have again, like I just did. 
Thank you for reading! 

PS. During the last paragraph I was listening to The Pink Panther Theme - see, sometimes it is just all about the right soundtrack. 

Happy Hallowe'en to all of you! 
We had a great time yesterday, partying, dressing up and playing Hallowe'en-themed charades.  However, I have to admit that I am now officially done for this year. I am so tired at the moment, but it was really a great party. 
This year I decided to not throw a witch ritual party like I did two years ago but keep it a bit more tradititional. I dressed up as a zombie from the 20s (the 20s, so I can wear the dress for the premiere of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them) and did my makeup accordingly. The cool thing this year was that my man finally agreed to dress up with me (five years of brainwashing finally paying off) and we looked really cool together. He also did the zombie walk all the time, which freaked everyone out because he looked convincingly zombie-ish.
We had a buffet and a great dance-off to Redfoo's Juicy Wiggle and when the part came "Move Your Hips And Dance Like Fish" we all flung ourselves onto the floor and danced like fish (saying, bouncing and shaking uncontrollably on the floor like electrocuted people). My sister filmed the whole spectacle and as soon as I have the video and uploaded it I will give you the link here, you shouldn't miss it and probably it will become a trend or something...

Now, I also want to share my most favourite Hallowe'en decoration and food for this year. You can see the according pics underneath in the gallery. 

For decoration, my favourite was the balloon covered with a sheet as a ghost. You simply blow up a balloon, throw a white (light!) cloth over it and draw a face. Done! It's easy and the effect is great. 

My gravestone cupcakes are always a highlight and they're sooo easy (I really should do a Youtube video about these things...well, next year!). You simply bake cupcakes and make a buttercream icing. Spread a bit of icing on the cupcake. Buy gingerbread dough or shortcrust dough and cut out gravestones or any other motives you like. Write RIP with icing or baking pens on the gravestones. Put the baked gravestone into the icing on the cupcake and spread everything with cocoa powder for grave earth. Voila! 
Alternatively, you can also add red food colouring to the buttercream and dye it pink. Using a small cap for the cornet, spread the cream in half circles on the cupcake, making it look like a brain or entrails. Add a little bit of red food colouring on top for extra blood. Cupcakes to die for! 

Cool pumpkins. Instead of carving the old, well-known pattern, it is great to get creative with carving. I, for instance, did a very feminine pumpkin this year because I thought it was sexist that all pumpkins look male and grotesque, so I did a feminine, sexy pumpkin. Or carve a bat or a flying witch on it, whatever floats your boat! 

My gravestone! I LOVE my gravestone. I know that sounds gruesome and bizarre, but I am talking about my Hallowe'en gravestone. It's great garden decoration and easy to make. You just need a wooden board which you cut into a gravestone shape. Colour it with grey and write RIP on it in black. Go to the woods and gather some moss which you glue on them. Add some fake (or real) cobwebs and place it in the garden. The great thing is, the mouldier, older and dirtier it gets, the better! 

Alright, as always I am a little behind with my Youtube channel to catch up, but I will edit and upload it in the next days and share the link here. 

To end this, I enjoyed Hallowe'en and the creepiness of it, however, you know what is today? You don't? Are you sure? 
IT'S PRE-CHRISTMAS!!! Today marks the official end of Hallowe'en, which means I can now completely concentrate on Christmas and we can all look forward to the most wonderful time of year! So, buckle up and get ready for a load of Christmas, because I am already summoning my energy for it!