OVER ALL

H&M dungarees and sweater, Superga sneakers

The time has come when I needed to look myself in the mirror, pull myself together and accept the dreadful fact that summer is indeed over and that my skin is no longer golden and neither is my hair and another six months of coldness are on their way. I knew it was coming when I had to bring my jacket when I was going for a drink in the evening, and when I ordered a cup of tea in my favourite cafe, and when events for beginning of a school year started to appear all over my Facebook newsfeed. I knew it was over when I started to think about school, and design (I study design of visual communication aka graphic design), and projects, and my career and life (oh God...).

Also big life update: The superwoman that is my mother, bought an apartment for me and my sister in  Zagreb! So now I'm going through that typical stage when my place looks like someone robbed me, the not so lovely people from a Wi-Fi company still didn't pay me a visit and ironing board is my table/shelf/desk space. I also spent 9 hours in Ikea last weekend, true story. But I no longer feel the extreme homesickness I used to feel and I'm in love with our new apartment! Okay, I have to get back to work, I'm visiting home for the weekend and I can't spend it all on hibernation, home-made meals and immediate fascination with Wi-Fi, although that doesn't sound bad at all. ;)

Big photo diary from Ireland coming very soon!!! 

IT REALLY WAS THE BEST SUMMER EVER

 I am siting on my balcony back home in Rijeka after being away for over a month on an island of Pag, in my world also known as my second home. It's hard to put everything I am feeling right now in words, but I'll give it a go. Because when you feel so happy and you feel like your heart is going to explode when you think back and realise that your summer has been just insanely amazing, it would be an incredibly rude thing not to share it. Am I right!?!

It was good. It is still good and it is going to be good because I have another month before school starts and trips and adventures are already planned or are about to be planned, but Pag, Pag was just awesome. 

Let me tell you what I did. I went to two carnivals in one week, jumped out of a boat at 5am in the middle of a sea (That's not smart. I know. Don't do it. But it's very fun though.), I explored caves and the way light acts in there blew my mind, my love life took an unexpected yet amazing turn so we'll see what happens, I climbed mountain tops and a thorn the size of Mexico got stuck in my hand (almost cried while taking it out, but just like a proper Croatian used rakija for pain and cleaning and now everything's good), started making my own clothes and sewed so many pieces I wear all the time, I spent almost every waking moment outside and of course got tanned like a crazy person, went to dinner parties my friend hosted and had the most amazing meal of my life, celebrated my 20th birthday eating pizza for lunch, going for a bike ride, drinking beer and eating ice-cream in the middle of nowhere and spending an entire afternoon on an almost private beach and being eaten alive by mosquitos... And so so many more.

There are moments in life when you just think to yourself : Alright! Remember this, capture it and remember it. Because this moment right here is so good it gives you goosebumps and makes your heart beat so fast. You know that kind of moments? Yeah, my summer has been made out of those moments. At one point my life got so good I started writing a diary just to remember it all, imagine that!

Just do stuff. Do it. Don't make stupid excuses when someone asks you to, I don't know, go hiking or scuba diving or anything else. Just say yes! That's is literary all it takes. :*

All photos taken from my Instagram. Next week another HUGE adventure is coming, so follow me! ;)

RADIANT

Choies Midi Skirt, Zara shoes, Vintage bag

Because Mondays never felt this good.

You know you're going to have a good day when a work day turns into a national holiday and the sun is finally shining. So we put our favourite outfits on, had the usual girl talk and walked around in high heels. I finally feel unapologetic about wearing heels during daytime. They make me feel confident and there is absolutely nothing wrong about that. So ladies, get that favourite pair out of the closet because shoes that pretty aren't meant to be always worn in the dark.

photos - Klara Bilić

10 HEALTHY CHEAP STUDENT MEAL IDEAS

Veggie rice burgers with some more veggies and baked fries. 

After eating these babies my friend Klara and I fell into a deep beautiful food coma while snacking my aunt's homemade cookies and having a proper girl-talk. It was a dream! Also always bake your fries never fry them. Trust me.

Lemon chicken with sautéed spinach

Just a few ingredients make a perfect meal. 

Eggplant courgette and parsley frittata with some more roasted courgette

Looks impressive, but it's basically an omelette. Chop and put everything except eggs into a pan for a few minutes. Then add eggs and just before they begin to fry put them into a heated oven. This thing makes people think that you know how to cook.

Leftover veggie burger balls, paprika roasted potatoes, boiled eggs and mixed salad

This is a well known "put everything you have in your fridge on a plate and impress your hungry friend" type of meal.

 Roasted courgettes and baked paprika potatoes salad

This is my version, but just bake or roast some veggies and throw them together with rocket, tomatoes and carrots. It's like eating eating a rainbow. 

Tuna salad with green beans, cabbage and carrots

I like tuna a lot although surprisingly I don't eat it as much since I've moved for Uni. But, when it comes to this dish, make sure you blanche your beans and then put them on a plate while they are still warm. It just makes it better.

Greek yoghurt with oats berries and honey

What can I say - it's a no-brainer breakfast or a snack.

Tomato soup

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am the biggest soup enthusiast and this one is my childhood favourite. Onion and garlic go into a pan, followed by passata and chicken/vegetable stock, then put roasted tomatoes in as well. Finally blend it a little bit with a hand blender and put parsley on top. Pure perfection is what you just created my friend.

Oatmeal topped with kiwi cinnamon berries honey and dates

It's hard for me to choose my favourite breakfast but this on is in top 3 category. Put half a cup of basic steel cut oats ( I prefer steel cut ones, they get much more creamier than rolled oats ) and water, a lot of it. I usually keep on adding water during the time they cook. It helps them get super creamy. And then top it with any kind of fruit, dried berries, nuts you have. The options are endless, but peanut butter in oatmeal will blow your mind. Also don't let the amount of oats you put at the beginning scare you. Really little, goes a really long way when it comes to oats. 

Sautéed mushrooms risotto

This one looks more like mushrooms with rice, then other way around. 

It's all about treating your food as a medicine, that's it. If you have any questions, just comment below and I'll answer. :)

GLOW

Zara TRF dress, Superga sneakers and H&M bag

It has been a hectic couple of weeks and all I can say is that it can get quite stressful. Going to Uni and just living in a different city, I've realised that it is always important to find different ways to clear your mind for at least 30 minutes. For me, going for a walk or a run or cooking helps. You know, just let go of all of those stupid little things we all worry about. Did you know that 85% of things we worry about never actually happens. Now there's something to think about for a moment. 

I've been slowly planning my upcoming summer adventures and I am beyond excited. I dream about snorkelling, blue skies, boat rides, my grandpa's cuisine, roadtrips, carnivals, being in my swimwear all day, salty hair, not wearing make-up and brown tanned skin. Particularly that last one, because I've just realised how untanned my skin is and I am planning to wear skirts and shorts and walk on the sunny side of the street to get some of that golden skin before beach time begins. ;)

photos - Iva Pandurević