And just like that, February is already at it's end! One thing about this new series on my blog, the monthly 'Freya Chooses...' post, is that I am constantly hit in the face with how quickly the time flies by - it is CRAZY. In my January edition of this series (read it here) I feel like I had curated quite an organised and orderly collection of things that I had loved throughout the month; everything fit so nicely into categories! This month, however, the things that I have chosen to mention are all very random, a real mixture of things that have improved my life, given me joy and happiness and generally made my days a little better. I hope you find some inspiration in my list and that these things could also interest you too!
I want to start off by talking about two TV shows that I LOVED in February., both on Netflix, both really entertaining, although completely different. The first is a documentary series called 'Abstract: The Art Of Design'. This is a show consisting of eight episodes, each one focusing on a different aspect of design art and featuring a unique artist in that particular field. It dives into worlds which I had no idea about, from graphic design to architecture, interior design and, my personal favourite, set design. It is absolutely fascinating, not only to get to know the art and the work involved in making it, but also to meet these incredible artists, with their individual personalities and inspirations. I found the show totally engrossing and a real feast of colour, shapes, ideas and creativity. Definitely recommend!
The second series that I just had to mention, although I know I am late on this bandwagon, is 'House Of Cards'. It's dramatic, tense, sexy, dynamic and all of this with a remarkable cast to go with it. I tried to watch this show a couple of years ago, but something about it just didn't capture me - maybe it was because I found it too serious or that it required too much of my attention (sometimes the very reason to watch TV is simply to switch off!). But I started it again a couple of weeks ago and just totally loved it and binge-watched it all in about a week. Probably the current state of world politics helped to pull me back into the show - I constantly found myself exclaiming, 'but that is actually happening for REAL'! So if you also once tried it and gave up, I definitely suggest trying it again, as it might all make a lot more sense this time.
This month I finally started reading a book that has been on my 'to read' list for quite a while, and that is the first of the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante, 'My Brilliant Friend'. I have heard incredible things about this set of four books; that there is no better or more rounded portrayal of a friendship, that the characters live with you as you read the books and stay with you long after you have finished, even that these books are life-changing! I am only a little way into the first book and already I love it! It is not difficult reading, as I expected it to be, although maybe this is yet to come. I will save my full review of these books for a later blog post (probably a much later one...), but for now I am really involved and really enjoying it.
Quite a momentous event has happened this month in my musical life; I have finally begun to work on a new piece, one that I have been itching to play since I was a kid, and that is Beethoven's monumental 'Kreutzer Sonata'. It is fiendishly difficult, long and tiring, but I can't remember ever feeling so fulfilled after a day of practice! This is music that is astonishingly beautiful, complicated, terrifying, dramatic, divine! Each day I get a little closer, I find something new in this incredible music, I look for different secrets behind the notes. This piece is a high mountain for me, but I am so EXCITED to be climbing it! If you are interested to hear this sonata, and I so recommend giving it a listen because this is music you just can't go your life without knowing, then I urge you to check out Alina Ibragimova's recording on Spotify! It is one of my favourites.
A new discovery for me in the kitchen this month has been avocado oil! Since going Paleo, I have changed and experimented with not only what I eat, but how I prepare food. Avocado oil is something that is always recommended on Paleo websites, but here in Germany it is just so expensive. However, I got the chance to pick up a huge bottle of it in the States over Christmas (tip: it's really cheap in America!) and I have been loving cooking with it. It doesn't have an over-powering avocado taste, but just gives a really rich and juicy flavour to fried meat, and makes such a nice change from regular olive oil. It also works great on salads!
As a true coffee addict, nothing is more important to me than my first morning coffee. I had been feeling quite unhappy with my nespresso coffees; even though they are massively convenient, they just don't taste great and certainly were not cutting it for me in the morning. I popped down to my local second hand shop and picked up a percolator, or mocha, for 5 Euros and I am completely sold! I already owned a coffee bean grinder, which I also really recommend getting if you haven't already got one - it gives much fresher tasting coffee and you can choose yourself how finely you want your beans ground - and I bought some really nice espresso beans to go with it. Making this coffee in the mocha gives me a wonderful espresso every morning which has definitely stepped up my coffee game!
So, I am a little afraid to mention this next one, just in case I jinx it! But this month I got a new gym membership and... so far so good! I would count myself as a total gym failure in the past, with cancelled membership after cancelled membership and my work-out clothes gathering dust somewhere in the back of my wardrobe. But I think my previous problem was that I was not working out properly; I used to go to the gym with no plan whatsoever, just to spend half an hour doing some form of cardio before calling it a day. I see now that this is completely wrong! This time I have a real work-out routine, divided into clear sections; I start with some warm up exercises, then move on to the main 'body' of my work-out which consists of different weight machines targeting the right muscles, and finish with 20 minutes cardio. I feel so much better having a real plan and goal! Also, this time, my boyfriend and I work-out together which makes it all SO much less boring (I can't really call it fun just yet...!) and we can also motivate each other which really helps!
Last weekend I got to visit one of my favourite cities - Berlin! I will be featuring a special trilogy of blog posts about Berlin, coming up soon, so stay tuned for that, but I absolutely had to mention the wonderful Pergamon Museum here. It is a museum of Middle Eastern and Islamic art, and is so interesting because it hosts so many archaeological and artistic treasures, of which one star is the infamous Ishtar Gate. If you are thinking of visiting a museum which is a bit different from your typical western art gallery, prepare to be absolutely overwhelmed by what this museum has to offer, not only as a house of art but as something which is part of our history.
The last thing I want to mention are my gorgeous new shoes! Every once in a while, everyone just needs a pick-me-up and for me, this is definitely shoes. There is nothing like a great new pair to make you feel like a whole new person and I adore these funny gold shoes with lips on them by Betsy Johnson. Plus, the were on sale! What a bargain. I've decided to call them my 'Kreutzer Shoes' :)
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