Confessions of an Ex-Tinder-User

April 30, 2015 by Katenkt 1 Comment

Burning question: Are you on Tinder? And if yes, do you use it? How often? What to do you use it for?

Confession #1: I downloaded Tinder out of curiosity. Having read multiple tweets (when I still had twitter) and online newspaper articles mostly condemning its superficiality, I knew I had to give it a try. So I did. I had just gotten out of a serious relationship, but I was looking neither for a new one nor for casual sex, which is basically what Tinder is mostly known for. “Tinder is a location-based social discovery app that facilitates communication between mutually interested users. It is used for dating as well as other kinds of networking.” Nice try, Wikipedia. Urban Dictionary’s approach sounds a little more honest: “Dating app. Tinder is the McDonalds for sex.”

If Carrie Bradshaw had Tinder.

Book Suggestion (Or Not): How To Be Parisian

March 31, 2015 by Katenkt Leave a comment

In the last couple years, living so close to France has fed my infatuation with everything French. Art, (translated) literature, food, pharmacy products, words I can barely pronounce (usually sounding like Hodor from Game of Thrones), music, you get the idea.

Another aspect of the French culture – if we can call it this way – I was always really eager reading about is the mystery surrounding the French woman, and particularly the Parisienne. So I succumbed to the temptation (aka. its promotion on every women’s site and magazine imaginable) and purchased How to be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits.

The 10 Best Harry Potter Quotes

March 25, 2015 by Katenkt 2 Comments

Recently I re-read the whole Harry Potter series, in an attempt to keep my inner child alive, but I might have accidentally woken up my inner literary critic, as well. However, I’d like to share my favorite Harry Potter quotes with you.

Mostly from Dumbledore because obviously.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen this photo.

Book Suggestion: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

March 23, 2015 by Katenkt Leave a comment

“The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls.”

The One About The Running Playlist

February 27, 2015 by Katenkt 4 Comments

If thinking up excuses for not going to the gym was an Olympic sport, I would be a gold Olympic medalist.

Seriously, I can get really creative.

The One About Resolutions

January 10, 2015 by Katenkt 2 Comments

To all of you who haven’t read my wishes on Flâneur’s facebook page, I’d like to wish you a very happy new year. I hope you find what you’re looking for in 2015 or, in case you’ve already found it, I hope you have the will, energy, and enthusiasm to pursuit it restlessly.

I’d like to kick in my 2015 blogging game with a more or less conventional post – a post about resolutions. Many of you may be the resolution type; many of you may think of them of silly or unrealistic. I haven’t decided yet whether I’m for or against them – last year I didn’t make any, but this time I narrowed them down to 3. Oh, the magical number 3!

This year I aspire to:

1. Be kind. I’m going to do my best to cut out judgment. I don’t think that I’m this horrible person, a proper “mean girl”, but I’m not a saint either. Most of the time I can be judgmental without even realizing it. So I decided to start making an effort to deliberately stop myself from being too harsh on people – or their sartorial choices. A very appropriate quote I like to repeat to myself is: “Be kind because everybody you meet is fighting their own battles.” Closely related to this resolution is my decision to complain a little less. During the holidays I brushed my affair with twitter up and realized that people there are constantly whining about everything! Do I really need all this negative energy in my life? No, and neither do you.

2. Work more focused. The first half of 2015 is going to be extremely busy since I’m having exams until mid-February, then I’ll have to finish a couple projects and a term paper, and I also aspire to hand in my thesis paper before May 1^st. As a result I need to work hard and use my time efficiently. I think cutting back on social media time, will allow me more time to work on my thesis and to brainstorm about the blog. I might not be posting as often, but I have great plans on my mind for the upcoming months. 😉

3. Stay in touch. Over the years I’ve noticed that it’s sometimes very easy from me to lose touch with current affairs and news from all over the world because of my hectic university schedule. Or, since I’ve moved in Germany, to focus on the German and international affairs instead of reading up on everything that is going on back home, in Greece. So, in 2015 I vow to read/ watch the news more often and stop ignoring all the Der Spiegel App notifications that pop up every now and then on my smartphone.

Last but not least, I’d like to add not a resolution, but a technical skill I hope to develop further within 2015: figuring out my DSLR. Last year I bought a Nikon that I enjoyed using while traveling abroad or on vacation in Greece, yet I haven’t fully explored all its abilities.

Here’s to a very creative year full of magical moments and exploration! I’d love to hear your plans and aspirations/ resolutions for 2015!

Kisses,

PS: Facebook anyone? Tweet me maybe?

PS2: Also on Instagram! And tumblr.

The Paris Diaries – Part Deux

December 18, 2014 by Katenkt Leave a comment

(STILL) THURSDAY 12.11.2014

14:35 – We are walking up Avenue des Champs-Élysées towards Arc de Triomphe, where we are almost forced to stop and watch a team of street dancers with very defined abdominal muscles, but no apparent dancing skills. Eventually we leave and cross the street, so we can (window) shop at more designer boutiques – LV’s store occupies an entire block! In case you find yourself at Champs-Élysées, make a short visit to this store. It has an extensive collection of photo albums (of other books, as well, but since they were all in French, I couldn’t fully appreciate them) and all kinds of decorative and personal objects you don’t really need, but they look so cute you wish you could buy them all (pineapple-shaped night light, anyone?). Even though Champs-Élysées is crowded by tourists carrying backpacks and Rick Steves travel guides and wearing butt-shaping sneackers, I manage to spot some very stylish locals (so it seems), so I am taking mental fashion notes. Repeat after me: Bold red matte lipstick, androgyn outerwear, scarves, more scarves.

17:02 – At Café des Deux Moulins. Amelie’s charmingly vintage place of employ has gone back to being a comfy neighborhood café. Even though tourist groups occasionally pop in for a glimpse in Amelie’s whimsical world, the café is actually pretty quiet and frequented by locals. If you find yourself there, try to find a table as close to the window (or even on the pavement outside), since it’s the prefect vantage point from which to observe the lively street market. Interesting fact: Amelie, Clotilde, Claire, and the hypochondriac Isabelle have been replaced by male staff, including a very handsome barista/ bartender (the tall, dark-haired, bearded, chocolate-y eyes, and disarming smile kind).

19:16 – Want to get a full workout while in Paris? Climb up the butte Monmarte until you get to Sacré-Coeur! We laugh our way up and find ourselves a spot on the stairs leading to the basilica, where we sit for a little to enjoy our well-earned macarons and the view of Paris from above. It is pretty dark by that time, so all you can see are the city lights. Since I’ve seen the same view in the daylight, I’d strongly advise you to go there in the morning or around sundown – you can see everything much clearer. Afterwards, we enter the church, where mass is in progress. I’m not really religious, but I usually enjoy the serenity of catholic ecclesiastical ceremonies.

Omnomnom…

20:33 – All this strolling is making us hungry, so we stop at a little brasserie for a three-course menu. I go for onion soup (I’m not kissing anyone tonight. Or ever again.), salmon with veggies, and tarte aux pommes for desert.

Lost in Monmarte…

FRIDAY 13.11.2014

11: 14 – It’s raining ~~men~~ cats and dogs! However, nothing is going to stop us from visiting Notre Dame. At this point, I have to admit that since visiting La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, back in April, I’ve refused to be impressed by any other church I’ve visited since. I’m never going to forget the view from the top of Notre Dame, though. Nor the 457.999 steps we climbed up to get to the top. And I thought the stairs at the Cathedral of Strasburg were endless! When we get to the top, rainy Paris unfolds in front of our eyes in all its glory. We freeze, we get rained on, we take selfies all the time (enough to piss off all the people standing behind us), we see no signs of Quasimodo, Esmeralda or any singing/ dancing gargoyles, and then it’s time to leave. We leave Notre Dame with shaky legs and head to the closest café for a much needed cup of hot coffee.

Channeling my inner Esmeralda.

That’s a “what the f*ck?” expression for sure!

Waiting in the line.

13:56 – On the way to the closest metro station I spot the bookstore Shakespeare and Company and suggest we go inside for a quick look. Then I fall in love. Imagine book shelves that reach up to the ceiling, loaded with the prettiest editions of all the classic and modern reads. The English speaker’s paradise in the middle of Paris! I head upstairs, where someone is playing the piano and people relax on torn leather couches, reading books. The books here are, unlike the ones downstairs, not for sale. You can see for yourself in their blog and tumblr page – they are both adorable!

(The weeks before my trip to Paris I’d been thinking of how exciting it would be living in a different city every year, e.g. doing an internship in Berlin or Hamburg, then a master’s degree somewhere in the UK – I wish!, letting the job search take me to new places, flaneur-ing in central Europe. However, this bookshop left me longing … for a permanent home. The kind you fill with books you accumulate without worrying about having to pack and unpack, sell, donate or gift them to friends when moving to a new place. The kind you paint your walls the color you want and then cover them entirely (because, let’s be honest, the color you picked does not look that good in reality) with postcards, love letters, post-it notes, and fashion editorials without thinking all the time you’ll need to take them down before leaving. The kind you don’t have to split your belongings between two places.)

15: 42 – At Musée d’Orsay. We’re finally here! I promised myself I won’t leave Paris before visiting Musée d’Orsay. The building, originally a railway station, adds an unconventional and fresh twist to the museum experience. My favorite part of the museum is by far the collection of impressionist masterpieces on the 5^thfloor. Another odd thing I’d like to pinpoint: Here, I find that the placing and the lighting truly accentuates some of the paintings, such as August Renoir’sBal du moulin de la Galette and Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhone. A postcard of the first one is hanging over my desk while I’m writing these lines.

After Musée d’Orsay I lose sense of time. We take the metro and get off at odd places around the city of Paris; we go to Batignolles, get off at Blanche, walk through Quartier Pigalle, the red light district of Paris, stop for drinks and snacks somewhere along the way, then keep wandering until we get too tired and decide to go back home.

01:22 – E. and I are in bed, our Fat Naked Guy (see The Paris Diaries Part 1) is nowhere to be seen, so we do what we do best: Tell stories and jokes until we fall asleep.

SATURDAY 14.11.2014

10:46 – I wasn’t planning on writing about my last morning in Paris, since nothing special happened. Until the moment I stepped inside a French pharmacy and fell in love. Ok, not only with the artsy guy with the bleary eyes standing a couple meters away in the queue at the cashier, but also with the all the French products promising me everything from perfect skin to afterlife. The prices, the variety, the 2-for-1 packages! I’m glad I had a list – and proud I stuck to it, because otherwise I’d have to return to Germany on foot.

13:05 – At Paris Est station. The cute Starbucks barista somehow manages to turn the “Valarmorghulis” the cashier snarled at him into a poised “Katherine”. Close enough. He flashes a smile as he hands me my vanilla latte, and wishes me bonne journée.

And this is how my Paris memoirs come to an end. I hope you enjoyed them and I’m looking forward to your comments!

Bisous,

PS: Facebook anyone? Tweet me maybe?

PS2: Now I’m also on Instagram!

The Paris Diaries

December 9, 2014 by Katenkt 5 Comments

What should one do when in Paris?

My Latest Reads

November 7, 2014 by Katenkt Leave a comment

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared: Every time I mention this book I can not help but notice a little ironic smile appearing on my friends’ faces: What kind of book title is that? Trust me, it’s only a small indication of Jonasson’s fierce writing and imaginative storytelling – the plot twist will leave you thinking “how the hell did he come up with this?” I read his other book, The Girl Who Saved The King of Sweden, first and got hooked on his incomparable ability to mock his own characters. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but it’s a must!

The Life List: A light, enjoyable read that will remind to you live life to its fullest. It’s a total page-turner and made the hours I spend on the plane travelling from Athens to Germany fly!

The Dud Avocado: To be perfectly honest, it was like reading Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises all over again, but this time the story was told from a feminine point of view, which is something quite rare. This book is a great example of how difficult figuring out how being an adult and putting your newfound “freedom” in good use can be. I’ll have to stop reading books about Paris, though, since I’ve romanticized this city to the point of no return and it would be difficult for reality to keep up with my expectations – I feel a little like Gil in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris!

The Vacationers: I read this book while resting my feet on the radiator and sipping hot tea, so reading about sunbathing in Mallorca and enjoying delicious Spanish food made me a little jealous.It is a deftly observed story with an easy to follow plot, which makes it a perfect vacation read. The reader follows an American family, the Posts, to Mallorca, where he/she find out that there is no break from family and personal drama. Even though Emma Straub’s characters are greatly flowed, every page emanates her love for them.

Lots of love and kisses,

PS: Facebook anyone? Tweet me maybe?

PS2: Now I’m also on Instagram!

How to Navigate Freshmen Welcome Parties

November 4, 2014 by Katenkt Leave a comment

Booking a flight so as to arrive on time for the freshmen welcome party two months before the actual party requires some serious planning skills (CV material) and reveals an unquenchable thirst for partying. Living in such a small city, where most of the important university events take place on campus, has taught me that no chance to celebrate shall be wasted. That’s why I made sure I was not going to miss this year’s freshmen welcome party. After all, it is the last one I am going to attend and … who is going to welcome these freshmen, if not us?

As a result, I decided to compile a list of tips that will help you navigate the party in case you are an oldie, but goodie, like me:

1. Arrive late. By your second or third semester you would have probably figured out the time parties kick in, when the dj is playing the catchiest mainstream hits or some all-time classic everybody hates that they know by heart (aka. secretly love), most people have plucked up the courage to hit the dance floor, and the girls’ lipsticks are only slightly smudged, leaving colorful evidence of alcohol consumption on plastic cup rims. Arriving at a party at the actual starting time may feel a little awkward, since no one but the organizers/bartenders/dj/wardrobe people are there, the music can be a little un-dance-able, and everybody is toosober, scanning everyone who arrives from head to toe. Spare yourself the awkwardness and take a little extra time to get ready!

2. Look relieved when you see a familiar face in the crowd. Freshmen welcome parties can be so confusing; all these new people! Where did my friends and acquaintances go?

3. They are either doing an Erasmus semester abroad or have graduated or they think they can afford to miss the party. So go on – dance like nobody’s watching! Okay, this is pretty much my #1 rule for all parties, but I am the girl who thinks she can bust out moves like this AND this and get away with it.

4. If it is a thematic party, look the part. If you had said to my freshman self that she has to meet new people following this year’s dress code – bad taste – she would have openly rejected the idea. Honey, just a hint from your 21-year-old self: No matter how hard you try, German students always do it better when it comes to bad taste outfits. They just are more creative. But this year there were no impressions to be made; it was all about dressing up just for fun! Picture all the boring parties you will have to attend later as a properly dressed adult, stoically waiting for Halloween to dust of your costume-y outfits!

5. Do a little people-watching. Just to make sure that your class actually consisted of the best freshmen this university has ever seen!

Lots of love and kisses,

PS: Facebook anyone? Tweet me maybe?

PS2: Now I’m also on Instagram!