Lifestyle - Sereneluna

Hello, dear readers! I am still alive. I am barely hanging by a thread, but I am alive and this blog still thriving! I am currently in the middle of Spring semester and my courses rely heavily on essay writing and group work. Trust me, it is as boring (and stressful) as it sounds.😴 Since I don’t have a lot of spare time, I was looking for a blog post idea that wouldn’t take hours to write… then I stumbled upon this gem💎 My creativity is nonexistent right now, so I want to thank blogger Pooja for sharing this tag with me! If you aren’t familiar with her blog, I highly suggest that you check out her creative musings on her blog, Lifesfinewhine!

Rules for Award:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Answer the blogger’s questions.
Nominate other bloggers.

Questions I was asked:

1. What country do you live in? I live in Canada! 🇨🇦

Mountains in Banff, Alberta

2. Favourite book? This is a tough question. I don’t really read fiction books, so a lot of the books I read are snore-worthy, self-help books. 😂

3. How do you spend your time during lockdown? During the first month of lockdown, I wasted most of my time doing unproductive things. Then school started near the end of April, which forced me to get my shit together. Now I am drowning in a pile of writing assignments which doesn’t seem to end. It is insane how quickly time flies, especially since this semester is less than 8 weeks long!

Study breaks with my kitty ❤

4. Have you tried cooking a new dish because of lockdown? When I am not busy with school, I am busy trying popular recipes that have been floating around the internet, such as whipped Dalgona coffee. Dalgona coffee is amazing, and you really need to try it. I used to think that instant coffee was yucky, but I assure you that it is not! Dalgona coffee is as divine as a fancy coffee drink from a coffee shop. Yes, it’s up there with the Starbucks Gods! ☕😍

Photo Credit + Coffee recipe: https://www.instagram.com/bbcfood/

5.Early riser or Night owl? I wish I was an early bird but I am a night owl!🦉 Given the option, I prefer night shifts over day shifts. Afternoon shifts aren’t bad but night shifts are the best! 😴🌙

6. Holiday dream destination? Cherry blossom festival in Japan! 🌸🌸🌸

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7. Favourite food? My Oma’s German cakes! While we’re at it, let’s take a trip around the world! LOL✈🌎 I wrote about my Oma’s desserts in an older blog post which you can read about here.

8. Instagram or Twitter? Neither?! I don’t like social media since it’s junk food for my mental health, and my mental health is SO delicate these days. I bet some of you are wondering if I have an Instagram or Twitter account. Yes, I do. My Twitter account is private which I seldom use for product reviews.

My Instagram account is @serene_hilz but I rarely update my account. Honestly, I am not a fan of social media right now. Feel free to follow me – my account is public but that may change in the future!

9. Favorite cartoon as a child? Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob SquarePants!
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10. What do you prefer on a Saturday night? Netflix or Partying? Neither?! I prefer to play video games on a Saturday night or catch up on homework that I may have neglected during the week. I usually let my homework pile up on weekdays and attack it on weekends. Yeah, I am weird and I know I fit the stereotype of an extreme introvert. Don’t judge me until you try it!

My Nominees:

https://reasonstolivefor.com/

https://stevescountry.com/

https://themoodymom.com/

https://kimswebsite.blog/

https://bournemouthgirl.com/

QUESTIONS FOR THE NOMINEES:

Overall, how are you handling the quarantine?
Have you violated any of the restrictions? If yes, what rule(s) did you break?
What viral recipes have you tried during the lockdown?
What activities have you missed the most during quarantine?
Do you wear a mask when you leave the house?
Are you an essential worker? If yes, what is your job title?
How do you exercise during the lockdown?
Have you subscribed to any new subscription services since the lockdown started?
What did/does your daily schedule look like before the pandemic started?
Do you think that the pandemic is getting better or worse?

And….GO!! There is no pressure to respond to this nomination. I am curious to know what your answers are if you decide to participate! Whether or not you were nominated, you are still welcome to join in on the fun!

I had good intentions to publish this blog post on August 4 which was my 28th birthday. Fast forward two weeks, only to realize that I had forgotten to edit it. Now I am finally getting around to publishing the damn thing. 5+ hours later, my back aches, my feet hurt, and I am surprised that nobody has kicked me out of the food court where I am mooching off of A&W’s WiFi. My husband is meeting clients today so I really have no excuses while I wait for him downtown.

It’s the Thought that Counts!

Overall, my birthday was OK. Nothing too eventful happened unless travelling 7+ hours counts as an exciting trip. Even tough I only flew across Canada, there were many stops along the way which extended the trip. Since moving out west, flying has become the norm for me so my birthday was just an ordinary day. To celebrate my very belated birthday, I wanted to share with you 28 things that I learned in 28 years. This list is in no particular order since I wrote the outline while waiting in the airport, but each item on the list has shaped me into the person I am today.

28 Life Lessons Learned in 28 Years

1. Life is unfair. Get used to it. #tough-love

2. Insomnia is real and can be really debilitating if you let it rule your life.

3. Cats and dogs make fantastic friends. Lizards….not so much. You can’t cuddle with a lizard but they make great conversation starters when forced to awkwardly engage with people.

4. And you fall, and you crawl, and you break many times over. Avril Lavigne got it right. #complicated

5. Life isn’t static. It’s constantly changing, so it’s better to change along with it than to resist change.

6. Being uncomfortable is a GOOD THING. You need to step outside of your comfort zone in order for real growth to happen. And you’ll be one step closer towards reaching your goals.

All credit goes to Sarah Andersen → Sarah’s Scribbles

7. Quality over quantity. The number of likes and followers does not matter in the grand scheme of things. Social media is also quite meaningless unless you’re trying to brand yourself or provide value to people. Blogging provides tons of value IMO and it took me several years to discover that I really enjoy writing for an audience.

8. Minimalism is a great concept and we can all benefit by learning how to live with less stuff. If you would like to learn more about how minimalism has positively impacted my life, you can read about it here.

“The secret to happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” —Socrates

9. Don’t treat your body like a dumpster. Respect yourself by being kind to your body.

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10. Learn to accept and make peace with yourself because nobody else can do that for you.

11. You don’t need friends to be happy and being extremely introverted is not a flaw in your character.

12. Most people will lie to you or let you down, including family. Be prepared for friends to disappoint you as well. If anything, lower your expectations to live a happier life.

13. There is truth to meditation. We should learn to embrace this ancient practice.

14. I am scared of aging and looking my age. I really don’t want to live to be 90+ years old. Genetics suggest that I will live well into my 90’s. A vivid dream I had when I was a little kid suggests that I will live to be 64 years old.

15. Failing at something does not make YOU a failure. I still haven’t made peace with my failures yet, since my recent experience with failure is still raw and painful.

16. Not everyone is going to like you no matter how hard you try to please them.

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17. There is truth to mindfulness and finding greater consciousness. Make it your ultimate goal to aim for self-actualization by referring to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. At one point, Maslow’s Pyramid was the background image on my desktop. Can you tell that I like psychology? 🙊

18. After all these years, The Amazing Race is STILL my favourite reality TV show. I watch the Canadian version as well even though it’s not as good as the original series. I don’t keep up with the latest TV shows on Netflix because TV is a HUGE time waster, but I will make a scene if I miss out on watching “The Great Race.”

19. Strong negative emotions are meant to protect you, that is, if you are still living in the stone age.

You can find my latest Instagram stories @serene_hilz

20. There is no need for cookbooks as long as you have an internet connection. You can find everything you need online for FREE! I enjoy learning how to make delicious recipes that are kinder to my body, since I am intolerant to white flour, dairy, and refined sugar.

21. Sugar is highly addictive and should be considered a drug. It’s impossible to quit. I even published a post about how to give up sugar, and even I cannot follow my own advice. Hypocritical of me, eh?

22. You can grow bean sprouts in a jar. Bean sprouts are not only cheap, but they’re also nutritious. You can find affordable jars at your local dollar store. You don’t need a special lid or anything fancy to grow bean sprouts. I used a tutorial from YouTube to grow beansprouts. The whole process is very easy and straight-forward.

23. If you don’t have dental insurance in Canada or the US, do yourself a favor and get dental insurance. Since the problem wasn’t resolved years ago, I’ll have to spend thousands of dollars to pay for orthodontic treatment and jaw surgery. I have no choice but to go back to nursing school and face that beast. These “luxuries” in life cost $$$.

24. I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t smoke. Marijuana recently became legal in Canada but I still have no desire to smoke weed. The cannabis culture does not appeal to me and actually disgusts me. NO THANKS. 👎

25. It is OK to spend money on things that bring you joy. Cats, unicorns, steeped tea etc. Cats bring me joy so we adopted a kitty in April 2019. Steeped Tea from Tim Horton’s also brings me joy. I stopped buying steeped tea in April 2019 to save some pocket change but later decided that the benefits of saving money did not outweigh the enjoyment I get from drinking my favourite beverage.

26. Have a growth mentality instead of a shrinking mentality. Do not settle for less than you deserve in life. Always look for opportunities for growth, whether that means aiming for financial security or finding a career that will sustain you. My husband deserves credit for teaching me this life lesson.

27. I believe that there is a soulmate for every person on this planet. Ladies, if you are still single, consider this as a plausible reason:

“Someday my Prince Charming will come. Mine just took a wrong, got lost, and is too stubborn to ask for directions.” —Unknown

28. It is OK to be yourself even if people don’t always get you. For example, I am hypersensitive to noise and a little neurotic at times. My automatic response to loud noise is to cover my ears and cry. I have cried at a loud football game, I have cried at a loud pub full of drunk people when I was 3 years old and when I was 23 years old. Oh there ain’t no other way because baby, I was born this way!

Well, there you have it. I could keep going but I am feeling 28 right now. Which life lesson(s) did you relate to the most? Please join the conversation and leave a comment below ↓