milenacakic

When I was younger, I enjoyed reading books. I'd join the local library and borrow books on weekly basis. But somewhere along the way, school got in the way. We had required reading and I did not enjoy much in books school forced us to read. Also, with years came much more studying, and much less time for reading, to the point I couldn't even stand looking at another book, let alone reading it. But that changed about 2 months ago, when my cousin borrowed me a book saying it is interesting and I should check it out. And I did. I finished it in 3 days, and I was impressed. It was amazing! So I renewed my membership to library, borrowed some more books from cousin, and even bought some on my own. Every day, I'd read at least 50 to 100 pages, except at last 100 or so pages, when I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Reading is really good, as it lets you escape reality. In order to read the book, you need to be fully concentrated, and it is not allowin

On my most recent visit to library, I noticed an interesting book on one of the shelves. It was 'Mr Mercedes' by Stephen King. Now if anyone knew me well, they'd know I stay as far away as possible from anything related to horror - movies, TV shows, and even books. And the author is well known for his horror stories. I am not sure what influenced me to get that book - maybe because I saw the particular book a week or 2 before in a book store and it was quite expensive, but the description seemed interesting to me. Anyway, I went home with it, promising myself I would stop if I felt uncomfortable reading it. But I didn't. It just drew me to read more and more, and I finished it in 3 days. So now I am more inclined to any books that have 'horror' in their genre. (Note: The book may not be suitable for younger audiences, I only used it as an example.) My point is, you sometimes may feel anxious or scared of trying new things, and you may be ruining yo

Last Friday, I watched the very last episode of my favorite TV show - The Vampire Diaries. The show I watched from the very beginning, for 8 years. Never missed a single episode, grown to like characters and enjoyed in their adventures, shed an occasional tear, survived waiting week by week for a new episode, and the way too long summer hiatuses. The show I started watching in my teen years, the show that taught me love, friendship, but most importantly, the unbreakable bond of family. I don't think I will ever love a show like this one. It came right when I needed it and was there when life was bad, to remind me there is always hope. And I will keep watching shows, keep falling for characters, but never will be one like The Vampire Diaries. At least not for me. You know, it made me think. Even time seems to go slow, it actually runs surprisingly fast. For example, one day, you are at school, waking up every day, go to school, study, and you think it is going to be fo

Parents are some of the most important people in our lives. They teach us life, they give us advice and guidance, but most importantly, unconditional love. Of course, not all parents are perfect. They are human, and they have their own lives that don't affect us directly. And there will be cases when they will have some disagreements. Now I know there are some dysfunctional families, divorced parents, or worse cases. This time I won't be talking about those. I want to focus on 'ordinary' families and ordinary arguments. So, you hear your parents are starting to argue about something. What should you do? First, try to ignore it. Like I said, they may have some issues that don't affect you directly, their personal issues. So go to your room, turn on some music and try to ignore the argument. Or go outside and take a walk. By the time you are back, in most cases, they will settle the issue by themselves. Don't take it too personal. Anger tends to c

Elementary school wasn't the most pleasant experience of my life. I did many wrong things, made wrong choices, things I regret. Years after, looking back at those days, made me realize what should I have done better. This is dedicated to you, who may be struggling or wondering what are you doing wrong. - One bad grade doesn't mean it's the end of the world. If you came unprepared for test and got a low score, no need to cry about it. You can study harder and improve it next time. But you also have to remember final grades will have a significant impact on your future life. - Don't let them use you. If you see some 'friends' hanging out with you only when they need a help for a test or homework, never be afraid to say 'no'. You may feel you'd be losing friends, but frankly, they were never friends at all. - It is okay not to know all the answers. Those years may be sensitive, and you may have millions of questions. Talk to your older

Some people seem to have it all. You see photos of them on various, beautiful places in the world, always perfectly dressed, with a big smile on their face, surrounded by people they love. Some people seem to have figured out the life. You hear about them having great jobs, lots of friends, they travel the world, eat delicious food, and have a lot of fun. Some people seem just so perfect. You may wonder what is their secret? I believe I have figured it out. The thing is, they only show things they want people to see. They will never post about their parents arguing, a horrible headache they had last night, that they friend they have known for years betrayed them for no reason, that they hate going to the same job every single day. NO. They don't want to seem fragile, vulnerable. They are just trying to present the best image of themselves. Keep that in mind, in case you sometimes get depressed believing everyone has better life than you. Nobody, nobody in th