Hello, everyone! Today’s post is a little bit different than usual and off my normal schedule, but it’s good – shaking our routines up from time to time gives life some spice! Scheduling spice, at least…. 🙂 I’m happy to tell you that I was nominated for The Liebster Award by lovely Ashley from Ashley Lilly Blog. Thank you for the nomination, Ashley! Before I move on to The Liebster Award’s protocol, I thought I would share with you the origins of my blog and its name.
I started the blog back in 2015. It was June, and I really felt the need to have something of my own. Something that would belong to me, and would bend under the pressure of my little thoughts just like wax. I am not constant with my feelings, desires, and hopes and I tend to scrap my projects before they have a chance to grow, so I didn’t really think it would last long. Normally, it never did. I had a blog when I was 12 or 13 and never wrote more than 2 posts. It didn’t really matter to me, though, since I needed to make something out of my enthusiasm. This is how I started my blog.
Everything comes alive when you name it. Names can consist of millions of shades and meanings. I was looking for something that would fit the idea of what I wanted to share with the world. The question was… what did I want to share with the world? At that time, the answer was… everything. I wanted to talk about millions of things I loved and hated, desired and avoided, and that’s when the cup of coffee gave me an idea. Back when I was still in high school, I used to meet in a cafe with my friend every Thursday. We called our meetings “Coffee Thursdays” and we were talking about everything and nothing for hours. Starting from profound truths of the universe, ending on what kind of dress would be perfect for the prom. This is what I wanted for my blog. The depth and everyday simplicity, everything and nothing, just as if I was talking to my friend in that little, lovely cafe. Since words have always been linked to paper and ink in my mind, I thought of the little, old-fashioned store with books and paper… You know, the kind that always enchants young romantics in the movies, and makes you feel like you are in the Wonderland… the kind of store that slowly dies out, replaced by cheaper, better-equipped shops on the other side of the street. I wanted people to feel like they came to the old store like this, where they could enjoy words and find them helpful, just like coffee. Dots connected and voila… Paper Coffee Store came to life.
Now that you know my little story, let’s move on to… The Liebster Award! It always puts a smile on my face to write posts like this. It’s a pleasure to be nominated, Ashley! To find some great poetry, and more, head to Ashley’s blog Ashley Lilly Blog and show her some love! Thanks for the nomination, Ashley.
Six rules of The Liebster Award:
- Acknowledge the blog that nominated you
- Answer 11 questions the blogger gives you
- Write 11 facts about yourself
- Nominate 5+ other bloggers
- Give them 11 questions to answer
- Let them know you nominated them
Now it’s high time I answered Ashley’s questions…
1-What was your favorite childhood toy?
Oh boy, that’s a tough question, because I can’t remember liking any of my toys more than the other one! Maybe I did, but there’s no memory inside my head to confirm it. When I was 18, though, I bought a teddy tiger in the market, and I swear I love this toy very much. Maybe I should be embarrassed to admit it, but my inner child’s still alive, and I have no regrets. I’ve always loved tigers and wanted to be like them: strong, proud to stand out, wild and not chained by opinions of other people. My Tiger Toy is my favorite tiger boy, and I admit it without shame!
2-Who is your role model?
My mom and my grandma – because of their kindness, Scott Francis Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway – because their words hold magic, Taylor Swift – because she knows how to turn negativity into Top 5 hit and can narrate a song well, John Green – because he makes education easier to access and that’s a beautiful way of making a change, Malala – because she fights for what she believes in, and every single strong woman, who doesn’t feel a need to justify herself, because this is who I want to be.
3-What gives you hope when you’re going through a hard time?
My family. My mom really stands by my side, even if she doesn’t understand why I feel the way I do or act a certain way. Also, motivational videos, because they work for me. Most of all, though… walks. I really have to walk things out, very literally, to feel better. After every terrifying physics lesson in high school – the teacher was very scary inside the classroom – I had to walk home. I couldn’t take a bus because I was too anxious to do so, so I was just walking and walking, 5 or 6 kilometers, until I was home. Suddenly I felt better. Walking things out is still my best remedy.
4-What’s a random act of kindness you’ve witnessed or received?
One time I was late to the bus station, and when I caught the bus last minute and wanted to pay for a ticket, the bus driver told me he only accepted coins. Sadly, I only had cash in larger nominals, so I couldn’t pay. The friendly lady sitting close to the driver gave me coins to pay for my ticket. It was definitely random, but an amazing act of kindness, since I didn’t have to wait 2 hours for another bus! Thank you, the friendly lady, I still remember.
5-If you could go on vacation with any famous person, who would it be?
If dead people count, then Fitzgerald because he’s my favorite writer! If only alive people count, then Nina Dobrev, because she always goes on these fun road trips, and that’s my idea of the perfect vacation!
6-What have you learned about yourself in the last year?
Mostly: I’ll never be picture perfect I’ve always wanted to be, but it’s okay. The second thing? I am scared more often than I would like to admit. I fear so many things that the list would never end if I made one. It’s okay to be afraid, as long as we conquer our little fears, though, and that’s what I’m doing now. One more thing: I’ve learned I can actually stay committed because the blog and I have been going less or more steady for a year now!
7-What’s your favorite holiday?
Christmas! I can eat as much as I want, and spend so much time with my family! Also, I love buying presents. Getting presents feels nice, but the thrill of choosing presents for people I care about is something I love.
8-If you could have the power to turn into an animal, which animal would you choose?
Tiger. There could be no other answer. There is something gracious, yet dangerous about this animal. It’s strong, proud and doesn’t let fear rule his life. This is everything I aspire to be.
9-What used to scare you that you are no longer afraid of?
Failure, and the unknown. I can’t say I’m 100% unafraid of both of them, but I’ve made such a great progress that I could say I’m close to that. Also, I’m not scared of people leaving me anymore. People in my life changed, yet I’m still okay.
10-Do you prefer having lots of alone time or lots of time with other people?
I’m an introvert, so me-time is what I need the most in my life. I love being alone, just me, my thoughts and a cup of coffee. From time to time, I crave company, so I would say – everything in moderation.
11-What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
Probably my social projects and… the fact I’ve got back on my feet and got my life together after everything was filled with darkness, self-doubt and restlessness when the image of myself I created and wanted to live up to… broke crashed in two.
Now 11 facts about me…
- I’m a hopeless romantic. I’m that kind of a girl, who wants to write love letters, dance in the rain, go stargazing to the local park and have a lovely lunch at midnight, just because stars never go out of style. I’ll do all of that when I find Gilbert to my Anne. Fingers crossed!
- My favorite song ever is “Crying Lightning” by Arctic Monkeys. No other song speaks to me as much as this one. The 2nd and 3rd one would be “Vienna” by Billy Joel and “Same old love” by Selena Gomez.
- When I was 10 I wanted to be an archeologist. After that I discovered writing and I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since.
- My dream travel destination’s Scotland! I fell in love with its raw beauty when I saw “Outlander” for the first time and I’ve been obsessed ever since. P.s: “Simply Scottish” podcast is definitely too good to miss out on it!
- I struggle with anxiety and mood swings. Sometimes my mind turns against me and feeds on my fears. We’re slowly becoming friends now.
- I am easily smitten by people, places or things. I can easily become fascinated with something or somebody, but it usually fades away quickly.
- I love English! Its words, sounds, the way it flows – English’s magical to me.
- I asked a stranger (at that time) to be my date for the prom party because he reminded me of a book character… Yes, I’m obsessed with books. 😀 P.s: he agreed!
- I want to be a polyglot! Languages on my list? French, Spanish and Arabic!
- I’ve always wanted to be a witch. Magical powers all the way!
- One time somebody told me I reminded them of Hermione and I couldn’t have been happier! Also, one of my college friends told me I reminded them of Cassie from Skins. Since I never watched the series, I can’t tell much about it, but I hope she wasn’t terrible. 😀
Since I answered all of the questions, it’s time I introduced you, my lovely nominees!
- Modern Day Girl Blog
- Oh Dear Deer
- My World As You See It
- Finding Montauk
- Does This Make Me A Blogger
My questions for them are:
- If you could travel in time… would you and if so, what would be your first travel?
- How did you come up with an idea for your blog’s name?
- Would you rather win 100000$ or meet aliens?
- What’s your favorite past time?
- Who did you want to be when you were a child?
- What couldn’t you just live without?
- Who do you admire?
- What was the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen somebody do?
- Your motto?
- What makes you happy?
- How would describe your life in one sentence?
That would be all for today. I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
Best wishes,
Jessie
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Paper coffee store 