Update: Taking a break and what's been going on lately.

Hi guys!

So, as you've probably noticed, I haven't posted anything on the blog for a little over 2 months. My life has been both busy and complicated during the time I've been absent, but I thought I should at least give you a little update on a few of the things that have been going on.

There were many reasons why I decided to take a break, so I though I should explain a few things about each one of them. 

It's going to be a long post, but if you don't want to read it all, at least make sure to skip to the part where I talk about drawing. It's very important to me that I talk to you about that specific subject. There's also a pretty picture for you to see, drawn by yours truly! :)

During these past few months I have been:

5 Must-Watch Chick-Flicks (Part 1)

Hi guys!

  So, I'm more of a science-fiction/fantasy/action film type of girl, but I must say, I always enjoy a bit of romance in them. And there comes a time in every girl's life where she finds herself having a sudden urge to watch a classic chick-flick. Especially if you're a movie enthusiast like me (meaning that you're curious to watch all kinds of movies).

  There is something about chick-flicks that sometimes makes them the best thing to pass the time with. Laughing at the ridiculous jokes, gushing over the most cliche romantic moments and crying at the dramatic plot twists and happy endings. Chick-flicks always manage to bring out my most girly and sentimental side.

  Whether you are a girl who a) enjoys chick-flicks, b) is choosing a movie for a slumber party with her friends or c) needs something to occupy her time with, or even a guy who's trying to satisfy his girlfriend by enduring a movie intended for girls, my series of "Must-Watch Chick-Flicks" is exactly what you've been looking for.


For Part 1 I have gathered the following 5 films:

40 Love Songs To Include In Your Valentine's Day Playlist!

Hi guys!

  First of all, before I move on to the main topic of this post, I'd like to wish "Happy Birthday" to my wonderful boyfriend, who just turned 20 years old this past Sunday. Babe, you are a very special person to me and I love you with all my heart. I wish that you will get everything that you want and deserve in life. Happy Birthday! I love you.❤
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  So, Valentine's Day is only a few days away, and a lot of people, including myself, are making plans to spend the day with our special "Valentine".

(You can also find this drawing on Deviantart.

Click here to view my profile)

  If you're planning a romantic indoor date with your significant other this year, it is important to consider that having the right music playing in the back-ground can easily affect the mood. Also, music has a way of evoking pleasant memories, so you must think of what kind of music you feel is perfect for reminding you and your significant other of this year's special Valentine's Day date, every time you hear it. In order to preserve the romantic mood throughout your date and make a perfect romantic memory, you should make the effort to create a great "Valentine's Day Playlist", consisting of a variety of great love songs, including some of your and your significant other's favourites.

My December Favourites!

Hi guys!

  As you've noticed, it has taken me a quite a long while to publish this post. To be honest it was both because I had personal matters to attend to and because I just didn't feel like writing it this time. After postponing it for half a month, I began considering to cancel it. However, I decided not to skip the month of December, as it was a relatively good month for me and I had a lot of new favourite things to share with you, which is something that I always enjoy doing.

  So, without further ado, I will now move on to the main topic of this post and start writing about my favourite things from last month.

Favourite Drink:

Hot Chocolate

  I love chocolate in general, but hot chocolate specifically could possibly be one of my favourite things in the whole world. It's delicious, it warms me up and it make me happy during the miserable and cold days of the winter. I can prepare a cup at any time and it's always there to make everything better.

10 Ways To Stop Procrastinating!

Hi guys!

So, I've been procrastinating with a lot of things lately, including posting a "December Favourites" post (although to be honest there were some personal matters that distracted me as well) which is still under development. But, in view of the fact that I had planned to post something today, I decided to go for a quick and ready to use idea and basically republish a small part of a much longer post that I had written many months ago. I had long thought that it was too long to read and that my readers would probably get too bored to finish it, so I had wanted to break it down and republish this part for quite a while. I guess this was the perfect time as I was also inspired by my own procrastination habit.

The following guide is part of my post "All About Procrastination", that I had written way back in May 2015, which also included a brief description of procrastination, a list of reasons behind developing the habit and my personal experience dealing with procrastination. If you want to learn more about procrastination and about how it affected my personal life, I highly recommend that you give it a quick read.

My New Year's Resolutions (2016)!

Happy New Year Everyone!

  Every New Year's Eve, we look back on our experiences and the things that we have accomplished in the year that passed and we search for things that we can change and improve in the year to come. It is the perfect time to make a fresh start in various parts of ours lives and challenge ourselves to work on our imperfections.

And that is where deciding on our "New Year's resolutions" comes in.

I actually have a lot of ambitions for 2016, but here are 7 of my "New Year's resolutions":

1. Try new things and have an exciting adventure every single day.
Looking back on 2015, there were a lot of times when I felt that I was wasting my time and energy by sitting around and doing nothing. However, the older I get, the more I realise how much quicker each year passes and how life is too short to be wasting it away. From now on, I want to enrich my everyday life with optimism and enthusiasm and make use of the opportunities that lie ahead of me. Furthermore, I want to challenge myself to try as many fun and creative things and activities as possible.

What I Got For Christmas 2015!

Hi guys!

  I'm very excited as I'm writing this, because it's actually snowing outside! I guess some little kid's wish came true this year. Or maybe it could've been my own wish from childhood with a veeery delayed effect. I doubt that the snow will stick to the ground, but it sure is nice to have a snowy day during the festive season for once.

  Anyway, let us move on to the main topic of this post. This has been my first time blogging around Christmas time, so I wanted to follow along most of my fellow bloggers out there and try writing Christmassy posts. I noticed that this kind of blog post was quite popular among numerous blogs and so I thought I'd give it a go as well.

  I got some lovely presents this year, but most of the presents that I've included in this post are things I bought for myself with money that I was given on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas!

Hi guys!

  First of all, Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that you spent Christmas in a very happy and festive mood and that you had a great time, with your family, friends and/or significant other.

  So, since it was Christmas a few days ago, I thought I should post a little something to relay my wishes to you all. I also wanted to share with you how I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and also show you some pictures that I took.

Christmas Eve:
★I woke up and basically spent the entire morning and afternoon on my laptop watching random videos on Youtube, mostly vlogmas videos that I had missed that past week.
★I spent the evening at home with my family. We watched "Home Alone" and had a wonderful dinner together.
★I baked a batch of Christmas sugar cookies, the recipe of which (click here to view it) I got from Zoella's blog. I always enjoy baking sweets but the best part about this recipe was getting to decorate them however I liked. I think they turned out pretty great. The designs I made were really cute and baking them was a very fun and creative activity for me.
★ After everyone else went to sleep I placed all of my presents under the Christmas tree and then made myself hot chocolate and relaxed on the sofa in a warm blanket, watching "Notting Hill" by myself.

November Movie Favourites!

Hi guys!

So, last month I watched a lot of movies, so I thought that instead of a regular "November Favourites" post, I could instead write one exclusively about movies. I am aware of how late this post has been published, but I was having a bit of trouble with it and therefore hope that you will overlook the delay.

  First of all, let me note, that in my blog posts you will read both the term "film" and the term "movie" because I'm neither from America, nor from England, so, I can use either without restrictions. I can speak both American English and British English fluently, by using the terms of each one respectively, but I am still indecisive as to which form of English to use exclusively (I will go into more detail about this in a future post if you're interested). I'm currently leaning more towards British English, but I am not very used to using the word "film" yet.

(Me, watching the movie "Penguins of Madagascar", 

with my boyfriend who is taking the photo.)

  Before moving on to the main topic of this post, I must first give huge credit to the writers of Wikipedia for providing an extensive description of the plot for each of the movies which I chose to include here. I've attempted to summarise those descriptions, doing my best to include as few spoilers as possible while also giving enough details to enable you to fully comprehend the main plot of each movie.

  I know that the summaries look pretty long so, in case you are worried that they might reveal too many details about the plot of each movie, I have also included a link to the trailer, whose purpose is to catch your interest with as few information as possible about the movie itself.

12 Ways To Feel More Festive!

Hi guys!

  It's hard to believe that there are only 9 days left until Christmas! I must confess I'm really excited, which is why I made the decision to write a Christmas-themed post for you this time.

  Whether you want to celebrate Christmas to the fullest, or to make the Christmas holidays more memorable and exciting for your family and friends, it is my task to do my best to help you get inspired and lift your Christmas spirit this year.

Here are a few ideas that might help you feel a bit more festive:

1. Decorate your house with Christmas decorations: The most obvious way to feel more festive is to make your house look more festive. I personally love decorating the Christmas tree in my living room and placing fairy lights and scented candles all over the place. Christmas decorations brighten up the room, giving it a more cozy and festive feel. A personal suggestion of mine is to place an additional small Christmas tree in your bedroom to get you in a more positive mood when you wake up in the morning. Also, placing fairy lights on your wall or bed frame can give your bedroom a more magical feel at night.

Why I took a break & plans for the near future.

Hi guys!

So, it's been a while since I posted anything on the blog.

For the negative news:

  Basically last month was really difficult to get through. I was overcome by depression -it wasn't anything serious, but I was overwhelmed by all sorts of negative emotions- and I wasn't feeling up to doing anything that required much effort. I didn't even care to do things that I usually really enjoy doing. I had planned to do my best and write as much as possible on the blog, but I lacked the inspiration and solidity that were necessary to do so. Hence the long break that ensued.

  At the moment, I'm not feeling very stable emotionally, as I'm still having mood swings every once in a while and I'm beginning to feel the pressure of having to study for the upcoming exam period. I really want to try my best to enjoy the Christmas holidays this year, to relax and become happier and do the things that I love doing.

My October Favourites!

Hi guys!

  So, the month of October just ended, which means that it's time for another "Monthly Favourites" post!

  I have to admit that it was a bit difficult to decide exactly what to include in this post. A friend/reader told me that she enjoyed my "September Favourites" post a lot, but she hoped that the next one would be a lot longer, with a lot more recommended things for her to check out. As you can imagine I tried my best to pick out as many items as I could think of that were in the center of my attention this month. It's much harder than one would expect... but regardless I think I did a pretty good job writing about things that you could possibly find interesting.

  Before I move on to the main topic, I feel the need to inform you that this post will not include any Halloween-themed items, because unfortunately in my country we don't celebrate Halloween.  I know, it's kind of sad, but at least we have a sort of similar event, called "Apokries", which is a carnival that lasts for a few weeks during February.

So, let's move on to: My October Favourites

Tumblr Gets Weird After Dark!

Hi guys!

  So, I must admit that even though I have had a tumblr account for quite some time now, I never really got to use it much, nor did I understand the purpose of said website. But after getting to explore "the world of tumblr" a bit more in the past few days, I find that it can provide countless of hours of entertainment, if you know where to search for it. I think the best way to describe it is "funny" and, well, "weird" - especially after dark. It is the time that the notorious nocturnal tumblr users share their strangest and most random thoughts, resulting in some of the funniest posts on the website.

  Featured below are 50 pictures that serve as examples of just how weird and potentially hilarious tumblr posts can get during night-time.

  Because of the fact that I didn't have time to do the research required properly on tumblr (it could literally take days to search through that vast maze of weirdness, for someone as inexperienced as me), I gathered most of the following 50 pictures from Smosh.com (specifically the section "Smosh Pit"). It is a great website with lots of funny articles on a variety of topics, so make sure to check it out.

  To be honest, while looking at the following pictures, I couldn't really decide on whether I should laugh or cry or hit my head on the nearby wall or something... In other words, prepare yourself for some severe WTF moments and intense face-palms:

Guinea Pigs Update & Care Tips!

Hi guys!

So, with the start of my college classes it has been quite difficult to gather my thoughts on writing a new post. From now on my schedule is most likely going to be insanely full. Considering that blogging has turned out to be a very challenging task so far, I imagine that things are about to get even more difficult for me. Even so, I will give it my best (as always) to keep posting interesting articles as frequently as possible. It might be about time to make a "blogging schedule"... 

  So, I thought that for today's post I could write an update on the guinea pigs and how they're doing, since the last time I wrote about them was in their introduction post, 6 months ago.

 First of all, I think it's about time I announced some very sad news.

  On August 23, 2 months ago, my beautiful guinea pig Cairo sadly passed away while we were on vacation. I don't want to share many details of how it happened because it was an awful and traumatic experience and I get very upset thinking about it (I'm literally tearing up right now). His death was due to over-heating (heat-stroke), which makes me feel completely irresponsible as a pet owner, because I should have taken better care of him. I tried everything I could think of to save him -we had no access to a vet (let alone a vet experienced in treating exotic animals)-, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do for him.

My September Favourites!

Hi Guys!

I wanted to publish this post sooner, at least while it was still the month of September (duh..!), but it was quite a difficult task with my anniversary coming up on the 3rd of October. So, as of 3 days ago my boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years (which is insane!). As you can imagine I spent most of the previous week searching for an awesome gift for him and planning our anniversary date. Therefore, the delay is justified. :)

So, for this post I thought I'd try something new and as you already guessed by the title it's a "Monthly Favourites" post. I'm sure you already know what a "Monthly Favourites" post is but in case you don't, it's basically a post where every month you write about the things that you loved or used the most or the things that made an impression on you. I don't know if I'll be posting my "Monthly Favourites" every single month because, I guess, it depends on whether I have a lot of things to write about or not, or if there's something new/cool that I can't wait to show you.

Moving on to:
My September Favourites

Favourite Snack:
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Spread Triple Sand-witch.

  I've been loving this snack lately. Usually when I get hungry during the day, I will look for a snack that involves chocolate. But apart from the sand-witch's chocolate-ey deliciousness, what I love most about it is that it's very quick & easy to make, so if I'm really busy (or really lazy) and I don't want to spend much time preparing something to eat or even thinking about my options, this is my immediate choice. Also, even though I'm not a fan of peanut butter by itself, I find that it goes perfectly with chocolate; it gives it an amazing peanut-ey finish. I would definitely recommend this as a quick go-to snack for busy (or lazy) days.

Making Pancakes!

Hi guys!

  As I announced in my previous post, I'm currently on a 10-day vacation with my boyfriend. Yesterday we wanted to cook something new and different for breakfast and in the end we decided to try making pancakes. Neither of us had ever tried pancakes before, so we didn't know exactly what to expect but they turned out to be absolutely delicious and perfect for breakfast.
   

  So, because we were extremely happy with this dish, I thought I'd post the recipe we used for you guys to try as well.

  This is a recipe for classic pancakes and it makes about 8-10 pancakes (depending on how much batter you use for every pancake).

For this recipe you will need:

❤All-purpose flour: 1 & 1/2 cups

❤Baking powder:  3 & 1/2 teaspoons

❤White sugar: 2 tablespoons

❤Salt: 1/2 teaspoons

❤Milk: 1 & 1/4 cups

❤Egg: 1 (medium or large)

❤Butter: 3 tablespoons, melted

Back from Vacation... & Away Again?

Hi guys!

How are you? I hope you had lots of fun this summer!

(Sighs) I feel like it's been forever since I last wrote a post!

  Now that I'm finally back from vacation, I'm very excited to get back to posting articles for your entertainment and for mine as well. Although coming up with interesting topics to write about is harder than one would imagine and figuring out exactly what to write once you've chosen a topic is (good lord!) even worse, writing for you is both fun and educational for me. Furthermore, I love the feeling of pride and accomplishment that comes with publishing a post, the feeling that the effort I made was worth it.

  So, first of all I want to apologise for not posting for so long. During the month of July I was very busy working for my father and dealing with personal matters and it was hard for me to find the time and inspiration to write something worth reading and to also do the research that each article requires. I felt completely drained of ideas and I was overwhelmed by the pressure that came along with the feeling that I had to write something for you. I kept postponing it and before I realised, the month was coming to an end and I hadn't written anything, so at that point I just gave up.

  I decided to take the next month off of writing as well, so as to be able to enjoy my summer vacation, to relax and get inspired at my own pace.

                As for the details of my vacation: 

Chocolate & Orange Bundt Cake!

Hey guys! :)

My grandma is visiting for a few days. She's an amazing cook, so I thought I'd seize the opportunity to learn something from her and then write about it here to share the knowledge with all of you.

We made a Chocolate & Orange Bundt cake.

For this recipe you will need:

❤ Self-rising flour: 500 gr.*

❤ Sugar: 2 cups

❤ Butter: 250 gr.(at room temperature)

❤ Eggs: 4 (medium or large)

❤ Milk: 1 cup

❤ Orange Juice: 1 cup
❤ Zest from one large orange

❤ Chocolate: 1/2 of a bar (preferably semisweet chocolate)

(Or you can use 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder)

❤ Vanilla Extract: 2 tablespoons

(Or 1 vial of vanilla powder, for those of you who live in Greece)

❤ Salt: 1/2 of a teaspoon

❤ Olive oil: 1 teaspoon

*If you don't have any self-rising flour available, you can make some yourself. You'll need: 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Just whisk the ingredients together until blended.

Introduction Q&A Post!

Hi guys!

Today, I thought I'd post a small "Introduction Q&A" post so that you can get to know a little bit more about me.

What's your name?
My name is Johanna Stephanie (but everyone calls me Stephanie).

How old are you?
I'm 19 years old.

Where do you live?

I live in Athens, the capital city of Greece.

Do you attend a university?

I attend the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in the department of Social Theology.

What do you plan to do after you finish your studies?

I'm not entirely sure yet, but for now I think I'd like to become a tour guide (religious tourism).

What do you currently do for a living?

I work part-time for my father who manages a chain of bookshops.

Are you in a relationship?

Yes, I've been in a relationship for almost 3 years.

How would you describe yourself?
I would describe myself as a very friendly, caring and understanding person. I am very creative, adventurous and open-minded. I am also honest and romantic. However I am impulsive, indecisive and insecure. I also tend to be quick-tempered and a little bossy at times. Also, I talk too much and I'm always late.

What are some things you like?

 I like: warm weather, music, chocolate, romantic gestures, sweet fragrances, beautiful landscapes, things that make me laugh.

What are some things you dislike? 

I dislike: arrogance, violence, insects and horror movies.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are: singing, sketching, blogging, writing stories and reading books.

What are your goals?

In the future I want to: lose weight, write and publish a book, create many visual novels, create my own manga, learn at least 5 foreign languages and travel to as many countries as I can.

What are 3 things you can't live without?
I'd have to say my boyfriend, my imagination and the internet.

What made you start this blog?
I have a habit of wanting to try all kinds of creative things. I think I first became interested in blogging around the time when I was hanging out a lot with a friend of mine who had a blog. She got me excited about the whole concept of blogging and I decided to try it. And that's how it all started.

Why did you name your blog "Stephie Jo VS Life"?
There isn't a specific reason why I chose this name. I just came up with a few random names and chose the one that sounded best. But if you need to over-analyse it so that it has a special meaning: "Stephie Jo" is a nickname that I used to be called by in high-school (only by a few close friends). It's short and catchy, so I've used it as pseudonym for a long time. As for the "VS Life" part, I suppose it symbolises my struggle against everyday life problems.

Do you have any siblings?
I have a younger brother. He's currently 11,5 years old.

Do you own any pets?
I have a pet guinea pig.

If you want to know more about me please leave a comment with more questions for me to answer in an upcoming Q&A.

Also, you can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stephie_Joe.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Stephanie

Writing about my personal life.

Hi guys!

  Writing about my personal life is something I've been thinking about ever since I started this blog. 

  Because I am quite new to blogging and still inexperienced, I usually struggle a lot to think of topics that you would be interested to read about. I have also done a lot of research regarding popular blogs and the various topics that are explored in their posts. Apart from learning about new things, I found that readers are very interested in getting to know the authors of their favourite blogs.

  As for my blog, it doesn't have many supporters at the moment, so my first thought was that no one is really expecting anything of me. But later, I began considering that even though I try to make it as interesting as I can, it's still missing a more personal touch. Writing about my personal life could be entertaining for both me and my readers and it could potentially boost my blog's popularity.