Sunshine Blogger Award

I was nominated by the wonderful Misty from mistysbookspace for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Thank you so so much! I just want to say that I won’t be tagging anyone this time, since I’ve done an award post recently, but I really wanted to answer Misty’s quesstions, so here it is. 🙂 If someone wants to do the award, just say it and consider yourself nominated! The rules are as follows:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Answer 11 questions set by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 11 bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions to answer.

Now, let’s get to the questions!

1. What is your dream vacation location?

Oh, I love to travel, so anywhere I have never been before is great for me. Lately, I’ve really been wanting to visit Iceland. It seems so perfect!

2. When would you say you became a reader?

I think I’ve always been a reader. My parents read to me when I was a child and it all kind of started from that.

3. What was the last book series you completed?

The Mistborn series, by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been getting into fantasy again this summer. I think summer is the perfect time to read those long books and series you’re a bit afraid to start when you know you won’t have as much time to read as you would want.

4. What advice would you give to newcomers to the blogging world?

I’m not sure I’m the right person to give advices to other bloggers… I’m not even sure what I’m doing here. XD I guess the most important thing is not to consider your blog as something you have to do. It’s supposed to be fun, and to makke you happy. Not stressed. So if you need a break – take a break. It’s not the same as giving up. You’ll always be welcome back. 😉

5. Do you have any unique talents? If so what are they?

You mean, besides being the most quiet and awkward person in the room? XD I’m not sure…

6. What character do you wish was a real person in your life?

Any vampire from the Vampire Chronicles. So that they can make me a vampire, too, and I could live forever. I need someone willing to do that, of course, or I could end up dead. So I’ll have to think a bit more carefully about this… Any suggestions? 😛

7. Aside from reading what are some of your other passions?

Lately, Instagram… XD But, seriously, I love to write. Just about anything, as you can see from my blog, as well as working on some longer works of fiction. Also, I’ve recently discovered I like doing yoga. I’m still a complete beginner, but I’m getting better. XD

8. What is your favorite genre?

I think I love the classics most, though I refuse to consider classics a genre (they belong to different genres). Maybe Gothic fiction, in all of it’s shapes and forms.

9. Who is your favorite author?

Just one? :O Mary Shelley, probably.

10. What is your least favorite genre?

I like to read different genres… I think anything can be done great. But I don’t really read  contemporary romances… As I said in an earlier post I don’t mind romance as a part of the book, but if it’s all the book is about, I probably won’t pick it up.

11. What fictional world do you wish you could be a part of?

Most books that take place in a fictional world have a pretty dangerous setting. That makes them interesting to read, but not so good to live in. XD So, I’ll have to go with the expected answer and say the magical world of Harry Potter. I’d definitely go to Hogwarts! 🙂

Spirit Animal Award

Thank you, Dear Kitty. Some Blog for nominating me for the Spirit Animal Award.(HERE is the original post.) I really appreciate it, especially since I love animals. And the logo is so cute. So thank you very, very much! 🙂

Here are the rules:

1.) Thank the blogger who nominated you, and link back to their page.

2.) Post the award picture on your blog.

3.) Write a short paragraph about yourself and what your blog means to you.

4.) If you could be any animal, what would it be?

5.) Pick and notify ten nominees.

About myself and my blog:

It’s always the hardest to write about yourself, isn’t it? XD Well, my name is Irena and I’m currently working as an apprentice Croatian teacher. The job’s been taking quite a lot of my time, and that’s why I don’t write as often as I used to, but even when I don’t have the time to write, I try to find some time to read other bloggers’ posts. There are so many interesting people here, and they make me want to come back, look for more posts and more people to follow. I started this blog because I wanted to share my thoughts on the things that interest me. I also wanted to put some of my short stories “out there”, wherever that may be. I didn’t expect anything much, but for reasons not completely known even to myself, I wanted to try it. I’m really happy I did. 🙂

If I could be any animal…

…I would be… Oh, this is even harder! XD There are so many animals I love, but I have to be smart about this… Maybe a crocodile? They seem chill. XD If it weren’t for the stupid people hunting them for their skin, they’d have quite a nice life. But for some reason, I want to say – wolf. They’re beautiful. And they seem so free. So, in the end, I’ll chose a wolf, even if may not be the smatrest choice. (Why do I make these things so complicated???? :P)

And in the end, nominations… these lovely bloggers: MWtheMermaid, A Little Bird Tweets, Musings of a Whimsical Soul, Candice Louisa Daquin, Elisabet Regina, Lovely Curses, tuckedintoacorner, j matthew waters.

 

Update + Teaching + Epic Awesomness Award

I didn’t have much time for blogging lately, and that’s because I started working. Bravo me! I’m an apprentice teacher in a school. This might sound confusing, but after finishing college, we have to work as apprentices for a year and then take a test to truly become teachers. College is apparently not enough. XD

Anyway, for now I mostly listen to my mentor teach and help her with some small things, but soon I’ll start giving my own lectures, grade tests etc. This would not be the first time I teach, since we had to do it in college, but there will be more of it, and with much more responsibility now. It feels a bit strange, I have to admit, especially since I feel more like a student than a teacher… (Even though my students are 11-15 years old.) The best thing is – I get payed, not much but for me it’s a lot – and that means that I will be able to buy ALL the books! Well, not all, but a lot. 😉

Now, for the real purpose of this post… I’ve been nominated for the Epic Awesomness Award by wonderful Aquileana (see her post HERE). You should all click on the link and visit her blog, especially if you’re interested in mythology! Once again, thank you, Aquileana, so much for the nomination. 🙂

The rules are as follows:

1. You are awesome; tell us why.
2. You are my friend; tell us about other (blogger) friends.
3. Be creative, but it’s ok if you are having trouble with this one.
4. There are no direct questions to answer; let yourself run wild!
5. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
6. Notify your nominees.

And here are my answers:

1. I’m awesome because I won the Epic Awesomess Award, duh! The title says it. 😛 But, honestly now, I don’t often think of myself as being awesome… And then, sometimes, when I manage to do something that really scared me or was very hard, I do feel awesome. I hope I’ll feel that way after my teaching exam… XD

2. In my personal life, I don’t have many friends, but those I have are very important to me. As for the bloggers, I’ve met some great and interesting people here. When I started my blog, I had no expectations, and now I’m so happy I did it. I love writing posts and reading everything that you wonderful, creative people write. 🙂

3. I pride myself in being creative, but when someone tells me to be creative, I go completely blank. XD That’s one of the reasons why prompts rarely work for me. I see it and can’t think of anything interesting about it. I guess I just have to wait for my brain to work in its own pace. Which can be in most inappropriate times sometimes, mostly when I’m trying to fall asleep. I guess we have all experienced that. XD

4. For this one, I’ll just write down some things which I find awesome.

The sound of thunder when I’m safe in bed.
Walking under a large umbrella in the mild rain.
When my tea is just the perfect temperature.
When a book captures me and takes me away from the real world.
Beautiful swords, bows and arrows.
The colour black, and a warm grey.
Soft fabric and cuddly plushies.
Watching a good film with someone you love, somewhere cozy.
Waking up and knowing I don’t have to get up soon.

And bubble wrap! XD

And now for the nominations: Shyla Fairfax-Owen, Izza Ifzaal, Unbolt, Jon Stephens, Old Road Apples, Simon, Paully1965, The Walking Pencil.

You are great bloggers and you are awesome, so I thought the award was fitting. 🙂

 

Dragons again!

So, I’ve been nominated for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award by paully1965. Since I was already nominated for this award recenty, it felt a bit strange to write another post… And I can’t think of that many facts about myself, honestly. XD I’m sorry… But I did want to give a shout-out to paully1965. His blog is great and I recommend you to at least have a look at it! You can also read his award post HERE and get to know him a little bit more.

Anyway, I’ll link my previous award post HERE, if anyone’s interested. And to make something out of this strange blog post, I’ll share some wonderful dragon art that I’ve stumbled upon on Deviantart.

Dragons are amazing, and so are these artists! Enjoy! 🙂

Dragon’s Night by eronzki999 on Deviantart

Lighting Strikes Twice by Blacktalons on Deviantart

Mountain Priest by Eclectixx on Deviantart

Dragon’s Loyalty Award

So, I’ve been nominated for the Dragon’s Loyalty award by Simon (you can read his post HERE). Once again, thank you for the nomination! And dear bloggers, do give Simon’s blog a look, he’s really great! 🙂

Anyway, the rules are:

•Display the award on your blog.
•Announce your win with a post and link the blogger who nominated you.
•Present 6 deserving bloggers with the award.
•Link your awardees in the post.
•Write 7 interesting things about you.

I’ve recently posted some facts about me in my Liebster Award post, so now I’ll try to think of different ones.

1. I dye my hair red, which is quite convenient if you look at the award picture. XD
2. I love dragons! (also convenient)
3. My favourite video game is Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. I liked vampires before it was cool. 😛
4. I like everything creepy, even a bit disturbing, and everything cute. So, on my bookshelves you can find creepy books and plush toys one next to the other.
5. I’m really interested in mythology. Greek, Norse, Celtic, everything!
6. I’m fascinated my the Middle Ages for some reason. I really can’t explain why, not even to myself, but I’m just very interested in that time period. XD
7. The last book I’ve read is Honour by Elif Shafak and it was great!

Now, to the nominees! Once again, I’ll nominate some people I have never nominated before, and then felt sorry afterwards…

My nominees are: Aquileana, Svegliati Cara, Porter Girl, Fifty words daily,  The Passionate Shepherd, RedHeadedBookLover.

Don’t feel obligated to do this, but just know that I think you deserve it 🙂

One Lovely Blog Award

So, I was nominated by lovely Nicole.Ilene over at Sorry, I’m Booked. Her blog is great and you should check it out! And here is her post. Anyway, I decided not to do the award thing, but I did want to make this post. So I won’t be tagging anyone.

Here are the rules:

The Rules!
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. List rules and display award.
3. Give seven facts.
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers and notify them.
5. Display award logo and follow the blogger who nominated you!

And now I’m suppored to share seven fact about me. Hmmmm… This is kind of hard. XD Anyway, I decided to share some facts that have nothing to do with books, since I write about books all the time anyway.

1. I don’t like coffee.

At all. Yes, I know, shocking, but I really don’t like the taste or the smell so I never drink it. Tried it once, and that was it for me.

2. I love animals.

All animals. You don’t have to be fluffy to be cute… Snakes are actually among my favourites. I also don’t believe in the cat-person and dog-person distinction. I love them all! My dream is actually to have a cat and a dog but that’ll have to wait a little longer…

3. I love Disney films.

And no, not even the older ones. I’m not really a fan of Snow White, Cinderella etc. My favourites are Tangled, The Emperor’s New Groove (so funny!) and Mulan. And I liked Frozen. When I’m feeling down or want to relax I often watch one of those. 🙂

I also like some Dreamworks and other animated films. How to Train Your Dragon was amazing!

4. I’m a little bit obsessed with vampires.

From Disney to vampires, well that escalated quickly. Yes, I could say “I liked them before Twilight” but I won’t (except I just did). I like vampires my way. I don’t care for mindless monsters, I don’t find them interesting at all. But I also don’t like the washed-down, goody-two-shoes versions. I think they should be mean, but also have certain human qualities. Nothing is black-and-white.

5. I love The Sims.

I have these periods of Sims-obssession when I play the game all the time, then I stop for a period and don’t play at all. I think it has to do with my love of creating characters, I always have an entire backstory for all of them in my mind, and an idea where it may lead.

6. But my favourite game is Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

See 4. XD It’s just such an interesting game and an intriguing world.

An honourable mention are Spyro the Dragon games which I played as a child but also later on. My entire familiy loved them, and my mother was actually the best at it. XD And the main character is a cute purple dragon, you just have to love him! And his firefly friend Sparx! Adorable.

7. I’m very, very introverted.

I love spending time alone. Of course, I need and appreciate my friends and family, but I don’t like being in large groups or being surrounded by people I don’t know. I’m also anxious when it comees to phone calls. If I have to call a doctor or order a pizza it’s almost a torture to me. But, I’m working on it. Getting better each day. XD

So, those were some little facts about myself. I hope I made myself look at least a little less boring than I actually am. XD