I am not feeling too good. As in my throat is acting out, my eyes are redder than after a long night of tequila and I sound like an old car not being able to start. But I have a routine and it promises to get me back on full power in no time.

Here are my best ‘beat-the-illness’-tips:

1. Stay warm.
2. Drink warm things, whether you like tea, coffee, hot chocolate or a mix just drink it as liberally.
3. Watch films. My personal favourite would be any Harry Potter film as I find them extremely healing – you always feel better after a bit of magic.
4. Watch TV-shows. I have a few good ones – both happy and not so happy. Check out Once Upon a Time (more magic) and Hart of Dixie. They really do the job.
5. Listen to music. Preferably your most guilty pleasure and do remember to turn it all the way up.
6. Make people do things for you. It is nice to be cuddled when you feel bad.
7. Read books. I love books – they are the best thing ever. Right now I am reading Dash & Lily´s Book of Dares and so far (p. 30) I like it.
8. Eat Strepsils, Zyx or something of the sort. And do not mind the amount allowed on the box – they are good for you (joke – follow instructions).
9. Online shopping. It is like therapy for both mind and body.
10. Cuddle under the covers – I mean, you have to do this. It is the whole point of being ill. Why else would there be illness if not to give you a few days of snuggling?

I hope these tips will work for you as well. OH! I nearly forgot the most important thing – EAT LOADS OF CHOCOLATE!

Chocolate, Strepsils and chai latte.

“This inhuman place makes human monsters”

It took me far longer than I care to admit, but I finally finished this world famous book. It took awhile partially because I was too lazy to read during the day and too scared to read at night.

“During our first winter I hired a family instead of a single man. There was a tragedy. A horrible tragedy.”

The story itself is not too frightening until the very last chapters, but this novel is much more than the words on its pages. It is a state of mind. It is a feeling. It is the scary stories from when you were little. It is the idea that someone is watching your every move. Someone is standing outside your window at night – a monster is hiding under your bed.

“Children have to grow into their imaginations like a pair of oversized shoes.”

Going all the way up in the quiet and lonely mountains with the Torrance family was quite the adventure. At first you sort of wish everything will work out but as the story progresses you feel the need to see where this ends; how bad it will get. This is in fact more terrifying than the story itself.
It is more nerve-racking than witnessing Jack Torrance come apart in front of your eyes – so vivid you do not even need to see the film to visualize it.
It is more shocking than watching Wendy Torrance accept her miserable life and fail to change it.
It is just a tad more chilling than going along Danny Torrance on his occasional trips outside this world.
It is breathtaking and horrible all at once.

“Dear God, he could use a drink. Or a thousand of them.”

Stephen King is a gifted author – no one could ever doubt that. As a reader you may not notice just how tangled you get in the story before you are in so deep there is no way out. ‘The Shining’ is definitely worth a read – no matter how much you hate scary stories. It is a telling so magnificent one would presume anyone owes it to themselves to experience it. Experience it, because it is not just a book – it is an intensity.

4/5

It was a rather cold day to only wear a cowboy jacket last Wednesday. But you know, when the destination is Malaga, you will manage. 
After nearly 6 hours of traveling I made it to the airport – half way there! I ate some delicious Thai food which almost sat my mouth on fire and then I was off to the gate and on to the plan. Goodbye cold and rainy Denmark. Hello Costa del Sol!

I went to Malaga with school for an extended weekend. AND IT WAS GOOD. Sun, warmth, shopping and cheap drinks – the perfect cocktail (pun intended).

We started out with 25-degree weather, which made even me pull out the pale Danish winter legs and get some sunlight on my bare skin. But of course all good must come to an end and so did the short Spanish summer. On Saturday it rained and rained and rained and then it rained a little bit more. And what do you do to pass time when the rain is pouring in your face? You find a shopping centre of course!

It was not all shopping and partying – though Malaga has a great scene for this – but I also got to enjoy some of the lovely sight in the area. We even spend a whole day in Granada where we spotted the huge old castle Alhambra.

Malaga is definitely worth a visit. And not just because it is the heart of Costa del Sol. It is a lovely city with friendly people, but be ready for a vast amount flirting – Spanish guys do mean serious business!

Sunny weather and palm trees in Malaga.

Alhambra with Sierra Nevada in the background in Granada.