How Greek is my Big Fat Greek wedding?

Posted in Thoughts, Travelling by Joanna Malefaki

I saw my big fat Greek wedding 2 a couple of days ago and started thinking about how true the things shown in the movie are. As a gal who lives in ‘contemporary’ Greece and someone who grew up in Australia, I have experienced both sides of Greekness.That’s why I had to write this post. I just had to. So, here goes:

How true/realistic are the things shown in the movie?

Meddling

Yeap. The family meddles a lot. You have a mama’s gal and a papa’s boy. You have kids living with their parents till they get married (that’s more cause of the economy if you ask me). When there is drama, the first person to call is your mum, then the whole family knows. Weddings are big, family gatherings are big. Family and meddling go hand in hand.

Flags/ statues

OK, so, some people (in Greece) do have flags hanging from their balconies but that’s only on national holidays or when we win a big match or something. I was very curious about statues though. Do people actually buy/have statues in their gardens? Well, a little birdie told me that their family has a small statue in their yard (they live abroad, not in Greece). So, that’s correct too!!!

Food

Food is very important. When you are invited somewhere, you eat. The more food you eat, the better it is. You better not make the mistake and say you are not hungry when you go to a Greek’s house. Food gets shoved down your mouth anyways!! Not eating food is considered rude.

Music

Yes, we sing (a lot), dance ( a lot) and music is a very important part of our lives. All Greeks think they can sing.We have lots of special songs to celebrate things.

Loud

Yes. Very loud. When we talk, you think we are arguing, but we aren’t. Nope. We are just chatting :).

But

We don’t think cleaning products solve everything. We do not think that all words derive from ancient Greek (although most do :p).

I am not going to review the movie, cause well, I don’t want to. I think I liked the first one better though.

Till the next post folks.

Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. I blog about life, beauty, planning, makeup, and all the stuff that make life beautiful. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram (cause as you can see, my pics are fantastic!). Please ‘pin’ this post if you enjoyed it. I am doing #Beda; blogging every (kinda) day in April, so do check out those posts.

See ya tomorrow

xxx

7Apr2016

Bits & Bobs: Food, Makeup, and Vest Tops

Posted in Beauty, Hauls, In your 40s by Joanna Malefaki

Hi guys!

I am just going to write a short post about some of the things I have been doing lately and show you some of the stuff I bought, in case you are in spendy mode. So, here goes.

Wining and Dining

On Sunday I went for dinner with two of my favourite people and we went to this traditional tavern called Avli (avli means back/front yard). We sat inside cause it was quite chilly and ordered loads of yummy foods. We got fried cheese (saganaki),lamb chops ( of course), salad, meat balls in yoghurt, and stuffed potato with veggies. It was fun. We stayed there until 11 and then went home cause Monday is a work day.

Spendy Mode

I also did a bit of shopping. I bought some makeup and 4 things from H & M.

I wanted to try the Estee Lauder Double Wear Makeup to go Liquid compact. It’s consistency and coverage is lighter than the Double Wear foundation I swear by, but you can put it in your purse and take it with you, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

I also got the Lancome Grandiose Mascara which I have been eyeing for a while but never bought it. I got it in the colour Violet. It is also the mascara with the most product in it 10 ml.

Price for both products 58 euro

I popped into H & M to buy some vest tops in order to be able to layer clothes and stuff and bought 3. There is a wide range of colours and the quality is good. It doesn’t feel plastic-y. The vest tops are long (they go up to your thigh). Price 4.99 for each vest.

2 V.jpg

I also got a lip balm I did not need but I liked the packaging and well, I will chuck that in my bag as well. Dunno the price ❤ ❤

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Hmmm what else? Oh! I started watching the Netflix show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I have also been binge watching videos of What would you Do (that’s an ABC show) on YouTube and I love watching people’s reactions to ‘extreme’ scenarios. You should check it out.

I am getting ready for my teacher conference in Birmingham. Cannot wait to go to the UK. OK. Shutting up now. Thanks for reading. If you have tried any of the things mentioned, let me know in the comments below. If you have any chick/romance kind of TV series to suggest, tell me.

See ya tomorrow

xxx

5Apr2016

The One where I got Plagiarised

Posted in Blogging, Thoughts by Joanna Malefaki

I was so happy yesterday because 2 of my posts got shared on the Huffington Post. A much bigger platform than my blog featured my writing. Nothing changed for my blog. I mean, I didn’t get a ton of page views or followers, but I got to tell my story. I shared my thoughts and I was so happy and then everything changed!

My post was plagiarised by 4people who copied my article. 4 websites have copy pasted my post onto their platforms and my name is nowhere. I mean, I am OK with people sharing my stuff. Reblogging and mentioning me doesn’t bother me. I wanted it though to have been attributed to me. I was the writer, not X.

I am a teacher and I teach academic English.Helping students to avoid plagiarism is one of the things I do. One of the reasons people plagiarise is because they don’t know how to rephrase and I get that. Another reason is because they do not realise they are plagiarising. In some cultures, according to research copying the source shows respect (yup).But copy pasting every single word and not saying anything?

Fellow bloggers, who know hard it is to come up with ideas, to write properly, to find time to write, end up copying every single word I wrote and passing it off as their own? That sucks!

What did I do?

I have left comments on the websites that plagiarised my articles, but they are awaiting moderation. My colleagues (teachers) have also showed their support and left comments (which are also awaiting moderation). I have also emailed the Huff Post to see what can be done. My next move will be going to WordPress.

These people stole my happy feelings from being published and they also stole my words, my thoughts.

These were my original posts. My name is clearly mentioned at the top of the articles. The Huff Post is great with the attributions.Other people aren’t:

7 questions you need to ask before pulling the plug on your business

My ‘problem’ with the word disability

Black

I have been posting every day in April and using the Hashtag #beda. Please do subscribe to my blog if you like what you read. Check out the sidebar for more of my posts. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram (cause as you can see, my pics are fantastic! So fantastic, they get plagiarised 😦 ).

Thanks for stopping by.

3Apr2016

My ‘problem’ with the word disability

Posted in Being colourblind, In your 40s, Thoughts by Joanna Malefaki

Today was the first time I filled in a job application and ticked a box about a disability.

There was a question about whether I have a condition that may affect my work and I finally ticked the box. It took me 40 years. I ticked the box and then filled in another box with details. I wrote:

I am colourblind and I may have difficulty if things are colour coordinated.

That’s the truth. I have actually had difficulty at work in the past. It has been a ‘problem’. Some colleagues have helped me. Others immediately, others after a bit, and I have been brushed off, cause, well, she didn’t have the time.

I find it very difficult to do that especially when it comes to work cause I am an Alpha type gal who sets goals and tries to do anything. I have told myself over and over again that my disability is something that enables me to do so many other things. It challenges me, it makes me resourceful, stronger, but does it? Why do i find it so hard to accept the term disability?

Let’s look at the definition of disability,

an illness, injury, or condition that makes it difficult for someone to do the things that other people do

http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org

I cannot do what other people do.

daisy

True Story

My vision is quite bad, not just cause of colourblindness. I went to the eye doctor and she mentioned that I was entitled to a phone with bigger numbers and loads of other stuff at work. I laughed. Me? Do I need special treatment? No. I ain’t gonna have it.No way.

It’s actually people like me, who have a disability and cannot come to terms with it, who make it difficult for the rest of those like me. I have written a zillion posts where I whined about my colourblind life. I have written even more about what I want to change, but when I get the opportunity for a change that would’ve made my life easier, I never took it. When it had to do with my work, I didn’t want special treatment. I was scared. I said nothing. It took me 40 freakin years to tick the box!

Why?

Is it because I have grown up in Greece and even from the ancient years, children with defects were chucked off mountains (Sparta)?I learnt this at school as part of history.

Is it cause I feel bad about myself? Not normal? Weak? Weaker than others?

Is it because of my personality. I am a tough cookie. I can deal with it. It ain’t a big deal.

Is it because I feel embarrassed or scared that someone will make fun of me?

This has actually happened.The number one question I get is, ” What do you think this colour is?” Recently a makeup artist was layering my lips with a lipstick so many times, just so I could ‘see’ the colour. My students have told me that the marker I was using was a different colour just to giggle. I was so pissed off, and sad.

I am always asking for help. Is it the same for other people? What’s wrong with me? I feel so comfortable talking about colourblindness, but I could never tick the box………

Today I did.

Pin for CB post.jpg

Do follow my blog if you like what you read. Check out the categories field and see if you find something else interesting. Thanks for stopping by.

Joanna

2Apr2016

What will I be doing in April? #BEDA

Posted in Planning, Travelling by Joanna Malefaki

As I said in yesterday’s post, I am going to try to blog everyday in April which will be very challenging cause I am going to be super busy . So, today I will tell you what my April looks like.

I am working full time. I mean, on average, I work every morning from 9-ish to 2:30 and then from 5-9. That’s a lot of teaching folks.

Coffee

On the 12th of April I am flying to Birmingham for a teacher’s conference. I am flying to London and from there I will take the train to Brum (that’s what some call Birmingham). My presentation is on the 14th. I already have plans to meet friends who will also be at this conference.

So, apart from work, I also have to prepare my presentaion a.k.a study for my presentation.

I am back in Greece on the 16th, have a free weekend, and back to my work schedule (as described above).

The 23rd of April is my last day of teaching and then we have Easter break. Yeap! In Greece Easter falls on the 1st of May (Greek Orthodox). I get 2 weeks off. Yay.

I will take you along all these days with loads of random posts and of course my regulars, so stay tuned.

Oh! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog cause, well, you ain’t gonna wanna miss out on all the blogging or will ya? I have loads of other social media stuff you may want to use to connect with me (check sidebar). Thanks Bea for telling me about #beda.

xxx

1Apr2016

#Marchfavouirtes: beauty and random

Posted in Beauty, In your 40s, Monthly favourites by Joanna Malefaki

Hi lovelies,

Another #monthlyfavourites post. Here is what I loved in beauty and other random stuff in the month of March.

🌹🌹Beauty🌹🌹

Lush Lip exfoliator

This exfoliator tastes like bubblegum. It leaves your lips soft and a bit puffy. I like it!

L’oreal Infallible 24 hr Matte foundation

I love this foundation for everyday and am on my second tube. As for the cushion foundation shown in the picture, unfortunately, it did not work for me. You can read all about that here.

20160313_113611-1-1

Burberry eyebrow definer

I am still trying to get a handle of this but I love the result (done by the makeup artist). The whole experience at the Burberry counter was amazing. You can read my full review here.

H&M Blush: Apricot

I have been loving the H&M blush in the shade apricot. It’s nice and great for this season.

Clinique: Take the Day Off Cleanser

I love this product. I have actually written a review about it and you can find it here. It’s amazing! You need to try it out.

clinique

🌹🌹Random Stuff🌹🌹

Lipstick holder

I have been misplacing and not being able to find my lippies for a long time now. I purchased a lipstick older/storage thingy and everything is much easier now.

lip

TV series

I binge watched this TV show called Younger. It is about a 40-year-old divorcee who is having trouble finding work and decides to say she is 26 in order to….. survive. I really enjoyed it. Light hearted and fun. You can watch the trailer here.

Song

If you went away by Daniel Wilson.

YouTuber

Elle Florence. I enjoy watching her videos. She seems so sweet and eloquent. She is a lawyer in Canada. You should check her channel out.

Bea from Thatsobee.com told me about BEDA (blogging every day in April). I am going to try it out, but I am not sure I will succeed. Let’s see. Don’t forget to check out her blog if you haven’t yet!

A Happy Moment for me

I had a great moment this month as I got two of my blog posts published in the Huffington Post. You can check them out here and here.

Thanks for stopping by!

30Mar2016

Clinique: Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm

Posted in Beauty, In your 40s by Joanna Malefaki

I had one of those” YouTube made me buy it moments” with this one lovelies! I had watched loads of Youtubers talk about the Clinique Take the Day Off balm and I thought I’d give it a shot. I am not the best at makeup and tutorials, but for someone in her 40s, I have really good skin, and I think it has to do with the following: I take my makeup removing and cleansing routine VERY seriously ( I may not be great with moisturising my skin and creams and stuff but I have neva, eva slept with my makeup on). So, let’s see. What do I think?

clinique

According to the Clinique website it is a ,

Lightweight makeup remover ………. Transforms from a solid balm into a silky oil upon application. Cleans thoroughly, rinses off completely. Gently helps remove the stress of pollution so skin looks younger, longer. Non-greasy. Non-drying. Ophthalmologist Tested. For all skin types.

My Opinion

I absolutely love it (with a passion). It feels nice and soft when you pt it on your skin. You rub it and it takes off almost everything. I put it on my lashes and massaged gently and it took off my mascara as well!!! It did not sting at all!A little goes a long way. I absolutely recommend this!! After using the balm I also use a cleansing wipe just to see if there was residue on my face and there was only an itsy bitsy bit of mascara. When I wiped my face on my towel, nothing was transferred to the towel. My skin felt nice and soft after using the balm.It is odourless. and not oily. When you wash it off, you do not feel greasy. My skin is sensitive dry.

clinique pin.jpg

Talk soon

xxx

29Mar2016

Plan with me: 4th-10th April

Posted in DIY, Planning, Uncategorized by Joanna Malefaki

Hi lovelies!

Another plan with me post this week. Haven’t done one for ages cause I wasn’t really feeling it. Anyhow, today I am feeling inspired and I am using printables from the Story planner 2016 (#justjaimee) which is sold at the Lilypad. You get a dashboard, a monthly spread (small boxes), loads of stickers for your weekly spreads, clip art, half boxes and checklists etc.

❤ My spread

I like the spread because it is colourful and looks as if spring is going to jump out of the pages. So, here is my weekly spread.

It is quite minimal because I do not know my work schedule yet. I am planning a trip to the UK, so some of my check list stuff is on this spread.

So, there you have it. This week’s spread.

*The pens in the pictures are from Amazon and you can get them here.

glow pin.jpg

Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. I blog about life, beauty, planning, makeup, and all the stuff that make life beautiful. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram (cause as you can see, my pics are fantastic!). Please ‘pin’ this post if you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to check out the planning category on my sidebar for more plan with me posts, printables and coupon codes.

Talk soon.

Joanna

27Mar2016

L’oreal mini haul and 1st impressions

Posted in Beauty, Hauls, In your 40s by Joanna Malefaki

Hi lovelies,

Happy Easter to those who are celebrating, otherwise happy Sunday to the rest of us.

I have been gathering and trying out L’oreal products for the past few weeks and now I will tell you what I think. e me tell you hat I am going to go from Positive to negative and then back to positive Also, I usually buy high-end makeup and cosmetics, but L’oreal is my favourite ‘drugstore’ brand ❤ ❤

Loreal haul

L’oreal Infallible 24H Matte

❤ I love this foundation. It applies well. For me it’s medium to full coverage (but my skin in general is in a good condition. I don’t have breakouts or acne spots etc.). I got it in the shade 11 Vanilla).It lasts a long time. This is a repurchase and I use this as my everyday makeup.

L’oreal Nude Magique Cushion

💔 My skin is sensitive and combination. I have dry patches and areas that are not dry. I definitely do not have oily skin. Why am I saying this? Well, I tried this product once,twice, a third time. I just don’t like it. It looks too shiny in a bad way. I look so oily. I love the concept though. I like the packaging. The sponge. It looks pretty but unfortunately it is not for me. Not repurchasing this one.

BrowArtist Sculpt

💔 I liked the idea of this, but unfortunately this did not work for me. Yu use this to fill in your brows and then there is a brush (mascara for the brows). I did not have trouble filing in my brows, but I could not use the mascara brush on my eyes cause I would smudge it everywhere. I could not apply it properly and it did not look nice on me. I am not totally sure if this fail was cause I am heavy-handed or the wand with the two brushes is not that great to use.

Eye shadow Matte in the colour 104

❤ This a pink eye shadow.I’d say the texture s more on the powder side and not so much creamy. I did have fall out when applying to my eyes, but I used mascara to cover up any powder on my lashes and it was fine. I like the product, just go in a bit carefully cause otherwise you get the product on your lashes and under your eyes.

Le Blush

❤ I got hs blush in the colour Rosy Cheers No. 165. It looks pretty. I like it. A nice pink.

In the picture I am wearing the pink eyeshadow, the blush, and the foundation. I do not like wearing too much (visible) makeup.Primer is Estee Lauder matte primer.The brow pencil is from Burberry and so is the rose wood eye shadow (eye contour). The lippie is from H& M Fancy Freesia. Finally, I am wearing Chanel Les Beiges health Glow Sheer Powder

Hae you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment in the section below.

Thank for stopping by

xxx Joanna

26Mar2016

To You

Posted in In your 40s, Travelling by Joanna Malefaki

I heard about Brussels and I worried. We haven’t spoken in ages, but I still think of you and you do put a smile on my face.

Funny thing about meeting people online. Don’t get me wrong, I am not talking about online dating. I am talking about chatting online. That’s how I met X. On a warm summer night. I was in Crete and X was in Africa for work. We started talking. “I’m from Belgium” X said. “Where’s Belgium?” I asked. Get a map! It’s only like the capital of Europe!” We started talking about our life, our favourite things, music, food everything. Then, it was time to stop talking and we said if we meet again here, it will be out of chance. And we did. And chatted again for hours. “We have a connection” X said. ” Nah. We just have the same interests. That’s not a connection”.

X believed in soul mates and connections. The cynic in me doesn’t believe in that stuff. Maybe cause I haven’t met the ‘one’. The thing about talking online is that if you have a strong pen, you get caught up in bubbles and pink little clouds. because you are not face to face with someone but looking at a screen, you talk about your inner thoughts. You are under the assumption that the other person is as well. This went on for ages. Months. X was in a bad place and I was trying to be a friend. Now that I am writing about this, I do wonder. My gosh the hours I spent online. The things we talked about.

I would meet men in my real life and wonder ” Why is this dude so boring? Why can’t we have conversations like I do with X?”.

I am a sucker for words I guess. Woo me with your talk. Talk to me about music. Make me think…

We spent loads of time sending each other music. That’s the other thing. When you chat with someone and then you start sending music, your “fairy-tale” has a sound track. Ours was this one.

I then found out I was going to be working in England and the cheapest flight from Athens had a stop at the Brussels airport. Com’on?! I said” I will be in Brussels for 2 hours. Do you want to meet?”. X came to the airport and we had one of those movie moments at arrivals. You know the one where you are looking for someone and you cannot find them? You are looking in the wrong direction and someone calls your name and you turn? That’s what happened. X said, ” Joanna?”. I turned. I saw X. We went for… water at the Starbucks airport. We laughed, had fun. It was like two friends meeting. Then it was time for me to catch the plane and go to the UK. We said “goodbye” and had one of those awkward moments when you try to kiss someone on the cheek but you both aim at the same side. Yeah.

There were lots of talks after that. Another meeting for some hours. Nothing happened. This went on for 3 years.Messages, chatting. “You have had an impact on me” X said. Then it just went away. Life happens.

Looking at what happened in Brussels last week made me think of X. I hope you are OK.