April 2020

Τι καλύτερο για να ξεχαστείτε από τις αρνητικές σκέψεις αυτής της περιόδου και να βυθιστείτε στον μαγικό κόσμο που σας μεταφέρουν οι σελίδες ενός μυθιστορήματος; Εγώ αυτές τις μέρες διαβάζω στα αγγλικά (για να μην τα ξεχνάω κιόλας) το Black Swan του Nickolas Nassim Taleb. Έχει άμεση σχέση με την περίοδο που διανύουμε και πραγματικά νιώθω πως δεν μπορώ να το βάλω κάτω. Από Έλληνες συγγραφείς αγαπώ Σώτη Τριανταφύλλου, ό,τι και να γράψει είναι απίστευτα catchy! Επίσης κυκλοφορούν πολλά βιβλία αυτοβελτίωσης. Ας δούμε τον προσωρινό “εγκλεισμό” μας ως ευκαιρία να γίνουμε ακόμα καλύτερες/οι!

Σας αφήνω μερικά λινκ για δωρεάν ηλεκτρονικά βιβλία.

https://free-ebooks.gr/

https://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/

Και για όσες/ους θέλετε να βελτιώσετε και να διαβάσετε βιβλία στα αγγλικά:

https://www.free-ebooks.net/

https://manybooks.net/

https://english-e-reader.net/

Καλή ανάγνωση!

Σας φιλώ,

Τζίτζι

So the day we’ve all been waiting for , for so long has finally arrived! So many of us are not going to work but staying at home… working from home or not…It was initially thought to be for two weeks , maybe a little bit more , but currently we are not certain how long it is going to last . We’re doing this in order to prevent ourselves getting sick and protect other people too.So what about now? What are we going to do with ourselves now ? How can we cope in this unusual situation ? Are we gonna die of boredom?Fear not! Because I have prepared for you more than 20 suggestions on how to spend your quarantine days productively and make the most of it!

1.READ A BOOK

When it comes to stopping negative thinking there is nothing better than a good novel to help you with that. Personally I have been reading the Black Swan by Nickolas Nassim Taleb, which is pretty relevant with what we have been dealing with recently as a society. It is so interesting that I can’t put it down. From the Greek authors I prefer Soti Traintafillou, whatever she writes is just excellent and very catchy! You can also go for a self improvement book. This period can be a great chance to better ourselves. Below you can find some links for free ebooks in English.

https://www.free-ebooks.net

https://manybooks.net/https://english-e-reader.net/

2.INTERNET SHOPPING

 Do I have to say more? I would just like to add that you can also order your food supplies or drugstore goods on line and get them delivered to your door, while seating on your comfy sofa. A little treat for you can be found at this site thetravelstylesleep.com at the section DISCOUNT CODES!

3.REST AND MEDITATION

 Take the chance to relax and rest without having to wake listening to your morning alarm anymore . You can also meditate and regain your balance! #namaste, yoga and stretching. Spending so many hours on the sofa or the bed may cause a stiff back, so take the time to stretch those muscles and your spine. You can find many tutorials online and mainly on Youtube, so go for something suitable to you.

4.EXERCISE

 Excuses don’t burn calories! So now that you don’t have to go to work, it is about time you started working out from home! I am adding some links bellow that you may find handy. 

@barrysuk offers daily free workouts via instalive

https://www.instagram.com/barrysuk/channel/

For yoga and various types of exercise check @psyclelondon

https://www.instagram.com/psyclelondon/

 If interested in dancing @arbengiga offers every Thursday at 10:30 pm dancing classes (hip hop etc) that you can also watch the next day for a supercharged Friday morning 

https://www.instagram.com/arbengiga/

5.COOKING & BAKING

You have been craving those Instagram worthy pancakes for so long, now is the time to try and make them yourself ! Pro tip ; if you are a beginner try with small quantities first!

6.REARRANGE YOUR WARDROBE

You can de clutter and rearrange your wardrobe. You might have to wait a bit for the summer outfits but you can always get rid of all the old pieces giving them to recycling centres or charity shops. Then you will have more space for those perfectly curated spring /summer outfits and be ready for the big comeback to the office!

7.NETFLIX AND CHILL

Movies, series, shows! Time to catch up with all the missed episodes of Game of Thrones… or to start watching Versailles and Sex Education. The TV and laptop are going to keep us company for the days to come. So here’s some of my NETFLIX suggestions-Elite-The stranger-Don’t fuck with cats-Queer eye-Locke and Key

8.VIRTUAL VISITS TO MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES

If your trip to London has been cancelled, feat not because you can see all the exhibitions and the Greek marbles of the British Museum virtually! This, as well as other museums offer virtual visits.Here are some suggestions for you :

BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON: http://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com
BENAKI MUSEUM, ATHENS: https://www.benaki.org/index.php?lang=en
GUGGENHEIM, NEW YORK: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/solomon-r-guggenheim-museum
RIJKS MUSEUM, AMSTERDAM: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/rijksmuseum
MUSEE D’ ORSAY, PARIS: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris
UFFIZI GALLERIE, FLORENCE: https://www.uffizi.it/en
MUSEO PICASSO, BARCELONA: http://courtyard.museupicassobcn.org/

9.THEATRE 

Yes you read it correctly! If you are a keen theatre goer, don’t be gutted you are missing all the season plays, cause I have a surprise for you! You can watch your favourite play online! Go and check the links bellow now, you can thank me later…The National Theatre has released some of its plays on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCUDq1XzCY0NIOYVJvEMQjqw 
You can watch Metropolitan Opera plays for free on the official website: https://www.metopera.org
Keep your eyes peeled for some of the best west end plays at: http://www.filmedonstage.com

10.PLAN YOUR NEXT TRIP

Plan your next trip or vacation! Some of you already had flights booked and you are now given the option to re-book later on without extra charge. So dream on and start planning an amazing trip for the summer when everything will hopefully be better and settled! 

11.FINISH OR FINAL EDIT YOUR PAPER/PROJECT

Now you have the time to finish your Master thesis or to final edit your project… We have all left some final touches pending when it comes to paperwork. Yes proper sources and footnotes count!

12.BLOG ABOUT IT

Writing doesn’t have to be part of a professional or academic duty, it can also be a means of expressing yourself. Write down everything you have been thinking but you have found difficult expressing verbally or put your concerns in written form and you will see that it will immediately make you feel better . Or maybe just give your opinion on matters important to you!

13.SELF-CARE 

We might be staying home, but we should not skip taking care of ourselves every morning. Apart from personal hygiene, now is the chance to apply some selflove, looking after our nails with manicure and pedicure, putting on face masks and enjoying a  body scrub. Trust me your skin will love it and you will cheer up!

14.LISTEN & PLAY MUSIC, SING & DANCE

When was the last time you checked on your favourite band or musician for updates or new albums? When was the last time you practiced your piano or singing skills? Well now that you have plenty of time it is the right moment for all of these to happen . If you don’t own any instruments or have such skills, you can organise a karaoke night with your house/flat mates! And in case you live on your own well then just book a video call night with your friends and enjoy  every moment of it!

15.BOARD & TABLE GAMES

I will say one thing: the other day I was playing Jenga with my niece and I felt like a kid myself! Apart from the classic monopoly and taboo there are countless options, just choose your team and go ahead! Puzzles are a great option if you have kids, they keep them busy and happy for a little while. In case you don’t like those kind of games you can always play hide and seek!

16.LOOK AFTER YOUR PETS

Play and pet your dog, cat or any animal you share the same roof with. Come on now, is there any better noise than a cat purring? Or better image than your dog shaking his tail? Also you can wash and pumper your pets yourselves saving loads of money!

17.WORK REMOTELY FROM HOME

The fact that you can’t go to the office doesn’t mean that you can’t work, you can always opt for working remotely or just start volunteering from home. Personally I help friends with their university papers and research and I do a lot of filing and archiving to be ready and all set when I will go back to the office.

18.GET INTO A NEW HOBBY

Going back to an old hood hobby or getting into a new one will keep you busy, creative and off the fridge! Knitting, painting, DIY… the list goes on and on!

19.COFFEECALLS

Get in touch with your beloved family and friends is the best cure when in quarantine. Through the Internet and technology whoever is far comes closer! A Skype or video call to check on your siblings who live far from you is a great idea! What happened to those postgraduate alumni members? Make a coffee or pour a wine make yourselves comfortable and enjoy the chat!

20.GARDENING

You might not have green fingers -I don’t either- but you can definitely show some love to the plants you have indoors or on your balcony! Cut off the dry parts, water and feed them. Their beauty will make your day! You can opt for low maintenance plants that clean the air and require nearly zero effort.

21.FILING & MANAGING STORAGE

How many times have you tried downloading an app and failed due to inadequate storage? Is your PC slowing down with all these heavy files? Now it’s the right time to manage your PC and smartphone storage! Deleting the unwanted (yes those 115 same selfie shots until you take the perfect one) and properly filling and saving in hard discs what you need will make your devices run a lot faster! Yeah thank me later! 
Lastly it is important to maintain your daily routine, following the same, mealtime, working hours and bedtime time. Quarantine is only a short, yet challenging period that we should not allow it to affect us too much. On the contrary we can see it as an opportunity to rest, be creative and go back to our normal lives refreshed and better than before!With calm and positive thinking we can manage anything and overcome it while making ourselves stronger! And don’t forget to take off your pjs every morning , turn the music on and dance! 

You can follow the new hashtag #stylecovid19 by thetravelstylesleep.com Upload your photos and don’t forget to mention #stylecovid19 @hyphyhip @thetravelstylesleep Your photos will be shared on our stories and posts on instagram and the blog thetravelstylesleep.com 

So let’s start! Here is my photo! I can’t wait for yours!