Wanderlust

Six flights. Five time zones. One big three-and-a-half-week adventure.

Wanderlust.

Also defined as a "strong desire to travel", I'd like to think that I have some wanderlust in my heart. I'd like to think of myself as a good traveler, a person craving new experiences, a girl that likes the wind in her hair, and a woman that can rule any city.

The truth is that I'm not sure I'm all of those things, or maybe I am, but not entirely, or not all the time. I love traveling and the wonder that comes from seeing a breathtaking view for the first time, tasting a new treat, or dipping your toe in another sea, but I am also a homey girl that can enjoy staying in as well as going out, I like sleeping in my own bed, and I get tired of living out of a suitcase after a long stretch on the road. I love cooking and cuddling, and the comforting familiarity of a hometown, and I tend to try and make a place feel like home as soon as possible. I am a great temporary wanderer, just not a good long-term one.

After a long stretch of endless work and studying for my MBA (although both of those things are still going on) I both needed and craved a vacation that would let me get away from my daily routine, my computer, cell phone, and my worries. I got it. My American adventure of 2013 with three and a half blessed weeks of stress-free travel between Boston, Cape Cod, my Colby reunion in Maine, San Francisco, Napa, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and London. I laughed, I spend time outside, I stayed in the sun, I spent time with my guy, I reconnected with old friends, and I truly relaxed for the first time in a long time. You could say it was the best thing that I could have done for myself, and during that time, I was a traveler. I just need to learn how to pack lighter :)

Stay tuned for more sights and stories from my trip, and enjoy some of the views now:

 

 

 

 

Hidden Corners

It turns out that there is a monastery in the neighborhood I live in, and it is a pretty nice one. It's barely even hidden, juts a tiny street off of the main road, but if you don't know that its there, you aren't very likely to just stumble upon it. I love finding hidden corners of a city, gems that you have to work for but that are oh so rewarding. We went there to light a candle on Easter day, and the cool shadows cast by the tall trees around the monastery buildings provided a nice spot to relax. Lately I've been craving the outside, or perhaps I've just been craving the peacefulness of nature on a beautiful day, like that special silence that is not really silence at all because there are leaves rustling and bees buzzing and birds chirping, but it feels like silence because it relaxes your mind. 

I forgot my camera at home, so I actually Instagrammed these photos with my phone. My HTC's camera is not bad, but it's not that amazing either; still, you can get a sense of the atmosphere.

Every day I tell myself that I will try to go out more, to meet more people, to worry less, to be less stressed by work, and yet I don't think I'm very successful. Everything feels like endless work, even this short holiday that we've had (although the phone not ringing alone was simply divine). My parents helped me a lot with the garden, though, and I do believe that in a few more years it will be a real paradise. I have sun loungers, and I hope that I can put them to good use this summer. Perhaps I'll try to study outside for a change.

I can't wait for my summer vacation. Boy have I earned it, and I hope that it is all I hope it would be.

Spring Reflections

There is a quote by Pablo Neruda that goes "I want to do to you what the spring does to the cherry tree." I have always thought that this was one of the most romantic things I have ever heard. It's the fact that someone loves you enough to want to help make your dreams come true, make you bloom. Spring is such a wonderful season of renewal, growth and hope.

And this year I feel like I'm missing it. I've been waiting for spring to come, and somehow I feel like I've missed its arrival, and I will wake up one day and it would have come and gone, and I would have had no time to see it. For various reasons, I haven't been able to go out much, and it's been bothering me, more than I though it would. I am also itching to go out with my camera. So far I have mostly snapped a few shots from around my house; it's still something, I guess.

I hate how I have become a complainer. I try not to do it, but I guess I'm just tired. My mom gets annoyed with me a lot whenever I tell her anything that would hint at me being tired or a bit sad. She keeps scolding me, saying that I have nothing to complain about when compared to other people, and that I am being over-dramatic. That just makes me sadder. I don't know how to explain to people that I am just really deeply tired. I work hard, and often my work day goes beyond my official work hours, and after I go home, I usually study, and then go to bed. That's my usual schedule, apart from a dance class here and there, and perhaps lunch with friends once in a few weeks or the occasional play. And while I'm doing that, I feel like people are living their lives, actually living them - being outside, having fun, going to the movies, partying in clubs, traveling during the weekend. I just don't want to miss out on life, and right at this moment, it feels that way.

I do know that I am lucky in many ways; I have not been saddled with debt, I own my home, I have a job, I am pretty healthy, I am in a good relationship. I am deeply grateful to fate that I have been gifted with these blessings, but sometimes, after an exhausting work and study stretch, I still feel cranky. I guess that this master's degree is turning out to be way more of a challenge than I expected when coupled with my job. It's not that I find the act of studying or the material itself hard. It is that I find the lack of any free time hard when out of seven days I can barely scrape half a day to myself or to spend with the people I love. I am at the final stretch, and I am trying not to get discouraged. Clearly, I am not always successful :)

To those who read this blog (even though you are not that many) sorry for all the whining. I promise a happier topic next time. Maybe I should write post about the 10 great things about working towards an MBA degree. It might help me stay positive :)

Rainy Afternoon and Homemade Popovers

After the beautiful weather that we had yesterday, it's been pouring down rain all day today. It's the kind of day where you are better off staying inside and cuddling with a warm blanket and a book, or perhaps seeing a friend over tea and treats.

Back when I was graduating from Colby, I went to Acadia National Park with my parents. We spent a couple of days on Mount Desert Island touring Bar Harbor and Acadia, and it was gorgeous. I remember we were almost done with our tour of the park and we were about to head to Jordan Pond House when it started raining cats and dogs, so we hid inside and enjoyed some lobster stew and popovers with tea. Everything was so delicious, and it was nice to enjoy the rainy afternoon in such a cozy and pretty place.

So this morning when I saw the rain I thought back to that afternoon in Acadia National Park and decided to try and make some popovers. I used a recipe on marthastewart.com, which turned out pretty great. Check it out here. It is for about a dozen popovers, which is quite a lot for me, but they are truly delicious. I had them with butter and French apricot jam, as well as with my homemade quince jam. Yummy!

Kaleidoscope Heart Original Painting: Coming Soon to My Etsy Shop

Here is a sneak peak at an original oil abstract painting called Kaleidoscope Heart that is coming soon to my Etsy shop. It is very much a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors that is fiery and unique.

Check out my store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kosebose

Original Oil Painting Lilly Pond Now Available on Etsy

The abstract painting Lilly Pond is actually one of the first works that I painted after I came back to Bulgaria, and it is probably one of my favorite abstract works. I like the fresh liquid and floral feeling that it conveys, and I enjoy the gentle colors reminiscent of springtime days. The painting is now available on my shop: KoseBose's Etsy Shop

New Oil Paintings Available on My Esty Shop

After close to a month since my last post (wow, long time), I finally found the time to add a couple of oil paintings to my Etsy shop. I have added my Nocturne paintings, which consist of Nocturne: Ocean and Nocturne: Woodland. Here they both are:

I have always loved nights and the specific kind of quiet they bring about, which is not even quiet at all, but a kind of chorus of crickets, rustling of leaves, and the movement of the clouds. I am not an early bird, and I am rarely ever wide awake enough to enjoy early mornings properly. I am more of an owl, and I have often found myself wide awake at the wee hours of the night marveling at the feeling of peace that it can offer. Indeed, a lot of my artistic inspiration comes at night, perhaps simply because the world is asleep, and I can think without the phone ringing or without worrying about all the errands I have to do right now. These paintings were a way of trying to put these feelings on paper through color and stroke. I named them Nocturnes  after Chopin's nocturnes, which are some of my favorite pieces of classical music ever. They are beautiful, and even though I used to listen to them a lot while I was going through a rough patch, they don't necessarily carry a sad feeling. Instead, they are like an embrace, rocking you to sleep.

I hope you enjoy my art, and I also hope that some lucky person would buy the pair and enjoy these pieces of the night in his or her home.You can purchase the paintings here at my Etsy shop.