It is this time of the year … it’s my birthday in two weeks, well and a day. In two weeks and a day. I think I don’t really like having my birtday in the middle of the week because it means I can’t go away on that day as I used to for the last two years. First I was on the wonderful mountain Nemrut Dağı [here], and last year I went to Trabzon [here]. My birthday and I have more of a love-hate relationship. When I was younger, I never felt like having big parties, and when I finally decided to celebrate more, things always came in between. So going away on my own seemed to be a great solution for me and my birthday. Only that it can’t happen this year.

I admit that birthdays have some advantages. The older I get the better it feels when people deem me younger. I also realize how lucky I am that I am in great health. Over the years I have more and more friends at my age or younger who have major health issues. Becoming a little quirky doesn’t matter as much either, I feel it is rather expected the older we get. And of course there are birthday gifts. I love receiving gifts! I mean who doesn’t, right?

I love my camera, and before I go away for the summer I would love to upgrade it a little by adding a macro ring flash, and a memory card which can be connected to WiFi. Both accessories are so convenient, and still light enough to take them with me. And speaking of technological toys, I’d like to have smartwatch, esp. a pretty one like the Samsung Gear V700. I would use it in the first place as a help to live healthier, e.g. as a pedometer or to analyse my sleep. In order to walk a little more new sneakers would also be awesome. I’ve had my Adidas Superstars for ten years, and it is definitely time for a new pair.

Last week I was very disappointed because I hadn’t read an e-mail newsletter which I regularly get. So I missed Rick Riordan’s reading of his newest novel in the bookshop just around the corner. Now I want to read this novel as soon as possible because it is again loosely connected to Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. Another book that has been on my reading list for a few weeks is Cihan Tuğal’s “The fall of the Turkish model”. I follow Turkish politics closely, and I hate what happens right now. Therefore I want to read Tuğal’s ideas why the Turkish Islamic Liberalism can’t seem to survive. Also I lived in Turkey when things started to go very wrong, like during the Gezi Park protests in 2013 [here].

Because I love traveling so much, I’d like to have a scratch map to see which places I have already been to. I am sure the map would also look really nice on my wall. And the Essie nail polish in Mrs. Always Right would look really good on my nails I’m sure. The name is just fabulous, and I like the color. Also I’ve been a really good girl, I haven’t bought any nail polish in at least two months. I am pretty sure I deserve one.

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© janavar

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