I’ve now entered my twenties – it feels slightly surreal! Almost as though this age marks a series of new responsibilities to undertake. I celebrated my birthday in Paris a couple of days ago, with a night picnic by the Seine and my friend Laura’s amazing company. This past week has really just been a celebration in itself, having spoiled myself to a week of exploring Paris for the thousandth time and dining at fantastic restaurants, with no duties to fulfil. I did however shoot lots of content with Guillaume, a photographer I met for the first time and am very glad to have collaborated with.

I will write more about my week in Paris next time, but I wanted to ring in this new era by sharing some personal, and not so personal, facts about myself for those of you who are new to this blog and would like to know some things about me. I did actually share some facts a year or two ago, but let’s consider this list the updated version. I thought I’d add in some thoughts you could almost consider profound too, and not limit it to the usual random facts I seem to come across on blog posts like these!

• I was born on the 16th of July, 1999 at exactly 4.20pm.
  
  
• I spend nine hours of my day writing web content and the occasional article on print, as well as proofreading. After that, I create my own content, and illustrate when given the chance.
  
  
• I am a born and raised island girl, and my ancestors are Montenegrin/French. I do have family in several places around the globe though! 
  
  
• I lived in Paris for four months, and although that was a very difficult time for me, I do consider moving there again every so often. I am terribly in awe of the Parisian lifestyle.
  
  
• So far, I have travelled to France, Italy, Spain, Austria, England and Serbia – but I would love to explore most countries. 
  
  
• A red lip and pointed toe heels in black are two essential items I am almost always wearing.
  
  
• I always knew I wanted to create. In Malta, there is this tradition in which on their first birthday, kids are asked what career they would like to pursue while having a range of items laid out in front of them. Whatever the child picks is meant to represent their future career choice – and I picked up a pen. Here I am today, dedicating my every hour to the written word. I grew up drawing clothing and house interiors too though, while creating my own little magazines. It all weirdly has not changed since! 
  
  
• I come from a very artistic family – most people from my paternal side are musicians and painters. It has certainly inspired a lot of what I do today.
  
  
• I grew up attending a Russian ballet school and playing the piano; two things I excelled in but somehow grew less passionate about over time.
  
  
• I have studied four languages: English, Maltese, French and Italian. Sadly, I’m out of practice on the last three and am a tad rusty now!
  
  
• I won a scholarship and attended fashion school briefly before realising I hated the environment and sewing, and that it was taking quite a toll on my health. I struggled to accept that fashion design was no longer the path I wanted to focus my efforts on, but I do think I will one day dabble in that same route again.
  
  
• I am an agnostic. I believe that no individual is superior enough to believe for certain in the existence, or lack of existence, of a god – and I deem the matter unknowable to humans. This is why I believe that religion is anything but factual and should never be taught in such a manner, if only the Maltese felt the same! I am open to all kinds of theories and love learning about different beliefs. 
  
  
• My first apartment was a tiny, 15 square meter rental in Villiers, Paris. It was gorgeous and typically Parisian, although incredibly costly and came with a few rodents.
  
  
• My childhood was far from ideal and I do not have a relationship with either of my parents today, but I find this has moulded my character and is part of what made me turn to writing as a form of self expression. 
  
  
• Most people don’t know this about me, but I had permanently injured my left leg in my dancing days. Despite years of scans and visits to the doctor, it was never properly diagnosed but I’ve concluded it is a nerve problem. Frustratingly enough, the injury is not visible and I’ve learnt to hide the excruciating pain that randomly hits when I am casually walking or when someone brushes past the area around my Achilles tendon. 
  
  
• I am quite an open person. I did not used to be – quite the contrary, actually. Part of the reason I write publicly today is because I was unable to confidently voice my opinion for years, having been the shyest and most reserved person around. You could say this website and my Instagram page formed part of my attempt to fight that shyness. 
  
  
• I am an extremist. This is probably my greatest flaw. I have very much of an ‘all or nothing’ approach – no half-arsed work, nothing I am not entirely passionate about. I still strive to reach perfection in a lot of what I do, generally working to ensure everything takes place in an orderly fashion. My core traits are also quite extreme; I can go from being the most sensitive, emotional person to approaching everything in a logical manner. It perplexes me just as much as those around me!
  
  
• Steak and anything with truffle are my favourite foods.
  
  
• I’ll always choose a glass of red wine or a martini.
  
  
• I have had a lot of people assume I am cold or unapproachable, which is reaaally not the case – I’m nice, I promise! Just introverted, haha.
  
  
• I watch a lot of different series. Some of my favourites are Friends, Sherlock (both the 1980s version portrayed by Jeremy Brett and the modern day Benedict Cumberbatch version), The Crown, Kojak, Grace and Frankie, Lucifer, The Big Bang Theory… and the list goes on!
  
  
• White baby roses are my favourite.
  
  
• I enjoy reading biographies, self-help books and philosophical writings more than anything else. No fictional stories! 
  
  
• My perfect evening consists of enjoying a bottle of wine while seated at a fancy lounge or my cosy corner bar. Clubs just don’t do it for me.
  
  
• I have always gravitated towards interesting people who do not care to fit in with the crowd. I think all of my close friends have unique characters that inspire me in one way or another. They all are passionate people with interesting stories to tell, a unique sense of style and very different personalities to one another. I would consider myself pretty fortunate!
  
  
• I adore picnics. Always have, always will.
  
  
• My biggest pet peeve is plan cancellations. I find people who cancel last minute for illegitimate reasons so utterly disrespectful and inconsiderate of other people’s time and efforts. If you plan something with me, do know I will commit to it.
  
  
• I used to sing. Indeed, I took singing lessons for some time in my childhood and performed, before realising it was not for me. 
  
  
• My very first shared piece of work was a poem I wrote when I was a child, which was chosen to be printed on some kids’ section on a newspaper. 
  
  
• I love hosting events. This is a secret passion of mine, something I tend to put all my heart into when given the chance. 
  
  
• I have always been very active on social media. I was pretty much always one of the first to join platforms, starting with my tumblr blog in 2011. Back then, I would dabble in coding and dedicate a lot of effort to curating aesthetically-pleasing content. I moved to Instagram in 2013 (most of my old photos have since been deleted) and started my own blog on WordPress in 2014. This one came about in 2016, quite randomly, when I was offered to blog for Malta Fashion Week and needed to have a site designed in two weeks.
  
  
• I am very, very passionate about women’s rights and will confidently discuss the subject when asked to. 
  
  
• Yearly dates are very important to me, and I will not even try to deny it. Birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc. I always come up with some elaborate plan for each one and can get pretty offended if it is not valued by my loved ones, oops…
  
  
• I live in hats. I cannot for the life of me understand people who mock hat wearers. Hats are by far the most elegant accessory.
  
  
• I have an extensive journal collection. Actually, scratch that – stationery collection. When traveling, I always make it a point to find a beautiful stationery store and pick up any unique cards and envelopes, writing nibs and leather journals.
  
  
• I am a very nostalgic person. This is partially why I have kept journals and memory boxes for most of my life. I treasure all memories; the good and the bad, for they have helped form the person I have become today. It isn’t just my personal memories that I am quite fond of, however. I love saving old pictures of others, books and magazines, vintage clothing and antiques – anything with a story of its own is worth appreciating.
  
  
• I don’t believe in traditional beauty. I never have. I think that interesting personalities reflect heavily on a person’s appearance through the way their clothing is worn and their mannerisms, and I think that is what makes a person strikingly beautiful. Not symmetrical features and predictable looks. 
  
  
• I love many different genres of music; Classical, jazz, alternative/indie, classic and contemporary soul, bossanova, french music, soft rock, anything from the 80s, house, and techno.
  
  
• I think modesty is boring. I think nudity is beautiful (especially from an artistic background and perspective) and see no reason for women to hide their bodies for the comfort of others, unless they themselves wish to do so. Ultimately, we are really not all that unique in anatomy, you know! 
  
  
• I am afraid of fire. I have had to cope with this fear, but it still gets in the way of certain tasks. I am also quite frightened of most insects and what inhabits the ocean.