But first, life

Nowadays, that we are busy with studying and caring for our careers we often tend to forget that we need to treat our bodies with respect, because if you neglect your body from now on you will not be able to make it to your goals in good health and complete happiness. And one of the things that we often tend to forget about is the vitamins that we need in our daily diet. I am therefore introducing "The Vitamin Guide" where I will present you to a vitamin each time and why it is important to consume and how you can increase your intake in the certain vitamins through your daily diet.

This first post is about the essential vitamin C. Vitamin C is classified as an "essential" since our bodies do not naturally produce this vitamin, and we are therefore only able to get vitamin C into our systems through our diet.

But why is it so important for us to consume Vitamin C? Vitamin C is an antioxidant which means that it is a molecule that inhibits oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals which can lead to the start of chain reactions. When these chain reactions occur in a cell it can cause damage or even death to the cell.

Vitamin C is also involved in the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein that holds the whole body together. It is most commonly found in the skin, bones and conective tissue within the body, which provides the structural support and strength as well elasticity. Collagen is however, made up of amino acids, out of these amino acids nine of them are considered to be essential, which as introduced above means that we can not produce ourselves. Therefore the consumption of Vitamin C is almost vital in the collagen production

Vitamin C also helps with wound healing. If a person lacks Vitamin C however they will often find that they have a more difficult time in healing their wounds and and they will also experience bone and joint pain as well as gum bleeding.

But it is very simple to avoid the lack of vitamin C because almost anything around you contains this essential vitamin. Some of the few are the following:

• Lemon 
• Oranges
• Carrots
• Cabbage 
• Spinach
• Tomatoes 
• Strawberries 
• Brocollli 

Sources:
(1) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant
(2) - http://www.webmd.com/diet/the-benefits-of-vitamin-c
(3) - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262881.php

Youtube is a media that has made its mark for the past few years and has become very popular, and although many might think it, this media is not only a platform for youtube personalities but also many series that a very large audience can indulge in.

There are five of these series that I find very appealing, and that I often like to watch during my study breaks or just to get my mind of things. This is a compilation of documentary style videos that I find very entertaining, some from the eyes of the large fashion industry, some from the eyes of a boy who wanders around the world and some from the perspective of the many different people around whole world.

The Vogue youtube channel is the host of many different series that I have found myself loving lately. Two of these are:

• 73 questions - In this mini series different celebrities and "big names" get asked 73 different questions. In this video you follow these people who are being questioned around in their own households, the vouge head station or just at their work space. It is all a written script - ofcourse the questions are answered truthfully - but a whole set up is made which is both somewhat comedic and very interesting to watch.
• Inside the wardrobe of - Now this is a less scripted series, but so inspiring and such a treat to the eye (if you are fond of fashion). In this series you get an insight into the wardrobe of fashion icons as well as a personal insight into their personalities with the "chapter two" of the series that is a small mini interview ofcourse revolving around style. 

Now the world is much bigger than fashion, and something I often find taking my mind of the stress of my everyday life is getting an insight into this magnificent world that we live in - seeing life from the eyes of strangers. Seeing people have an opinion and see just how small our world is really makes my mind wander of my issues and makes me embrace life.

• Sweet tales - This series is a mini documentary that takes you out and about in Japan and introduces you to the countries sweet cuisine. Their old videos do not have english subtitles however the new ones do. In these discoveries you get up close with the cooking of the food, the personal history of the people who create the food and the relation that they have with this certain type of sweets. It is heart warming and truthfully very lovely to watch. 
• 24 hours in - A youtube series started by the young Jack Harries who owns the youtube channel Jacksgap (which the series appears on). In this series he discovers a city in 24 hours. These videos are not that long and contain highlights of the trip, but well editied and really a nice insight to a different culture and a real treat to the eye as well. 
• Around the Word - And last but not least is a youtube series by the channel Cut Video in this series they go around the world and they interview different people with different backgrounds about the same subject, for example there was the video "America around the world" where you can get an insight to what kind of stereotype that have been built about America in different locations.

Work hard & stay dedicated

Love,
Dunia

1. Think about how far you have come - is it worth letting go of all that you have accomplished? 
2. Hard work leads to many qualities - Even if you don't accomplish your goals you will have earned many other qualities that will lead you on to your next adventure, such as good work ethic and disciplin
3. Failing can help sending in the right direction - If you never try you will truly never know what you are capable of
4. If you let go now you will never know what might come next - Many authors have been told no up to many times and yet they are now best selling authors and millionairs - what if your next move will bring you a "yes" instead of a "no" and change your whole life. 
5. The further you go, the more knowledge you will have obtained - which means that you are now more educated, and although it might not have made your big break through in a certain field, you will have gained experience that might be very beneficial in another field that you will find more comfortable and make you more eligibal to overcome tasks that others might not have a great insight to. 
6. Think about the future that is in store if you succeed - Think about how financially stable you might become, how people will have an automatic respect for you. How you will be able to not limit yourself.
7. The more you get insight into a field, the more oppurtunities you will have - Once you want to explore and decide to go further, you will automatically as a result of working hard be more aware of what this certain thing can bring you. 

Just don't let go of your dreams until something along the way seems way more clearer and more suitable for you. Don't give up because you never feel like overcoming that slightly small task.

Work hard & stay dedicated

Love,
Dunia

On a busy day, it is very difficult to actually intake a healthy and well rounded breakfast. That is why I love to bake breakfast muffins - in the form of healthy banana bread bites, because I can make one batch and just take one with me every morning. Even making the batch does not take any effort, nor does it need any extra expenses all of these ingredients are things that can be found all around your house.

What you will need for a batch is the following:

• 2 cups of oats 
• 1 cup of plain greek yogurt 
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar 
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon (optional)

Put all of the ingredients into the food processer, meanwhile coat the muffin tins with either baking paper or oil. Have the batch mix in the food processer until a creamy consistency is achieved and all of the oats are broken down.

When the batter is done it will look somewhat like this:


Put about two - three tablespoons of the batter into each muffin form, and then into the already preheated oven. Bake them for around 15 - 20 minutes in 200 degrees celcius.

When the banana bites are done, they are very light and consistency, as they should be because this recipe does not contain any flour nor oil, but yogurt ( which gives it a lot of moisture, so don't be surprised by that)

When they are done you can choose to serve them with icing sugar powdered on top or just plain, either way you have a scrumptious and fluffy banana filled surprise awaiting you.



Remember that it is important to fuel your body from the start of the day as it starts up your metabolism and gives your body and brain a good head start.

Work hard & stay dedicated

Love,
Dunia

Waking up in the morning can often become a rough task to complete, especially in times where the whole night have been spent studying and worrying about the next big report. It is therefore vital that the morning starts off good in order to have the right work ethic and right motivation to do all of these tasks correctly.

In the last few years I have been in corperating five different tasks into my morning routine so that I can have an improved morning and therefore accomplish the work that I expect from myself.

1. Brain training. As the first thing in the morning I usually start my day off with my daily brain training. This will not only stimulate my brain but it will also have me aquire more energy (because of my natural need to do good). This is a two way benefit. First of all it allows you to wake up and gets your brain activating, but it also benefits the knowledge that you accompany yourself with. Doing this daily can help you improve your listening skills along with your understanding and such.

The following apps can be recommended: Elevate, Neuronation & Fit Brains.

2. Hot lemon water. There are many people who start of the day with a hot beverage. Many choose coffee or tea. But many benefits can be gained by substituting that drink with hot lemon water (a coffee can although also be enjoyed afterwards). The reason for this is that the hot lemon water helps kickstart the digestion proces for the day. But it also contains a lot of beneficial vitamins. To read a whole guide on hot lemon water and how it should be done correctly read the following article!

3. Read the news. Not only can your brain be activited in the morning by doing brain training, but reading the news or watching the news for that instance can also increase your brain activity in the morning. It says that those who read in the morning - for that instance the news - do better than those who don't. I usually read the newspaper, but online news pages are also preferable,

The following news sites can be recommended: The New York Times, The Huffington Post & The Wall Street Journal.

4. Yoga. Incorperating yoga or just even light stretches in the morning can add a lot into your overall daily experience. It does the same to the body as splashing cold water onto the face does. It gets you activated. It helps you calm and it helps you stay collected.

5. Plan the day. One way to improve your morning is by planning the day. This way you will create an overview over the day which will lead to you being more aware and more calm when taking on the day. This can be done with the old school notebook or a variety of apps can be used.

I can recommend the following apps: Any.do, Planner plus & My Study Life (for school work)

Remember it is vital to get a good start to your day, so take the time to care for yourself even if its 5 minutes or so.

Work hard & stay dedicated

Love,
Dunia

When we are on campus, the most desired outfit is easy and comfortable, but this will in many cases just lead up to sweatpants and a t shirt. Now although many might believe that fashion in that sense does not play an important rule when attending college or university, it is indeed wrong. Wearing clothing that makes you feel good - because lets be honest in many cases sweat pants just leads us up to feeling nasty and sloppy which can affect your work ethic - whilst putting an effort into the clothes you are bearing can lead to better work performance as a result of increased confidence - subconcious or obvious, anyway it works.

One of the things that makes me strive even more after my dreams is the wish of being able to travel the world. The wish to be able to see the world with no limitations - so I have always been on google, in the library reading and studying different countries, different cultures and just exploring the world through different types of media - which has motivated me to create my own travel bucket list.

Five of those are going to be presented here in the first part of this series "Let us see the world"

1. Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence (Italy)
3. Old Man of Hoy, Orkney (Scotland) 

Speaking of nature, Scotland is also the beholder of many beautiful nature sights. One of which is the Old Man of Hoy placed in Orkney. The Old Man of Hoy is a 137 meter sea stack that is placed on the island of Hoy. The sea tack is formed from Old Red Sandstone, and is one of the tallest stacks in Britain.

Many have tried climbing this wonder, but the true wonder of this place is the sighting. Such a wonderful view facing towards the ocean. Surely it must be breathtaking to take upon this adventure.

4. Krol Ko (Cambodia)

Now man made wonders is also one of the things that many surely should embark on in this world. One of these man made "creatings" is the door to hell placed in Turkmenistan. The "door" is a natural gas field in Derweze that had collapsed into an underground carven in 1971 which turned it into a natural gas crater. The fire appeared when Geologists set it on fire in order to prevent the spread of deadly methane gas, but it however turned into a continuorsly burning hole that till this day today is still burning.

The size of the area is 5,350 m2 which is the size of an American football field. Going to the Door of heel or the gates of fire is a great upportunity to not only appreciate basic chemistry but also how much one persons decision can cause so much fire.


But no matter where you go, or what place you decide to embrace, it is important that we constantly expand our horizons and that we don't stay blinded to our surroundings.

Work hard & stay dedicated

Love,
Dunia

I know that I try to keep things on this blog 100 % healthy and good for the body, but we sometimes to need something unhealthy in our diet, a little treat for both our bodies and soul. And I love when that little treat is a very nutty and delicious chocolate chip cookie.

As many might know, baking to me is a "get away" activity, something that I do to forget about my stress and a way for me to relax, so making these is both a treat before and after making them. I especially love making these because the dough is so fluffy and light that it feels like whipping up cotton candy, and it is super easy to make, and only takes about 25 minutes (including baking time) - so I thought that this would be an essential recipe to share with all of you, because we all need a little sweet treat in our lives.

What you will need for a batch of 25 cookies is the following:

• 250 g brown sugar 
• 150 g butter 
• 1 egg 
• ½ tsp. vanilla sugar 
• 250 g flour 
• 1 tsp. baking powder 
• ½ tsp. salt 
• 100 g nuts of your choice (I used walnuts) 
• 100 g chocolate of your choice 

The utensils that you will be needing are the following:

• A whisk 
• A bowl 
• A smaller bowl (for mixing the dry ingredients) 
• A kitchen weight 
• A tablespoon 
• A teaspoon 

 Now mix in the flour mixture with the butter mixture and use a wooden spoon instead of a whisk (or simply your hands if you want to get dirty)

The final batch is not "doughy" and hard so don't expect it to be. The final batch should look like so when you have mixed in all of the flour


Now set this mixture aside and give it some time to cool, and in the meanwhile take out the nuts and chocolate and start chopping.

When it is all chopped up mix it in to the batter with the wodden spoon, try to mix it so that the chocolate and nuts are evenly spreaded out.

When all of that is done then take out the baking tray add on a baking sheet and making 25 cookies. Add them onto the baking sheet with a great distance between each other. Try pressing them down lightly.



 And remember it is important to fuel your body with the right food, but it is equally important to treat yourself with a treat every once in a while

Work hard & stay dedicated

Love,
Dunia