PERSONAL | | A BRAND NEW YEAR IS COMING

Today I realized it is just four days until 2014 starts. So today I want to look back and remember this past year. I am going to be very straight forward with you. This past year was probably the hardest year of my life. Imagine yourselves living, first on top of a mountain, than in the middle of nowhere in Switzerland, away from your friends and family. I know that all the pictures I posted on my Instagram made it look like I was having the time of my life. Though I was having a good time, this year was emotionally very challenging for me. Of course I made amazing friends and met many cool people. But for me it was very hard to be away from home in Switzerland. Anyhow, I don’t regret anything at all. Going to Switzerland to do a Post-Graduate Diploma in Event, Sport and Entertainment Management was the best decision I made in a long time. I learnt so much and it really challenged me. From this year I’m taking many good friends, cool experiences and a lot of knowledge. And 2013 made me realize how strong I am and the amazing things I can conquer.

So, now it’s time to make some New Year’s resolutions. This year I want to become the best I can possibly be. First of all, I’m moving to New York in the end of January/ beginning of February to intern for WCMG Events and that will be, for sure, the best experience of my life. I can’t wait to live for six months in New York. I’m super curious about what this experience will bring me and I will share every bit of it here on the blog with you guys. Second of all, I need to accept that exercise is the biggest anti-depressive in the world and that I need to start going to the gym to release all my endorphins every day. This is very important. I want to become the best in everything I do. For this blog, I want to start blogging every day, starting from the first of January, about fashion, music, lifestyle, and, most of all, I want to keep sharing details of my life and I’m 100% sure that this blog will grow loads during my stay in New York. I want to have the best year I can possibly have, honestly. I want it to be the year of the search of my true happiness. I want to search for it and feel truly happy. And I suggest you do the same. That’s my wish for you for 2014. Just be happy and try to take the best out of every day. I will be here to read your comments to all my posts and to learn from you too. I wish the best for you and your families and if you guys need anything or want to talk to me you can always e-mail me at theteenageroyalty@hotmail.com.

Let’s make 2014 “The” Year. Xoxo,

Rita

PERSONAL | | MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM RITA

Flowers in my head by Grinaldas By Beli

PERSONAL | INSTA WEEK #8

Dear Teens, once again I’m sorry about my absence from the blog. But I’m not going anywhere. I love this blog so much and I have been struggling to find good content to blog about. I’d rather not post than doing posts that are not so good. Besides, I’m finishing school in 10 days and I have been having lots of work. But the sun is shining today, and I have some free time on this Sunday morning. So, today I’m sharing with you some of my latest Instagram pictures, which I hope you like. The application that I use for the editing is called Afterlight, it is awesome! It’s my last days here in Switzerland and I will be taking lots of pictures, so don’t miss out!!

Follow me on Instagram @ritarsilva

Shopping day in Lausanne

Lots of snow here in Bulle, so beautiful

A night out with friends

Some of my Winter essentials

Food in our school fancy restaurant

Perfect Sunday, brunch and Rugby game

Lots of work :(

xoxo,

Rita

PORTUGUESE BLOOD | 2# - 200 GRAMS OF CHOCOLATE

This is one is, literally, to die for. While I was in Lisbon for midterm break last October, I had the chance to try 200 GRAMS of Chocolate. Honestly, the best brownies I have ever tried. This amazing Portuguese brand was created by Joana Tavares Alves, an aspiring architect student with a big passion for cooking. Not only these brownies are yummy and flavourful, the story behind this brand is joyful and inspiring. I had the chance to interview Joana and she is sooo nice!! See her answers below and dont't forget to follow 200 GRAMS of Chocolate on Facebook. This brand makes me so proud for being Portuguese and for coming from a country full of creative people.

How did the business start?

200 GRAMS of Chocolate started as a hobbie. I am an architect but another of my biggest passions is to cook! Since I was a little young girl, my dream was to have a bakery. So, I started baking my cakes for friends, for parties and dinners. In January 2013, after one year and a half working in Shanghai, I was back in Portugal, a bit lost, due to the economic situation that Portugal is going trough. So I thought it was the right moment to start developing this idea! I came up with a name, and started working online with home deliveries!

Who was your biggest influence?

Well, as I said before, I always loved to cook and to be around the kitchen while my mother was cooking. She had always been my biggest influence for everyting. I thank her all the strength that she has been giving me to keep going on and developing this project. Well, to all my family actually. They are my biggest support. I learned everything that I know about cooking with her. I love to watch cooking programs, and to follow cooking chefs!

Why brownies?

Because it's baked with chocolate!! I am a chocolate lover! Heheh :) I always loved to cook everything! But mainly desserts. Brownies because it was something I started baking when I was young, and really enjoyed it. Because everyone loved them when I baked them and always had a lot of compliments, like they were the best brownies that they had ever tasted!! I improved the recipe on my own way, changed some ingredients, add some new, creating a different diversity of flavours.

What have you achieved so far?

Since I started this online business, the feedback has been really positive and really good. 200 GRAMS of Chocolate is growing and getting known by a different branch of people. Some bloggers had also the interest to share this project, what was wonderful; Time Out Lisbon magazine also wrote an article about it. And, most of all, despite working alone and by myself at home, I got the opportunity to know a lot of people !

What are your plans in the future?

Right now, after 10 months working online, and realizing that this has grown really fast and in a positive way, I want to open a store, where people can go and enjoy the brownies in a different way! Different ways to present and serve them!!

What flavors do your brownies have?

So right now, we have 8 different flavours, The traditional chocolate brownie, raspberries, cheesecake, peanut butter, cookie brownie, crumble, nutela and fudge. but I am looking forward to try different ones, and to change this menu! What I want is, from now on, to have a new different flavour every two months, or at least one different in each season! Christmas is arriving, so it might come out something new!

PERSONAL | | THE TEENAGE ROYALTY IS MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY

First of all, let me justify my absence from this blog. Switzerland has been giving me loads of work to do, which is very good because I can keep myself occupied while I’m here. I finish my two semesters of studies at Glion Institute of Higher Education on December 7th and, until then, I will be very busy with work. If I don’t post is not because I forgot about all my beloved Teens, it’s because I really have lots of work to do until I’m done with this.

But the reason that brought me here today is because I have the most amazing news. I’m moving to New York City in January to intern for WCMG Events for six months. I’m beyond excited and I can already image myself walking around Manhattan, running in Central Park and completely falling in love with that city every day. I’m so happy and I wanted to share these amazing news with all of you. I will have a lot more to post about and I’m sure the quality of my posts will improve. And I’m ready to work and do my best at WCMG.

This blog has already seen me moving to Madrid and to Switzerland. It’s time for the next chapter of the “Another Adventure of The Teenage Royalty” saga. I hope you are all on board with me.

xoxo,

Rita

PERSONAL | | FOODPORN FRIDAY

Super sweet Swiss treats. Have a great weekend everybody!!

PORTUGUESE BLOOD | | #1 - BURAKA SOM SISTEMA

Yesterday I had a great idea. There was no internet in school so I couldn’t post anything during the evening. But here I am now. I was going through Blaya Rodrigues’s Instagram and I was thinking to myself “Portuguese people have so much talent!”. I personally believe that in moments of crisis people need to be really creative. We should all celebrate the fact that we are Portuguese and to be proud of that. I really am. So that’s why I’m starting a new section on the blog called PORTUGUESE BLOOD. In this section we will celebrate Portuguese talent and celebrate our Portuguese blood. From the music industry, to fashion, to bloggers, to people that created their business on Facebook. From artists to designers. Interviews. Everything that you can possibly imagine will be featured in this new section. I can already feel that this is going to be my favorite section on the blog. I really like this idea of mine and I’m sure you will also feel inspired.

Today, and as a first example, we are starting with one of my favorite Portuguese groups of all times, Buraka Som Sistema. I’m sure everyone knows who they are. I love them to death. I’m a huge fan of their work. I’ve already had the chance to see them twice and, seriously, I was dancing from the beginning till the end of the concert. They are so good. They already launched four amazing albums and they even have a single with one of my favorite artists in the world, M.I.A.. I love Lil’ John, Riot, Conductor, Kalaf (such a fashionable inspiration) and Blaya, the power girl of the group, who I love to follow on Instagram. Buraka Som Sistema makes me feel really proud of being Portuguese. Their music is always all over my ears and I can’t help but dancing every time I listen to them. Bellow you will find my favorite BSS tunes. I hope you enjoy them, and I also hope you like my initiative to celebrate Portuguese talent!

FASHION | | WILDFOX RESORT 2013/14

I've known Wildfox since I first started this blog and, since the beginning, it conquered my heart. Though it is a bit expensive, the quality is super good and the pieces are unique. And, besides loving the clothes, the lookbooks they do are just beyond amazing. And this one just won my favorite Wildfox lookbook of all times, for obvious reasons. I just want everything inside my closet right now. This collection was inspired by the 70's and by the bombshells of the decade. And, above all, the shots were taken by one of my fav photographers, Mark Hunter from TheCobraSnake. Perfection.