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Wednesday 31 December 2014

Top 14 of 2014.

New Years Eve is a time to reminisce about the year gone by and think about what you hope to achieve in the coming year. I've been very lucky this year and had the opportunity to do lots of new things and have fun. This is a list of my top 14 moments/events of 2014.
 

1) Singing in front of people: Although I wasn't singing a proper ballard, my brother and I sung a little song for my mum's 50th birthday. The last time I sang in front of people was when I was 12 and still had a nice voice! 
2) Going to New Zealand: After a very shitty end to 2013, it was nice to travel with my family around New Zealand. It's such a beautiful country and I cannot wait to go back again during winter. That trip was also when I discovered that I really enjoy taking photos. ALSO, I went paragliding! I may not be scared of heights but it's still slightly scary when you have to make the conscious decision to run off a cliff! I've written about my New Zealand adventures here, here and here.
3)Turning 21: I turned 21 this year-woohoo. Although I may still look like i'm 16, I really enjoyed my birthday this year. 
4) Seeing my best friend after two years: My best friend lives in Canada, I live in Australia and on a whim I finally decided to go visit her. We'd been planning to visit each other for a while, but it finally happened and it was SO nice to spend a week with her.
5) Travelling by myself: For my 21st, I travelled to Canada to visit my best friend. This was the first time I had travelled by myself and I think i've caught the travel bug. I REALLY enjoyed exploring new cities on my own and although I wasn't completely alone on the trip, the parts spent alone have given me the confidence that I could fend for myself in a new country. Photos of my Canadian adventures can be found here, here and here.
6) Going to NEW YORK: Funnily enough, it worked out cheaper to travel to Canada via New York. So guess who got to spend a couple of days in beautiful New York! I've always wanted to go, and i'm so glad that I got to go. I may not have hit up all the tourist spots but that gives me a good excuse to go again! A recap of my New York adventure can be found here and here.
7) Discovering my love for tea: Honestly, i've always HATED tea until this year. Now, i'm obsessed. My favourite tea is Wagh Bakri Masala Chai-it's SO good if you like strong and slightly spicy tea.
8)Seeing my music idol-JOHN MAYER: I love John Mayer and I finally got to see him live. It was a truly magical experience and I still can't fully believe that it happened. 
9)Going for my first concert: Yes, up until this year I had never gone to proper concert. So my first concert ever was to see Kodaline. It was an intimate gig and I stood in front of the bass player, Jason Boland (who is a very beautiful man).
10)Seeing Foster the People: Foster the People were my favourite band in Year 11 and 12. I got to see them at the Palais Theatre, which is one of the most beautiful venues for a concert. It's so sad that they were thinking of shutting it down! All in all, it was a great concert-Mark Foster is an amazing performer. I must also add that I went to this concert ALONE and although at first it was really weird, once the music was playing I didn't care. My advice: don't ever not go to see someone live just because you don't have anyone to go with. It really doesn't matter, no one there will care that you are alone and once they start performing, you won't even realise that you are alone!
11)Learning to bake more: I've always loved baking, but i'd always make the same few cakes over and over again. This year I was more 'adventurous' with my baking and had quite a few successful discoveries. My only downfall was that quite a few times i'd write down a recipe on a scrap of paper and lose the scrap. RIP amazing peanut butter cookies that I can't find the recipe for.
12) Regaining my driving confidence: I failed my driving test. Twice. Not because i'm a bad driver but because I wasn't the most confident driver. This year I found myself driving by myself a lot and I now really enjoy driving by myself. 
13) Making new friends and strengthening the bond with those I had: This year I found myself making new friends and becoming closer to those I already had. It's all about opening up people! Because of this, i've been able to do more things and see more places.
14) My blog: Although I post very erratically and there isn't any real consistency with my content, I really do enjoy posting to my little spot on the internet. I started it last year after a lot of contemplation and i'm really glad I did. I like that I get to create something that is a reflection of me. Also, I get to document bits of my life and it's nice to see all the crazy things i've done throughout the year. I hope I get to continue to do this for as long as possible.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!
Till next time..

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Merry Christmas.

          On the eve of Christmas Eve, I spent my morning making a wreath. This was no ordinary wreath, oh no, it was a Wreath Ledger-points to anyone who watched the Mindy Project and wished they had a Wreath Witherspoon.
         To make the wreath, I used a stencil for the leaves and stuck them down of a piece of cardboard I had cut out earlier in the shape of a wreath. I then stuck on the images of Heath Ledger and as a finishing touch, I stuck on a red bow. It didn't take much time and was really fun to make.
          Now it's Christmas Eve and i'm sitting in front of my laptop, full of Cadbury chocolate and I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope you get to spend your day surrounded by people you love and you have a joy filled day.
Happy Holidays...

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Recent loves.


Tv+Movies: Although I have a weekly schedule of tv shows I watch which include New Girl, The Mindy Project and Modern Family, I recently stepped out of my comfort zone and started watching some new ones. How to get away with murder was AMAZING and I cannot believe I hadn't started watching it earlier. Another great show i've been late on the bandwagon to is Brooklyn nine-nine, it's not something i'd usually watch, but its definitely a nice change! My current obsession is the Serial podcast(I listened to 7 episodes in one day). WHY HAVE I NOT DISCOVERED THIS BEFORE?! I heard so much about it, but I never actively searched it out and the other night I randomly found the link and have been obsessed ever since! The Hunger Games movies, I could watch those again and again and never get bored (my obsession for it might stem for my love for Peeta though).

Blogs: I've stumbled across three blogs recently that i've been loving. The concept of minimalism is something I find both intriguing and daunting. Although its something i'd love to try when it comes to my wardrobe, it's terrifying to think that i'd have to limit my clothing choices to 10 or so items. Into Mind is a great blog that regularly talks about minimalism and how to get into it. I've enjoyed reading  more about minimalism and how to incorporate it into your life.
From Roses is another blog I've been enjoying. Rebecca takes wonderful photos and I really enjoy her writing. Rebecca is also the editor for A Little Opulent-another great read. Lastly, i've really been loving JennyPurr. Her blog has a lot of posts on starting and maintaining a successful blog as well as inspirational posts. I really enjoyed her post on graduating-something that I found personally helpful.

Fashion: My relationship with ASOS has always been strong-the postman once delivered my neighbours ASOS package to my house. When I was in Montreal, I fell in love with an asymmetrical leather skirt, but alas I couldn't justify the price. I found a great one  on ASOS recently, and it was on sale and in my size! I absolutely love the way it fits and looks on me.
Uniqlo, it's been in Melbourne for a while, but the past few times I've gone in I never found anything that caught my eye. Last week I went with my mum and I went a bit crazy-how have I never seen their linen shirt selection earlier? It's a great place for basics and lounge wear.

What have you been loving recently?




Friday 19 December 2014

Jamz in the city.

       One thing I love about Melbourne is the number of talented buskers you see and hear in the city. On warm summer days, parts of the city are transformed into one large concert with a variety of sounds. Jamz is a tap and music improvisation group. What they do is unique and interesting. Go check them out on their Facebook page here.
      I've never really taken photos of people- I know that sounds weird but most of the time i'm taking pictures of the scenery or cities. It was a fun and slightly difficult experience to take pictures of people, especially considering that they were tap dancing or playing an instrument. It was hard to translate the beauty of their movements into a still frame. However, i'm happy with what I got!
  Do you have a favourite busker/street performer? Any tips for taking photos of people dancing?
Till next time...

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Mornington.

       My friends and I drove down to Mornington last week and had a beach day. This was the second time i'd been to Mornington (the last time was to see Young Vincent) and I fell in love. I really want to live here sometime soon, its so peaceful and quaint, but still close enough to the city to not feel disconnected.
       For all you ice cream lovers, Tutti Frutti has some amazing ice cream. The traders coffee ice cream was great! The best part of the day was definitely walking through all the furniture stores and looking at all the beautiful (and really expensive) furniture we wanted for our future houses. Next time you are looking for a nice day trip location, I recommend Mornington!
Till next time... 
       

Tuesday 2 December 2014

New hair and brownies.

    I finally got around to cutting my hair, and although I didn't do anything drastic, it was nice to treat myself. The head massage I got when she washed my hair was amazing, even fell asleep for a second!! Hair cuts and swishy blow outs are just what you need when you are feeling a little down.
     I also made some delicious brownies for a friend. I have been making these brownies for a good three years and it always turns out great-although this time around it was more of a brownie cake as the chocolate melts did not melt!You can find the recipe here. In Year 11, my friends and I went through a phase where we were obsessed with Masterchef Australia and this is one of the many recipes i've learnt from it.
Till next time...

Monday 1 December 2014

Few of my favourite: Covers.

     I love music. I love listening to music, singing and (attempting) to play different instruments. I love how you can change the feel of a song by changing the key, slowing it down or having a different person sing it. That's why I love covers of songs, because its a form of re-creation, taking something and changing its form. Here is a list of a few of my favourite covers of songs:


I Can't Make You Love Me: AdeleBon Iver
JoleneLilac Wine: Miley Cyrus

       These are just a FEW of the covers i've been obsessing over recently-there are a lot more! Do you have any covers you've been enjoying lately? Have you ever covered a song?
Till next time...