Thursday 26 November 2015

Christmas Gift Guide: Reading Edition


As most of my family knows, I love reading. I've always loved it. I started school late because my family moved to Australia from Europe, and all the friend groups had already been formed so I turned to reading to pass the time during recess and lunch.
Recently, my tastes have turned to more non-fictional genres so I have about 50 autobiographies and how-to books on my Goodreads list.

These include:




















*These images are not my own - they have been sourced from the Amazon website.

Saturday 21 November 2015

Festival Time!

So this year all my friends and I have got tickets to go to Stereosonic (a massive festival in Sydney).

Here is my quick guide to what to bring to ensure you have a fab day...

- Water! ( you can't always bring this inside, so make sure you grab a bottle as soon as you pass the gates)

- Sunscreen (you never know how the weather will turn out)

- Rain-jacket/Poncho (preferably an inexpensive one because you'll probably lose it)

- A hat of some sort (to protect your face and hide your sweaty hair at the end of the day)

- Your phone (to take photos and Snapchats of course!)

- A portable charger for you phone (because I can guarantee it will run out of battery)

- Your ticket (obviously)

- Your ID (most festivals are 18+ so you need to show this to get inside)

- Gum (food is expensive so we usually just bring loads of gum so we don't get hungry)

- Lipbalm (no one wants chapped lips at a festival)

- Make-up essentials (you don't want to being too much but I'd recommend bringing concealer, powder and mascara)

- A small bag

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Trail Blazers

Yesterday I decided to make some time for myself and went bushwalking. The national park near my house has lots of really nice trails and I chose to follow the one which lead to some cascades. I only took a bottle of water and my phone (no headphones!!) so I could just relax with the sounds of nature around me. It took me 45 minutes to get to the cascades because I kept going down small tracks to take photos. To get there, I ended up having to wade through the river and get my feet! I did go too far along the track and in total the walk took my 2.5 hours… :(


I tracked my steps using the app 'Move' which tracks how many kilometres, minutes and steps you do as well as setting out a map of where you've been. 





I think going on walks is a great way for me to clear my head and reflect on things that have been troubling me lately. I like to do this at least once a month to make sure I don’t go crazy with all the drama in my life.











I’ve done this with my friends as well because who doesn’t love an adventure with their friends – we’ve found some pretty cool spots with waterfalls and caves!


Thursday 12 November 2015

Moving House...

When it comes time to move out/ move away, I feel like a bit of an expert – having moved at least 8 times in my life (even overseas!). My mum has decided to move away from the leafy north shore and the comfort of living down the road from her sister, and has found a house up in the central coast. That means we’ll be living even closer to the beach!




Hopefully, we’ll have moved by the end of the year which means that I have to get 6 years worth of living into a couple of boxes and ready to drive up to the new house in a few weeks. I’m usually the worst when it comes to packing but this time I’ve decided to get organised!

How I’m making sure I’m ready to move:

1.     Throw away everything you don’t need/want –
This means going through all your clothes and getting rid of the things that are out of style or don’t fit. I’m planning to donate whatever my cousins don’t want to the H&M Recycling Scheme and to Vinnies. I also went through all my old school books and uni work and organised it so that I’m only taking the work that I need in the future – there’s no use in keeping an essay I wrote in year 12. Remember to recycle!!
2.     And pack up what you decide to keep –
I’m putting my clothes in clothes bags and suitcases to make them easier to carry and move. I put my other knick-knacks into small boxes and packed them tightly to ensure nothing got broken.
3.     Organise the paper work that you need to take with you –
I’ve gone through my paperwork (receipts etc.) and decided what needs to be kept in a folder for future reference.
4.     Box up your books! –
All the books I’ve collected over the years could probably fill an entire library. I’m not going to take them all with me, so I’ve decided to give away the ones I don’t need anymore to friends and family. The rest I'll pack up into small boxes that are easy to carry – this will be a bit like a round of Tetris. s
5.     Eat the contents of your fridge + freezer.
This sounds like a big ask, but over the space of a few weeks, my family is definitely going to manage it. It's easier to movie without worrying about also transporting defrosting food.
6.     Bathroom essentials… -
Moving house is giving me the chance to go through my bathroom and throw away the old or empty bottles etc. that I don’t need to take with me. The rest will be packed into make-up bags and plastic bags to ensure the products don't go everywhere if they exploded (I’m taking these in my car to keep them away from the heavy stuff that might fall on them).
7.     Deconstruct your non-essential furniture –

We have started doing early this to ensure we are ready for when the removalists come, makes it less stressful on the day.










I'm so excited to be moving to a new place - I feel like this is my great escape! It's great to be able to get away from all the drama and stress that's been in my life lately.