Monthly Recap: February

February was about:

Experiencing and coping with anxiety; dealing with job insecurity; baking spicy chocolate chip cookies; watching 'The Greatest Showman' at the open air cinema; being brave enough to jump off the pier into the water; growing my confidence in deep water; eating semla; visiting the library bi-weekly; feeling exhausted constantly; taking iron supplements; planning and getting excited about my trip in May.

Monthly Recap: January

January was about:

Smothering my body with sunscreen; recovering from indulgences of December; waiting for summer storms; sighing with relief from the Southerly; clambering up and down rocks; holding onto my bikini top in the waves; re-learning how to swim; feeling proud about treading water for 10 minutes; accidentally straying from the trail; scratching my legs from dried twigs and branches; getting eaten alive by mozzies, enjoying the <25°C days; devouring books; signing up to a library near work; getting excited about the library's ebook selection; eating less processed food; struggling to get into the swing of blogging; and planning for the future.

♥s
Music: Darius Rucker album - When Was the Last Time*
Book: Australia Day - Melanie Cheng

* I am pretty devastated that I didn't realise he had a Sydney show which is now sold out. 

Recharged

Hello!

It is the second week of 2018 and the first week back at work. The last two weeks have been absolutely glorious and it has been the most relaxing break I have had in a while. My self-imposed digital ban wasn't overly successful however I did manage to spend a lot of time offline. Admittedly, trying to achieve a total ban was a bit ambitious.

It was a break filled with reading and bushwalking, my two favourite activities in the entire world. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts about the places that I visited. If you don't already follow me on Goodreads, please do! I love to see stalk what other people are reading.

May Update

Work

I have been at my new job for a month now. I don't know where time has gone! Work has been alright. Truth be told, I wasn't very excited about the role during the interview (and also didn't believe I would get the role) and those feelings are still present. But overall it hasn't been that bad. I am not unhappy anymore and I now have a permanent role which also pays more! I also have a work phone - Samsung Galaxy S8 - and I am still trying to learn how to use it. I am still in the awkward phase where I can't type properly and have a trillion typos in all my messages.

I no longer work in the CBD (Central Business District) anymore and surprisingly, I am glad of it. There are a lot less people at my new location which also means less smokers on the footpath and my hair is less likely to reek of cigarette smoke. I only wash my hair once a week (every 5th day) which is why the whole smoking-whilst-walking is an issue for me.

It is likely that I will have an interstate work trip in the next month or so. I am excited! There is something about a free trip and free meals that appeals to me. Now, if I could manage to go on an overseas work trip then I truly will be someone at work. The likelihood of this is incredibly slim ..... 

Travel

Starting a new job is synonymous with one fact - no leave. I don't have leave to go away on a substantial holiday and don't foresee myself doing anything exciting over the Christmas office closures. Namely because it is peak season and therefore very expensive to go overseas and also it will be ultra hot in Australia for domestic travel. Well apart from Tasmania and I vow to never return for leisure.

For the long weekend in June, I will be heading to Canberra (Australia's capital) for 3D / 2N. My last visit was a quick day trip for Floriade and the time before that was for a primary school camp. Everyone tells me that there isn't much to do in Canberra, but I am interested in visiting the arboretum and perhaps going to some monuments and museums.

I will also be going up to Cairns, Queensland in October! My first and only visit was back in 2006/2007 (I can't remember when...) and it was my first proper travel experience; I had to pay for everything out of my own pocket. Back then it was a really big deal, especially as I was only earning $8 dollars / hour. Honestly, I don't remember a lot from the trip which is why I have been wanting to revisit.

Other

I have been obsessed with a ginger turmeric "tea". I was first exposed to something similar at a Marrickville market. Being the frugal person that I am, I abstained from purchasing it and decided to make my own! Although frugality and purchasing ginger are almost mutually exclusive (ginger at $25 a kilo?!?!). I like to think that this drink is helping my health and will boost my immune system since I hot desk at work, catch public transport and it is getting into cold / flu season.

I also randomly bought a new film camera! It is the Pentax SP1000 and I am in love with it; the click of the shutter is just so sexy. The massive downside is that the camera is pretty heavy at 850 grams.

For the first time in many years, it is actually cold in Sydney! There are lows of 9 and highs of 17 (although it doesn't feel like 17 with the wind chill) which I am absolutely loving. I am able to wear my long boots and my Marcs winter coat.

Overall life is looking pretty great :)

Monthly Recap: February

February was a quiet month and I didn't really do too much. This was partly attributable to the heatwaves which dominated the first half of the month but also due to stress / anxiety. Despite spending most of the month in bed / on the couch in my spare time, surprisingly, I didn't watch too much on Netflix. I also finally purchased private health insurance, so I guess I am officially an adult now.

The books that I read / listened to were largely uninspiring and underwhelming apart from two books, A Brief History of Seven Killings and Half of a Yellow Sun. Marlon James' "A Brief History of Seven Killings" won the Man Booker Award 2015 and I was introduced to it by Sunbeamsjess mid last year. I had attempted to read it back in September however I ended up simply reading words. Fast forward 5 months later and I gave this novel another try. It is definitely a challenging read and I found it most manageable to read a few chapters in one sitting only. Between the different "languages" used - Jamaican patois, British English, American English-, the 75 character list including gang members, politicians, American journalist and a very intricate story, it is definitely not for the faint hearted. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was less of a challenging read however the prose is absolutely beautiful and effortless. It is centred around 5 characters in Nigeria during the Biafara Civil War and the best book I have read in a very long time.

This month, I also noticed a trend: I feel that I have been seeing a surge in posts about the Maldives / Bora Bora over the past year or so. Has anyone else noticed this? I find it strange when influencers / bloggers are sent on sponsored trips there, courtesy of the hotel, because I don't really understand the return on "investment". It is not as though the average person would be inspired by so-and-so's Instagram photo or blog post because, let's be real, who can really afford $1000+ accommodation per night?!?

Still on the topic of travel, the insanely cheap flights to Europe, Santiago and New York City are killing me. Around $1000-$1100?!?!?

I also have a giveaway going on right now which will finish by the end of this week so please enter as soon as possible!

How did the month of February treat you? 

Monthly Recap: January

January is always a bit of a weird month. Before the commencement of full time work (namely, being a student) it was more of an exciting month and full of opportunities and new beginnings. However these days, it feels a little anti-climatic and more like an extension of the previous year; I suppose that is a dumb thing to say because ... well that is what it actually is!

Travel 
• Road trip to New England region in NSW (posts to come)
• Revisited Figure 8 Pools. This time I didn't bring my camera however I have written about it previously. There are so many more people now and there are tours from hostels as well. I am still not convinced that it is the most incredible thing to see.
• I have been a little obsessed with wild swimming (creeks / lakes / dams) since my trip to Tasmania and headed to Jellybean Pool at Glenbrook. Although I did end up slipping and grazed half of my thigh.
• Decided that I won't be going overseas this year. I have been toying with the idea of heading to South Australia for 1.5 weeks to roadtrip around the state.

Hobbies (life outside travel)
• Tried to start a bullet journal. I didn't realise exactly what it was until early this month and discovered it was something that I used to do back during my university days! My bullet journal lasted all of one week as I came to the realisation that I really don't need a journal these days.
• Have started experimenting with watercolours. It is something that I play with as I am watching a show / movie.
• Maintained two blog posts a week for the entire month! Sometimes I feel that is too frequent, however I am also on a backlog right now and get a little anxious when I am too far behind. Is this unique to me?
• Gave my blog a little makeover with a new template, banner and 'About' page!
• Have been on an audiobook listening spree. I prefer reading a physical book over listening to audiobooks. However, I have become bored of listening to music on my commute and would rather spend the time more efficiently. I cannot read on buses as I get motion sickness which is why audiobooks are my only option!
• Books: ISIS: The State of Terror by Jessica Stern; 1984 by George Orwell; 11/22/63 by Stephen King; The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon; The Opposite of Lonelinesss by Marina Keegan; The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff; Snowblind by Michael McBride; The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking; The Vegetarian by Han Kang; Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
• Watched: Vikings, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Shannara Chronicles, 11.22.63, La La Land, Arrivals (♥), Hope, Passengers, Lion, Hidden Figures, Moana

I have spent quite a few days this month (when I am not at work) at home and relaxing which is a little foreign to me. As mentioned previously, I am wanting to slow down a little and learn that I don't always need to be doing something. However that being said, it is quite clear that I spent a lot of time on Netflix this month. 

Haul: MooGoo Skincare Products

A bit of a different post! A few weeks ago, I was researching serums / oils to incorporate into my skincare. For those who have tried to research products online, it is completely overwhelming! There are so many products out there and of course, every product works differently for each person. I have normal / dry skin and my biggest concern (aside from wrinkles) is darkness particularly around my eyes.

I wear make up almost every day and a large part of it is due to the fact that it evens out my complexion. I have a lot of freckles which I have grown to ... tolerate. Honestly, I don't really care that I do have freckles except for the fact that without make up, my skin never looks clear even if I don't have breakouts. Ultimately, freckles make my face look ruddy and no they are not cute, they are only cute when there is a light smattering across the nosebridge and cheeks (look on Youtube for all those ridiculous 'How to Fake Freckles' tutorials). Laser for my freckles is a possible course of action and in the meantime, I wanted to address the darkness around my eyes. Cue researching new eye creams on Reddit and then I stumbled upon a recommendation of Moogoo for their Vitamin C oil. Shortly after I then made a purchase online.

I purchased the MooGoo super Vitamin C Serum $34.90 AUD.

Product Description
This serum is based around an oil soluble form of Vitamin C called "Abscobyl Tetraisopalmitate" or VCIP. Most forms of Vitamin C are water soluble. Because the skin is protected by a layer of oil, this means that water soluble Vitamin C does not penetrate well. However our Vitamin C dissolves in oil and so can be absorbed deeper into the skin.

VCIP at this concentration is especially good for pigmentation and sun damage. For this reason, we recommend it pigmentation around the eye area or other areas of the face where pigmentation is a problem

I also purchased the Tamanu Oil ($15.90 AUD) which I had briefly been researching last year when I was trying to find a product to help with acne scarring.

Product Description
Tamanu Oil is now becoming famous for its anti-ageing benefits abased on promotion of new skin and its assistance in repair. Ideal for acne, acne scarring and wound soothing. It is best applied in the evening or under a moisturiser.

They also kindly provided two samples: anti aging cream and small sample of the tinted moisturiser. I will start using the Vitamin C oil shortly and maybe I will write a follow up about my thoughts in a few months time.

2016 Reflection

2016 has quickly come and gone. The year always seemed to go so slowly back in my schooling days however each year, it seems to go by faster and faster. I am not one to really set goals at the beginning of the new year and thus I cannot accurately say whether or not I have achieved what I had set out.

Looking back on 2016

Upon reflection of 2016, it has been a busy year. I travelled a fair bit; I went on one big trip to Mongolia and went on a few smaller ones throughout the year during my long weekends. I successfully completed #take12trips quite easily.

01. Ingleburn
02. Warragamba Dam 
03. Wollongong
04. Riverina Roadtrip
05. Port Stephens
06. Wollongong & Helensburgh
07. Blue Mountains
08. Capertee Valley & Hill End 
09. Mongolia
10. Ettalong 
11. Victoria Roadtrip
12. Wattamolla

I finally properly visited and photographed canola fields which is something that has been on my mind for numerous years now.

I turned 25 this year in December which was a little bit scary; I am now in the mid 20s bracket. Eck! I also realised this year that I have been in a new relationship every year for the past 4 years (....) however I think this time round, I may have found myself a keeper ;P

Professionally, I have learnt so much more about myself however in that area of my life, it has been quite draining and I am a little burnt out. I am glad that I have a two week office closure, although the forced use of 2 weeks of leave when I only have 4 weeks annually is a little painful to swallow.

I also purchased a new camera which was very exciting as I have only ever owned point and shoot cameras. Yes really!

I have successfully completed my reading challenge of reading 60 books this year, follow my Goodreads!

Onto something likely more negative, 2016 has overall been quite a tough year. It definitely has not been the best year financially for me. I had to pay a $433 fine for accidentally running through a red light; I can only blame myself, it was one of those trippy two sets of lights close to together and the first was green and second was red and I wasn't paying enough attention. On my trip to Melbourne, I ended up forking around $250 due to flight cancellation and accommodation. And only two days ago, I had to cut my Tasmania trip short because I accidentally crashed my car, no replacement cars were available and I incurred around $1500 overall for the damage, having to buy a new flight, accommodation, etc. What a way to end the year especially since I had been looking forward to this trip since March.

Looking forward to 2017

I want to take it slower in 2017. My opinion may change when the time arises, but I want to take less trips. I won't be completing #take12trips, however I am sure that I will end up taking that many as a minimum considering my nature. I did not strain myself this year to meet the goal, however I thought it became a little redundant around halfway through the year. I think I need to become more in tune with myself and to slow down when I am becoming burnt out; remembering to take some time to relax and do nothing. Doing nothing is a foreign concept to me however it is valuable. However, I am planning on going overseas on a trip to Vietnam and Thailand in August; that will be my big trip for 2017.

As a consequence of travelling less, I will invariably end up saving more. I have never been one to save to travel, but more save to save and using some of my savings to travel. That is why, despite having a budget for my trips, I can easily blow out my budget without too much of a worry. I suppose I am getting to the age where having savings is becoming increasingly more important. Luckily, I have always been a saver so the mindset is already there. It is a fickle thing; like a lot of people, I do want to get into the property market. However 2017 will not be the year. I will not lament about all those issues and hurdles that are constantly brought up in the news. Simply put, the time is not right for me.

What is one thing you are wanting to achieve in 2017?

Meeting Ice Pandora!

This is a very long overdue post. Back in August after my two weeks in Mongolia, I headed to Hong Kong for a few days. On one of the days, I organised to meet up with Mei from Ice Pandora! I have followed Mei for many years now and if you don't know her blog, definitely check it out! This was my first time meeting someone through my blog which was a little nerve wrecking. I have previously met up with two people online back in my LiveJournal days so it's not entirely foreign to me.

It was a bit difficult to meet up as I wasn't too clear with my directions which reminded me how difficult it is to find someone when both parties don't have working phones! Nonetheless, we finally managed to find each other and had a coffee in a very weird cafe. It also was a reminder of the shortcoming of being illiterate; I can get by with my basic knowledge Cantonese but cannot read or write at all.

It was a wonderful meeting and I actually hope to meet more people who I know from my blog in the coming year. If you are coming to Sydney or from Sydney and are interested, let me know!

Books for Mongolia

What does one do when spending 11 days on a tour in Mongolia, with no access to internet and in the middle of a country. Why stock up on books for my Kindle! One of my exes bought me a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday. At the time, I was a little irritated (embarrassingly) as I was adamant that I didn't need one. But it has now changed my life and I am so glad that he made that purchase for me. He used to read my blog (not sure if he still does) so Hello! Thank you! :) 

I have tried to branch out from my usual novels (read: thrillers) and have a bunch of different novels. These include:

→ A Curious Beginning - Deanna Raybourn
→ My Grandmother Asked me to Tell you She's Sorry - Fredrik Backman
→ The Versions of Us - Laura Barnett
→ Instructions for a Heatwave - Maggie O'Farrell
→ Luck, Love & Lemon Pie - Amy Reichert
→ The One Plus One - Jojo Moyes
→ The Choices We Make - Karma Brown
→ First Comes Love - Emily Giffin
→ The Camel Club - David Baldacci (a "safe" novel)
→ Harry Potter & The Cursed Child

Have you read any novels lately that you would recommend? Add me on Goodreads to see what I am reading! 

July Update

Another month and another update! I won't bore you all with the standard sentence but please keep reading to see how I have been tracking.

Work
+ Work has still been slightly frustrating however I have entered holiday mode and nothing phases me too much anymore!

+ This month has been challenging on my interpersonal skills. I have presented to senior stakeholders and in a 20 person meeting full of important people, I provided some input without stuttering! It was fabulous.

+ When I get back from my holiday I will become a more active job-hunter.

Online Life
+ I have revamped the layout of my blog ever so slightly! I have now included a drop down navigation. Originally I had wanted a multi-level drop down for my travel rather than separating it into different continents but alas after 3 hours of tutorials I couldn't figure it out. I think it still works currently. My previous travels page was getting too long, too detailed and just very blah.

+ Learning CSS and HTML was quite weird; it was a definite throwback to 15 year old Natalie who used to code / modify her Livejournal layouts. There was a point in my life where I could code (a very basic) layout. In fact I made a website from scratch as my major project for Year 12 Software Design & Development.

+ As part of this clean out, I also reviewed my old content (I have been blogging here for 5 years now!) and it is quite amusing to see how I used to write. I believe that I write quite conversationally now, however it was much more casual back then! What is even more interesting is how my content has changed. My blog has inevitably shifted from a random collection of my thoughts to become more centred around travel (domestically and internationally). These update posts are essentially the only personal posts that I write these days.

+ I still need to tidy up my tags which is a little out of control. I remember back in the good ol' LJ days that this was a horrible task and alas, I don't think this current state of tag-affairs is any better. But it needs to be done as I haven't reviewed it ... ever.

+ I have been on-and-off with my blog again. This may not be apparent as I schedule the vast majority of my posts (including this post!), but in the past I used to write at least one post a week. These days I am lucky if this happens every three weeks.

+ In fact, for quite a few weeks I was "struggling" to keep up with my blogs that I read. Life has been a little busy (keep reading) and I haven't had the chance to keep in touch with everyone. My bloglovin feed is currently under control again; hopefully it stays like that.

Life
+ In the month of July, I went on this binge-dating phase. I am thinking about writing a separate post about this but in a nutshell, I went on an absurd number of dates in a reasonably short period of time.

+ Due to the above, I did not venture outside of Sydney. Not once which is unprecedented! I will still be able to meet the #take12trips challenge as I am ahead by one trip.

+ Song favourites: Trace Adkins "I Can't Outrun You"; Birdy "Wings; Darius Rucker "If I Told You"

Travel itchy feet rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

June Update

I have been MIA from my blog yet again! Life has been a little crazy lately which I guess I will dot point below. July is almost here which means that my trip to Mongolia is fast approaching which is crazy considering I booked this back in December!

Work
+ I have been a little frustrated with work due to people. My role has a lot of interactions with clients and also various operational teams. I've also been off my game lately so mistakes have been made which irks me.

+ I have made a new work friend and it is a lot of fun having someone to chat to.

+ I am mentoring / buddying with the guy that got the role that I wanted which is incredibly ironic.

Life
+ I have finished all my pottery classes and loved it! It was infinitely better than the other studio and I may actually pick this up as a hobby. Maybe.

+ Mr Paella and I broke up. But I have come to the sad realisation that I didn't actually care enough about it and have been on quite a few dates since then. I sound like a horrible person, but I guess I don't know why I stayed as long as I did.

+ Over the long weekend (which I still need to blog about) I went on a road trip and it was amazing!

+ I am back on Tinder life! However, I haven't had any interesting stories unlike last time.

+ V was my second most viewed story out of the three Tinder stories (actually that series were my most viewed posts ... seriously) and I matched with him again (third time now) and we finally met up. Twice! He is surprisingly exactly how he is on texts. Confident, smooth talker, knows he is attractive and just a commitment phobe (but not willingly to say he is only looking for flings). He also has a lot of baggage (as do I) and his bravado is very obvious. He is a super super interesting character. The reality is that I know at some point (probably in the near future) I will have to stop spending time with him. And it is sad because he genuinely is such an interesting person; probably the most interesting person that I know.

+ Music favourites: Lukas Graham - 7 Years.

+ Travel itchy feet rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

May Update

It is the end of the month again! Crazy how fast time is flying by. I "missed" the previous month. In actual fact, I had something written but then my mind was wandering and blogging was the furthest thing from my mind. And by that stage, it was just too far gone. I have been quite MIA on my blog - only two blog posts for May which is absurd! - as I try to post at least weekly.

Work
+ My manager is killing me. I have been broken and I really need to start filtering what I say. Any time anyone mentions anything related to them the bitching starts and I let everyone and their cat know my greatest displeasure.

+ My direct line manager is alright these days. I yo-yo greatly with my opinion. Some days I realise that he is young and is trying / doing his best. At the end of the day, his best is all I can ask for. Other days I think he is a condescending ass and needs to stop thinking that he is top shit (especially as he is only one year older than me).

+ I have been looking at jobs daily, but haven't applied for anything yet. I have now applied for three jobs.

+ I have also become quite aggressive at work and making sure that people know what I am thinking and what I want.

+ I took a mental health day last week after having a completely horrible day on Monday. My direct line manager spent 10 minutes explaining why I was rejected for the permanent role in his team. It was horrible. I think the 'best' part was when he asked how I felt after he rejected me. Lol.

Life
+ I have booked myself 3 x introductory pottery classes for next month which I am excited for. I did pottery earlier this year and it was painful due to the studio. Long story short, I would not recommend The Pottery Shed in Paddington.

+ Didn't get up to too much this month; mainly stayed at home which was also probably not conducive to my mood.

+ My TV shows are all reaching their summer hiatus! I absolutely loved Quantico and cannot wait for the next season. The funny thing is that the show was a bit of a nothing / mindless show in the very beginning but over the course of the season, I really got into it!

This quote has really resonated with me this month:

As long as you feel like you are doing the right thing then in the long run that’s all that’s gonna matter because, yno, you’re the one lying awake  at night alone in bed and thinking about your life. And if you have compromised your life you’ll know.
Ingrid Michaelson

+ Tea Was Here kindly asked me to write a little piece for her Travel Bloggers' Passport Stamp Stories.

+ Music favourites: Jake Owen "American Country Love Song" (I listened to this song for a whole work day, I was also quite unhappy too); Georgia Florida Line "H.O.L.Y"

+ Travel itchy feet rating: ★★★★★

#Take12Trips

This year, I will try to complete the #Take12Trips. Essentially, it requires you to take 12 trips or one trip a month. This was started by Clare at Need Another Holiday a few years ago. I love to travel and I miss it constantly. In fact, I've been feeling quite restless for the past three months now so discovering this challenge was very fitting. That being said, as you may or may not have realised from my blog, I definitely do try to take as many trips as I can. But it is not as often as I would like.

Everyone's definition of a trip is different and taking a trip overseas is not feasible or practical considering I live in Australia and am actually in the middle of nowhere. Even flying to another city is so expensive. My definition of a trip is something outside of Sydney excluding national parks which are within Sydney.

I have a lot of months empty right now but there are some concrete plans. Later this month, I will spend 3D/2N at Port Stephens. A coastal area and right now it seems that it will be raining! Of course. I have also booked my trip to Mongolia in August! Over my Easter long weekend, my idea is to drive to Mount Kosciusko and the NSW/VIC border. But that is not concrete and it's still a little all up in the air.

The downside to already having the mentality about utilising my weekends to its potential is that I have been to a lot of the day trip suggestions near Sydney already.

For any Sydneysiders, what are some of your favourite day trips outside of Sydney? 

Recap 2015

The funny thing is that I started compiling this list back in early November due to a never ending work slump and I expected to publish this at the end of December along with everyone else. But as it turns out, I left the Notepad file on my work laptop. D'oh.

Travel

• Travelled by myself within Australia; visited South Australia.
• Drove for the first time in almost 5 years and embarked on my first solo road trip.
• Visited Canberra's Floriade event.
• Took a few solo day trips around Sydney.

Favourites

• My 2015 Song: 'Heart of the World' by Lady Antebellum
• Runner up 2015 songs: 'Fly' by Maddie & Tae;' 'Don't It' by Billy Currington
• Matilda: The Musical !!!!
• The Last Five Years
• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Everything else

• Pandora is available in Australia without VPN
• Rediscovered my love for country music, notable discoveries are: Billy Currington, Maddie & Tae, Lady Antebellum and Darius Tucker.
• Started my first "real" job and travelled to Perth and Melbourne for work.
• When I was at a job interview for Proctor & Gamble, one of the other applicants was complaining about how she had to borrow her boyfriend's "stupid annoying wind up watch". I saw the brand, complimented and asked if I could see it and she took it off her wrist and passed it over to me. I held a Patek Phillipe watch for the first, and most likely only, time.
• I went out on an audit at a waste removal company and got to: wear a Hi-Vis vest for a week; visit the Kimbriki tip (SO COOL); sat in a ute; gain new appreciation for people who collect my garbage. Honestly, one of the best weeks I have ever had.

'Love' & Relationships

• Went on a few dates (been on more first dates this year than all the previous years combined) due to Tinder
• Started a relationship with someone new
• Reassessed my friendships and have made more of an effort to maintain them (it is true what they say about it being harder to keep friends the older you get)

Me

• Learnt to let go more
• Rekindled my love for yoga and meditation
• Still trying to learn/strengthen my handstand
• Finally started laser hair removal for underarms and Brazilian. Best decision ever

I don't really make resolutions. Instead they are more just my normal goals for myself: eating healthier, having more patience and being happier. 

Matilda: The Musical

Last Thursday night I watched Matilda at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney. It was a birthday present from Mr Paella and it was incredible! I had heard amazing reviews from the musical but had zero idea about the musical aside from the obvious fact it is based off Ronald Dahl's novel.

I absolutely adore this musical. It is near the top of my favourite musicals right now, just under or very close to Wicked. It's a musical that appeals to both children and adults and is hilarious. That being said, I didn't expect it to be so well rounded or so touching. There are moments of hilarity (esecially with Mrs Wormwood and Mr Wormwood) but then moments of sadness.

The role of Matilda was played by Georgia Taplin for my show (shared with three other girls) and she was amazing. Actually everything about the show was incredible; the production, the songs and the amazing cast of children and adults.

My two favourite songs are: Naughty and When I Grow Up. I'm a little torn which one is my favourite because the lyrics of 'Naughty' resonate with me. But 'When I Grow Up' really touched me when I was sitting in the theatre. It was an incredible scene with the children and adults sitting and then "flying" on swings into the audience. It's a very bittersweet song. This review perfectly captures my thoughts:

And When I Grow Up, complete with kids and grown-ups playing on oversized swings over the front few rows of the audience, does something which seems impossible — it simultaneously speaks to adults and children in different ways. It’s joyous, cheeky and playful but has a bittersweet resonance for many adults. Have we grown up into the people we wanted to be? Did we take the innocence of childhood for granted?

And when I grow up, I will eat sweets everyday on the way to work and I
Will go to bed late every night.
And I will wake up when the sun comes up and I will watch cartoons until my
Eyes go square and I won't care because I'll be all grown up.
When I grow upHa staying up late. Late these days is 11pm because of work the following day. How adult is that?!

I would highly recommend this musical!

Tinder - C's Story

If you don't know, I use Tinder and I plan to write posts about the people that I have met on Tinder that have interested me. Read my first post here. This will be C's story and the second installment in my Tinder series (I can't believe that is happening on my blog).

Here is C's Story
C is the complete opposite of P. Oh my. Whilst I talked to P because we bonded, I kept a conversation with C because he made me laugh. For all the wrong reasons. He is the most* cockiest, arrogant and self entitled person that I have met. Ever. Both virtually and in the real world. His full first name is hidden for obvious reasons but here are some snippets of our messages that honestly make me laugh so hard.

* I wrote this a while back and I have since met someone else who makes C look humble.

The thing is, we actually have a mutual friend on Facebook so I knew his surname and had already stalked his page and his online presence. All of it combined just reaffirmed his douchey-ness. Although I have to say that his photos are stunning but knowing his online personality (which probably translates to his actual personality) it just ruins the photos. I can't link the photos because of a) copyright issues and b) I do want protect his identity. But he was shortlisted for the Australian Photography + Digital 'Travel' competition recently.

I never met up with C and had no intention whatsoever. I didn't even feel comfortable giving him my mobile number. Although I did add him on Facebook and after he realised that I had nothing on the page to stalk, he removed me as a friend (he actually told me that too). Wait what?! How did we stop talking? Maybe he realised that he wasn't going to get lucky with me or he deleted Tinder. Similar to P, I feel a little sad. Not for the same reasons but the fact that my source of entertainment has now disappeared.

In short, C was hilarious and I can't believe that people like him exist. There are are serious creepers on Tinder, but C just took it to another level entirely. In some ways, I feel that he was simply a "talker". As the saying goes, empty vessel makes the most noise. Here is a guy whose sole purpose on Tinder is to find a friends with benefit or a hook up. He hooked up with one girl last year, went on exchange/travelling for 8 months and came back to Sydney early this year and has been on Tinder since the start of the year. Six months of Tinder-ing and still no success. Hmm.

I am not sure who is next on my series. I haven't met anyone who is super interesting. There may be one, but I need to see how it will pan out. (I feel like I am using Tinder for reasons vastly different to everyone else. Whoops).

Update: I have "met" someone who has this crazy God complex. I have also deleted Tinder now so this series was very short lived.

Tinder - P's Story

Hi, I'm Natalie and I use Tinder. Yes, really. The few people who do know about my use of the app in my life have been surprised since apparently it's not really, well, me.

I have amassed quite a collection of screenshots of absolutely hilarious messages that I have received. Some because they are so crude and others because ... well I guess they are quite crude but I just think its hilarious. Maybe this will be a series that I will have on my blog for the indefinite future. I am not sure how long I will use the app as I already gave it up over a month ago after a week of use and only picked it back up a few days ago. But nonetheless, I thought it might interesting to share my experiences of the interesting people that I have met on the app. Overall, the conversations I have with most people are quite boring. But I will write about the ones that have been memorable. I will only write about people once our interactions have ended.

Here is the story of P.
This was the first "normal" person that I talked to and we bonded funnily enough since he used to work at Target (where I currently work). We met up a total of three times over the course of three weeks and after the third time, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Seriously. What?! Objectively, it was a completely romantic move. We were sitting in this park in Pyrmont (that I never knew existed) and it had a spectacular view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the CBD skyline. In fact, it is currently my favourite place in Sydney. But I just wasn't the right girl. I declined since I didn't think we clicked. But he was a super awesome guy nonetheless.

But that isn't the end of the story. Two day later, he messaged me out of the blue and asked to meet me on my street (since he had dropped me off in the past). He drove 40 minutes to my street. In the car, we had a long hear to heart conversation. It was funny because it felt as though we were bickering like a couple. His final few words (since I wasn't changing my mind) honestly felt like I was getting dumped; "so I guess we just go our separate ways. Nip it in the bud." Two days after that, I messaged him and wished him the best of luck (because he was truly really cool) and we parted on sad, but good terms.

It makes me a little sad which is strange since we knew each other for such a short period of time. I don't have any insightful comments but simply these posts will just be a reflection of the people that have played a role in my "Tinder life".

Next up will be C! I have already written the post. And he is the polar opposite of P. (I already have someone in the pipeline after him too).

Around the World Blog Hop

I've seen this tag floating around the blogsphere for a while and I was recently tagged by the lovely Rosa Dyn from Avec Rosa. Check out her blog if you haven't: she's quirky, she's crazily creative and also incredibly bold with not only her lip colour choices, but also her hair colour!

1. What am I working on?
I am currently working on setting up my travel journal for my Grad Trip. Last time I went on my major trip, I had originally intended on keeping a diary however it soon turned into an electronic diary and slowly but surely, I completely forgot about it. This time around, I definitely want to keep track of what happens everyday, to document my experiences and my feelings, the good and the bad. Well, I'll try.

2. How does your work differ from others of its genre?
Not entirely sure what my 'work' is; actually not entirely sure what this question is asking. I guess the 'work' that I've been keeping up with for the longest has been this blog. It's not in a genre in my honest opinion. Actually, it's more a mismatch of everything. I write about my travels, my personal thoughts, places where I've eaten. Just a bit of everything.

3. Why do you write/create what you do?
I write for myself and that is why my blog is kind of all over the place with no niche or theme. I write about my life because I like to document things (I've had a private diary since I was 14). I also enjoy taking photos and blogging allows me to use those photos in a meaningful way, otherwise they would just sit in my folders on my harddrive "collecting dust". I think that is the downside of the digital photography era.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?
When I used to make graphics, I always kept an eye out for interesting angles during tv shows that I could screencap to subsequently make icons. These days, I am aware of things that are happening around me that may inspire a post on my blog. I don't mean to say that I write for the sake of having something on my blog, but it forces me to look at life with a different angle, usually a more positive angle since I don't want to be Debbie Downer on here. I edit my photos first (usually when I am watching a tv show) and then write afterwards. It's usually a pretty quick process.

Keeping with the title, "Around the World", I have tried to select a few blogs that are from different locations. People I am tagging:
Eena - California | Eva - Sydney, Australia | Laila - Munich, Germany (although currently on a gap year in South East Asia)

BoA Fraud Team, I Love You.

Well the only exciting part of my week was getting an email from Bank of America telling me that I had suspicious fraudulent activity on my debit card. And I did! There is a first for everything. Someone tried to buy $600 worth of electronics and pay for a $200 hotel. Jokes on them, I only had <$250 on that card and I didn't know banks were watching my transactions that closely. After a 40 minute call to America (hope I didn't spend over my cap amount ...) I will be getting a new debit card to me. It took forever to state the address I currently have and having to spell out Sydney and 'NSW' is weird. I sincerely hope that the card actually gets to me. When it does, I will finally be transferring money out of it and closing it. Originally I didn't want to pay the $50 in fees and I thought I would be doing more shopping on American sites, but after this experience it's just not worth the hassle. Also, the fraudulent activity only happened after I purchased jeans from Aeropostale. Hmm =/ I guess I never paid too much attention to online websites and assumed that they were safe, and never really thought about the work that banks do. You learn something new everyday.

When I was originally speaking to the operator, it felt like this.

N.B I don't know why her voice actually changes in her second and third try. I swear it wasn't like that in the movie.

I hate automated services. The frustrating moment when I was saying "fraud ... fraud.... FRAUD" and it refused to understand me.