A check in and some new things in the works!

Back on January 4th 2016 I wrote this post and highlighted these goals - 

1. To finish my final 5 papers for my final year of study at VUW. I'm enrolled in a paper for summer which starts tomorrow - I'm excited and nervous to get these final 5 papers done. - I don't know what 2017 will bring - uni will be done and I'll be working!?

2. To lose weight, and this isn't a generic "I'll lose weight because it's New Years" thing, I'm serious.

3. To actually push myself creatively - writing blog posts, photographing for my Instagram, making YouTube videos? Actually doing things regularly to get my creative juices flowing.

And the usual New Years Goals:

• have fun, 
• keep growing my nails out, (2015 and prior every year it was hard to stop biting nails, counseling helped on this one!)
• exploring more of the city,
• learning new skills,
• and learning new things.

Well, now for an update - 

1. I've just done both the exams for my first two papers and I'm waiting patiently on the results from those and my course overall.
Oh! And I talked to my course advisor who has said I only need to do 4 papers this year, so the compulsory English 201 paper, then one from English 300-399, one from English 300-329 and another Religion paper... and then I can have a double major for my BA in English Literature and Religious Studies!
And in my exams, yes there were two! I didn't have any anxiety problems, no panic attacks or fear during the exam. I kept calm and got it done. (Go me!)

2. I haven't been doing much actively towards this goal, because of having a possible Morton's Neuroma in my toes diagnosed. I'll write a longer blog post about that later.

3. I've currently got 3 weeks off between exams ending and term 2 starting, so I've signed up to THREE online courses and I hope to upskill myself by doing those. They are in -
- Fashion stylist
-Blogging
-Event Planner

My nails still look awesome, although no photo as the polish needs replacing, my appointment is in a week, so I'll do a post about them later too.

I haven't been exploring more of the city recently at all. I really should do it more.

As for learning - see above with the online courses.

I feel like this post is more of an update kind of one, but that's okay. Sometimes we just need to check in and see how things are going.

Until next week,
XO, Lisa.

SIX YEARS!?

Hello dearest reader,

Can you believe that it was SIX years ago that I wrote and posted my first ever blog post on this blog? Six years! Where does the time go?

Throw back to my first ever blog post.

"SATURDAY, 6 MARCH 2010

Hi everyone, it's Lisa.

Hello to all my readers,
My name is Lisa.
I am a 21 year old female.
I am a Kiwi.
Born and bred in New Zealand.

I am working part-time in a bakery and studying full-time at University.
I love cooking (recipe sharing), dancing (hip hop, jazz, ballet, salsa, tango, ballroom and many others), writing (I am studying English, writing and languages). I also love the internet; Online gaming (Lord of The Rings) etc.

Through my studies I read and write a lot. Many assignments are time consuming. I will see how much blogging I will get done... as well as dancing, singing and partying! Since I am also working too.

Lord of the Rings Online game, I played full time for two years and only gave up on the break-up of a relationship.
Now I am looking at getting a bigger, faster computer. I'm currently running a 4 gig laptop (Asus EEEPC with a 7" screen)... not quite big enough to run any significant games, let alone get music or downloads going on!
But don't worry I am working on saving up for a new laptop with hopefully more space to save stuff, as well as more screen!

Anyway, I will write more soon.
You can also catch me on Twitter; http://twitter.com/listay1 "
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
HOW adorable was that? I was a young 21 year old, freshly moved to Wellington to start university. In a little over a year (May 2017) I'll be finally finishing that degree and graduating!
Anyway, this was just a fun little Throw Back to when I was Younger.

I also want to know what YOU think. I've created a quick survey HERE which shouldn't take too long.  I'd love to hear your FEEDBACK! 

Until next time,
xx, Lisa.

University and College Life Simplified

Back when I was a young first year starting at Victoria University for the first time I had been flatting for about 18 months prior to changing locale and moving to the big smoke of Wellington City. There I met Neil (a great friend even today, 7.5 years on).

Yes, 7.5 years ago I moved to Wellington. Today's post is focused on what I've learned during my time studying and will focus on campus life.
As a side note, I never stayed in a dorm/ hall so I have no idea what they are like.

My top 10 things to know about moving and living the university/college life.

1. You'll meet heaps of new people. Don't worry about making too many friends. I aim to have one or two people in each class I meet through the Tutorials we have to attend. This way I have one or two people I can sit by in the lectures and in the tutorials and actually get to know.
There may be literally hundreds of people in your lectures in first year, so it's crazy to think you'll know all their names at the end of the 12 week course. (Even your professors and tutors don't know everyone's names in that time period!)

2. Think about what you're taking with you to move, now halve it.
You really only need a few things while you're studying: 

a. A place to sleep (aka a bed). I had a mattress on the floor of my flat and did fine. Stack two on top of each other, or seriously invest in a bed base, your spine will thank you for it.

b. a Desk or Table to study at. I honestly used the dining table in one flat.

c. Flatmates or roommates to share the costs. It is very expensive to live alone. Get friends in to help financially. More people generally means the costs will be cheaper, but see what you can handle. I've lived with just the 1 flatmate and in larger places with up to 5 others. My fiance lived in a large house with 9 people in it! (That was too large, too loud and way too dysfunctional for me).

d. A little money and the ability to Budget - Budget really well... 
First take out how much your rent is.
Then your estimated bills (power, internet and cell phone all have monthly charges. Work these out and save up for when the bills come in).
Then anything else: food.
Then save the rest for a Rainy Day Fund,
Then some (if there's any left) for partying, drinking and anything you want for entertainment.

I decided that paying rent, bills and food were my three most important things. Some months I had very little food money left so I would talk to my Student Advisors on campus and pick up a Food Bank Parcel for that month. I didn't go to a movie at the cinema for over two years at one stage, just because I was saving and living pay-check to pay-check. Not ideal. So on that note: Always, Always have a "rainy day fund" stashed away, and for this I do not mean Movie or Coffee or Date Night, I mean for the times you're so sick you need to see a doctor*.

3.  Changes with friendships:
Your old friends from school may leave your life as you move into campus and study mode, and that's okay. Their lives are changing too. They may also be really special and stay around even if you're in separate places and living different lives.

4. You'll grow up.
You'll learn a lot of new things in classes.
You'll also learn to be a functioning adult able to budget and pay bills.
Look at you being all adult and adulting all over the place!

5. You might fall in love. 
Life will be sunshine and rainbows and 24/7 happiness.
It may be a long lasting romance, or a summertime fling.

6. And out of love. 
Or lose someone you were close to.
You soon realise that life is not always sunshine and happiness.

7. You may find a job you're only doing for the pay, or to get to know that cute person better, or to learn new skills. You'll probably have fun there and no adult job after you finish studying will quite be the same. You'll also appreciate how much your family did for you to help get you to where you are now.

8. At the end of your degree you'll look back and wonder what all the fuss was about when you first started. 
Everyone's scared of doing new things.
Everyone's afraid of failure.
You're also not everyone, because you're here and giving it a go, no matter how scared you feel.
Life has up's and down's, and part of college life is learning to embrace them, and learning to accept changes. If you're having a bad time emotionally, please seek the advice of the counsellors available to students on campus*.

9. Everyone started in the same place - Your professors were once first years, nervous and timid on their first day too. Some of them even feel first day jitters even now years and years on. Treat everyone as equal to you. You never know if they will be your future boss, or you could be their future boss! Literally everyone started at the bottom and worked their way up through life to get to where they are today.

10. Encourage your fellow students, and citizens of the city you're in. 
The students at least are feeling the same things you are - homesickness, they're nervous about getting lost, they're scared they will fail the upcoming assignment/ test/ exam... they're scared they're not good enough to be here. Everyone gets these feelings. It's normal.
Over time it gets easier. In the second trimester/semester onwards life on campus got easier. I didn't feel lost, I could (kind of) get my way around campus, and people would ask *me* for directions on the street in town.

* Some campus' have FREE medical services for students. See if your campus offers this. 

Hopefully these 10 points have helped a little. I think this year I'm going to try and write more about self-help type topics as well as keeping up with my usual random ramblings each week. I also want to know what YOU think. I've created a quick survey HERE which shouldn't take too long. 
I'd love to hear your FEEDBACK! 

Until next time,
xx. Lisa.

Photography Theme the Home Office

 I've decided to start a new Theme for each month where I'll have one or two posts (depending on if the month has four or five Mondays) in which I'll fill one or two posts with photography I've more recently done. I will try and stick to a theme or idea for each one, so they are different posts and I'll also try not to recycle images from older posts! 

Challenge is on!

This month for January I am focussing on the Home Office, bearing in mind we moved here about a month ago and I'm still trying to sort a few things - relocate items and so on.

Here goes:

January 2016, Home Office in our rented Mount Cook, Wellington townhouse.

Above: my desk, organisation for pens and stationery as well as photographs of family.

TYPO pencil case (striped) and TYPO A4 note book.
The Owls are from Farmers.

Above: Bookshelf of my favourite books. This one is from the Warehouse, it's a 4 Cubby style one.
You can buy them here.

Above: Owls - sitting on top of the bookshelf the brown wood style two are from Farmers.

The Owl Vase is from TYPO. (No longer in store).

Above: Blinds and curtains. Driveway view isn't so exciting.

Above: Pinboard Photo board, which I've just used thumbtacks to secure photos to. The pinboard and photo on board above it are hung on the wall with 3M Command hooks.

Above: "Daniel's Dinosaur's" Bunting from Trade Me.
And a sea life themed sarong I bought in Fiji (2007).

Hope you enjoyed the small peek into our Home Office. 

Not featured was Dan's desk, or the rest of the top of mine - currently covered in things for my essay that was due on Thursday (Don't worry I got it in on time, the post is just delayed in going live!)

I also didn't photograph things like my calendars as I do not want to share my exact home location with the world!* 

*Or things like when I'll be out at university classes and so on. I try and write my university class review posts (after) I've completed it, so it's a little more secure. 

Until next week,
xx. Lisa.

January is half gone, what?

Hello dearest reader, first up where, oh where has 2016 gone? It feels like yesterday that the new year was just starting and already summer school is a third of the way done! (Closer to half nearly). 

I've completed two of the assignments already and I have three more to go, two of which are essays which I'm not looking forward to so much! That said the assignments so far haven't been too disastrous and I've kept on top of things getting them done on time and handed in quickly. 

We will see how that continues for this year. 

I met with the Wizard aka Kate from the department of Humanities at VUW and she's awesome and said I'm well on my way to seeing a May 2017 graduation. So that's my new aim is to complete these final five papers and get that sorted. I had been told previously that I needed to do a 100 level English Literature paper to make up the 2 points I had been missing; but Kate assured me that this isn't the case! So I can do the three English papers I need for the requirements and then can choose either another English paper of 20 points or I can switch to any 15 point paper. So far I think I'll stick with that English one but I'll reassess how I feel about this at the end of the first trimester, when I've done two of the three required papers.   

Something I love about studying over summer is that there's so few students around which means that there's more car parking available - if only I had a car! - and there's fewer people on campus. The lecture sizes are also smaller and that means more one on one tutor time, or lecturer time. The lecturers and tutors do feel more rushed though as they push a whopping twelve week course into a compact six week course. The downside to this is also that on days like today it is sunshiny and hot out and I'd much rather be at the beach but alas I'm in a classroom (or in my office at home doing homework assignments). I guess it's good though because I won't be getting into and out of study mode so much which means my brain is always switched into study mode and I'm not lazy about references and citations. 

I am nearing the end of all of my study though and I'm kind of facing that I want to just stop studying for a while mode. (Not good!) So hopefully the classes keep my attention long enough to finish everything and things will continue to be good this year. 

Now bring on studylink and funded study.

xx. Until next time, Lisa.

Special Post: PSA Why can a man ask, but a woman is not allowed?

Getting hitched.
Popping the question.
Saying goodbye (forever) to singledom.

However you word it, when someone opens their heart to another person and asks them to be with them it's no small feat. No small question. No small act of love.
It's heart wrenching to do and even worse to hear that you're the "wrong gender to be popping the question to him".

Wait. 

What?!

Why does the tradition of a man asking a woman to be his wife exist?

Has this tradition changed in the modern love story?

For me I have always thought that asking for a woman's hand in marriage was a big deal. Something I dreamt of happening to me. But the negative for me is the asking her father for her hand in marriage. That part of the wedding tradition feels so outdated to me.

Women of the twenty-first century are no longer property for one man to trade to another. 

So for me the discussion with my father is a bit odd.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being too strong about my thoughts and feelings about this.
I haven't talked to my parents (or his Mum for that matter) about my feelings about this part of the marriage tradition. I don't know if I have these feelings about handing over the bride as a possession to be outdated because of my lack of religious faith, or because of my feminism views (which to me is just my everyday life).

After a period of time, there have been more questions about getting engaged too. From friends, family and colleagues. They find out we have been dating for more than three years, and go "sooo, ah, any plans for marriage?" or "where's the ring?" Over time it was hard, we laughed it off or changed the subject. Sometimes we would reply like we do when people ask about child rearing: [laugh and say] "Nah, not for a long time, if ever!" or "Not in this lifetime."

But more recently,  after hitting the four years dating mark... I started to question what we are doing together. Where does he see us in the next two years? Where do I see us in the next two years? I've got a year of study at university to go, as well as about six months study for my ESOL teaching side of things. He's working fulltime and has been for ~ six months longer than we have been together. We have also both been offered potential roles overseas, with open dates for taking them on. It's exciting and another period in our lives of changing things.

Is it time to buy a ring?

Dan was asking recently why do women get two rings for marriage - one for the engagement and one for the marriage ceremony. Men only get one at the marriage ceremony. I don't know why we do engagement rings for women only. It seems sexist, right? Not allowing men to have the same opportunity as a woman?*

It all goes back to tradition apparently. Based on Jewelry stores who tried to continue diamond sales during the 1930's depression (among other times of financial drops of the past). . . As for the tradition of "three months salary for the engagement ring"... yeah, same thing, for jewelry sales.

In fact men's engagement rings have been around since the 1990's or so and increasing in popularity even more so in the past ten or so years. Many jewelers will now stock a range of engagement rings for men as well as the more traditional looking ones with diamonds and so on. 

I call the women's engagement rings more "bling", while the men's ones seem more plain. 

Same deal with wedding rings actually. Although the wedding bands seem to be more plain for both genders.

On the future.

I think it's time for us to buy some rings and ask the question - I see us having a longer relationship lasting into the future. Maybe both of us will ask. Maybe one of us will. 

At the end of the day I am not sure if there even is a one-size-fits-all solution to this dilemma.

* - Sarcasm.

*** Dan and I have been dating since July 2011. ***

Middle of November that means one thing!

I don't know where this year has gone, but I blink and suddenly it's the middle of November. Which means Spring has sprung, even though it's a bit chilly today. The house hunting has begun (our tenancy ends in January)... and it's another day closer to Christmas!

I was online earlier and saw that ASOS has an awesomely cute selection of things for Christmas this year:

Like Lady Pug socks,
a cupcake shower cap (which I would totally rock, just sayin')
some scented coloured pens which reminded me of the 1990's...
this Pug stress ball...look at its face; now squish it!
a quote mug "every day is an adventure"... indeed it should be.
and on the note of hot beverages: this "happiness lie within" travel mug.

Even though Christmas for us Kiwi's means BBQs on the beach and sunbathing in bikinis, playing cricket on the sand... and all things summery, for some reason I've become obsessed with the idea of Christmas Sweaters, it's a largely American tradition I think, and completely inappropriate for a Kiwi Summer Christmas.

So here's a few things I've found which bring on the Christmas Sweater vibes without bringing out the sunstroke for the already overheating folks. (wink).

This Christmas Jumper iPhone 5 case,
These Nail stickers which have various patterns relating to Christmas sweaters...

My sister Rosie recently asked me about what makes me think of Summer - I said, BBQs on the beach, sunbathing, cricket and playing on the beach, ... Just enjoying the warm weather and sunshine... But I guess another thing entirely that reminds me of summer is inflatable objects, like these inflatable Candy canes and pool toys like these: Giant Pizza slice anyone? How about an iced donut? Closer to home Glassons NZ also have Pool floats available too such as this Unicorn and this Dinosaur.

From the Warehouse I found this adorable Lotus float which is like a night light for outside, in the pool or pond?

The hair ties in this set, I am OBSESSED with. Just love them. They're a piece of wide elastic. They secure my hair super well too. It's fine and hard to tie back especially after it's freshly washed. I use one or two of these hair ties and I'm good for the day.
And honestly who doesn't like wearing temporary tattoos in the summertime too? I am loving the shimmery shiney golden and silver ones. I am so thankful they are back in fashion again!

Go check out the ASOS Christmas site here. (Their normal site is here.)
***This is not a sponsored post, all views are entirely my own.

November madness, writing 50,000 words and a Conference!

So for the month of November I have accepted the challenge of writing a grand total of 50,000 words, and in the process creating that into a novel. I've decided to write a kind of half memoir, half journal for each day of the month. The expected output is 1,667 words per day, although on the first day I only wrote 963, so I will need to write more to compensate.
Each day you can update your stats yourself.

National Novel Writing Month:  NaNoWriMo

I chose to make the title: "My Life Story in 50,000 words Lisa Taylor: a journal and memoir" as I think it accurately reflects the kind of story I want to put across. Not everything I write is the whole truth, some has been edited to allow for a flair of writing as well as to protect the privacy of those I have written about or for.
At the end of the month I will share the novel in full and may look into publishing.
It may be posted later on, in part at least, on this blog after further editing.


In a week or so it is also the NZ Skeptics Conference in Christchurch. There is still time to buy tickets if you haven't already! Jump online here for tickets and more information about speakers and accommodation.

Thankfully, we have a flatmate who will be home while we are away for a few days in Christchurch. 

Social Media updates and exciting new ventures.

So, so, much has changed in the past two weeks. 

To be honest it's a bit overwhelming how much life changes; for the better. 

First of all I dusted off my camcorder and started filming a few things for my YouTube channel. You can see the latest things here; Lisa Taylor's YouTube... and on that note - started talking to more local YouTubers on Facebook - slowly gaining followers, can only hope to grow more by recording more and furthering my own skills in editing, recording etcetera.

I see a lot of the local YouTuber's seem to solely do YouTube...
I'm still happy to have Pinterest, Instagram, this blog and Facebook going on. I created a page on Facebook for the Blog and YouTube updates - I'm thinking that I should really make it include the other social media stuff too: instagram, twitter and Snap Chat too. Just literally downloaded Snap Chat again, and I'm really unsure on that app!

Outside of Social Media: I'm teaching more, I have four adult students now. They are all from South Korea which is interesting. Mostly I've taught South Korean's here and a few Chinese people too.

I'm on a break for the year from university. It's exams right now, and I was clever enough to choose a paper which was all internal. I'm waiting on my final essay's grade which should be out by the time the Summer Semester begins.

Over Summer - after Christmas (so January and February), I'll be going crazy with Summer Shakespeare where I'm the Front of House Manager** - no pressure! The team -including me- was featured in Victorious the VUW alumni magazine recently - you can see that article and photo here. Was an awesomely fun photoshoot, and new for me- normally I'm on the other side of the camera and taking videos and such, so it was nice to play Model for an afternoon!

Just have to invoke my inner Queen Bee (Beyonce too!).

In a few weeks I'll be down to the Skeptics Conference again - 

Christchurch you'd better be ready for us! 

I'll be there for a few days with Dan and the local skeptics doing the conference talks 

and recording the podcast... 

IF I remember I'll also film some stuff to upload when we get back.

Music that has me singing along:

Adele's Hello! (2015)
Britney's Work B*  (2013).

Movies I love: 

The Minions movie (2015)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Harry Potter - all of them (2001-2011)

Don't care that this is also from 2013: Selena's song Come and Get It 

- always makes me dance and sing along!
Also reminds me (fond memories) of working at a job I had for a few weeks when this song first came out and we played it in the store every day, super loud. 

One good thing about having a bit of time off before the craziness of Summer Shakespeare begins, means I have more time to catch up with and see friends...

So friends (yes this is me being my usual dorky, awkward self):  

It also means that YES I'm heading home to Taranaki for Christmas - see you soon New Plymouth!


**NOTE: This is the same page used every year, so in 2016 it will change to the next play for shows in February of the following year. Show dates for Love's Labours Lost are for February 2016.

27 things to do when you're 27

Tomorrow I'll be turning 27 and I remember reading an article about a year ago someone wrote on the "27 things you're meant to do by age 27" or something, and the internet went into an uproar about the suggestions because it was like - don't listen to boy bands when you're over 27... and only wear, do and say certain things.

Well in response there was a pile of awesome bloggers (and others) who replied: Screw you and your thoughts, here's what we have to say! 

Here are my own 27 things while I'm 27, that I hope to accomplish in this year:

1. Continue with my education:
Get my degree.
Seek out the best ESOL teaching training options, and pursue them!

2. On Love:
Get engaged? Get married? Have fun with Dan.
Be smart about what to say when someone asks when you're getting married - it's very personal.

3. Be in the moment... 
Too often I'm busy, busy, busy and too hectic to just be.

4. See more of the world, and the beautiful country I live in. 
Go exploring in a new (to me) part of town. Take photographs and get awesome memories in the process (to later share some on here and Instagram too).

5. Use Sunscreen. 
Skin Cancer in my family means I'm already at a higher risk for it than I'd like.
Use the proper SPF stuff.

6. Stop worrying about what anyone else thinks of you, just what you think of you. Who cares if you buy your clothes on sales, or from the bargain section of the shop?

7. Get more of my university assignments in, on time. Being on time is a great skill to have too.

8. To learn how to appreciate being alone. To think. Plan. Make my own path for the future.

9. On saying No when you really don't want to (or can't) do something.
This is something I've been working on. I find it easier now to say no, but then the guilt gets me. I need to work on losing that guilty feeling (like I'm letting someone down by saying No.)

10. Update my Instagram / social media accounts more. But don't let it become an obsessive need to do it. Weekly updates are probably best.
And to post my blog posts onto my Facebook page each Monday when they're published here too.

11. Have more time with Friends. We're all so busy all the time with work, school, and other commitments that we barely see each other for months on end. (Crazy!)
I'm going to be trying to meet up with a couple of friends for walks/ swims and chats more often.

12. Learning a new skill. I've been working on teaching ESOL for a few years now and I'm still learning constantly. I teach one on one, so those kinds of lesson set ups with a student don't scare me. (They used to!) ... whereas I'm still not 100% in the way I teach, so I'm learning to be more perceptive of how my student learns and adapting my teaching style to them.

13. On food: 
Learn how to cook a signature dish. Mine just might be couscous. A year or so back Dan admitted to me that he couldn't stand rice. One evening I decided to try making couscous and we both love it. I've learned over time that couscous needs more flavour so adding some cumin and butter is awesome.

14. On fashion: 
I'm no fashionista! Generally I wear clothes that are comfortable. I'm not into fashion or the latest runway styles. I have my usual grab and go set that I wear often (I'm looking at you leggings!)... Recently I bought a crop top, so I am keen to learn how to wear that. It's striped white and black. If anyone has tips - leave me a comment.

15. Find, follow, and comment on other people's blogs. 
I recently found Helene in Between on BlogLovin'.
BlogLovin' also has a great email newsletter which puts you in touch with other blogs you may like. I've been subscribed to the main email list for a while, and love it.

16. Use protection: 
If you're like me and don't want a baby now, then use protection. I have my copper IUD in still, but there's lots of other options out there.

17. Figure out your finances:
Student loan? Yeah, and it's not pretty. ~$45,000 owing on mine*.
The good news is though, that I have no other debts. No credit cards and no overdraft. 
I had a $500 overdraft, with my bank and paid it off quickly. I also cut off that feature so I can't go into more debt again.
And just as I set myself a goal to aim for: to buy myself a tablet (to use for teaching, as well as University study...) and then I realise - fully upset now - about how close it is to Christmas.
This year is the final one I'll be having at home with my family; Next year (2016) is all about studying and saving hard to afford TESOL studies in 2017... before moving overseas! (late 2017 / early 2018).
*I haven't finished my studies either, so I have a little more which will go on there in the next 18 months. 

18. Creating a more homely home:
Keeping on top of my chores better, not letting washing pile up, or dishes take over the tiny kitchen.

19. Professional, in attire and in personality:
This is a current gap in my wardrobe, I dress relatively smart casual (so I think anyway?) So I have a distinct lack of black nice trousers and such for interviews and more business attire in general.

20. Making my health a priority: Up until I turned 25 I was biting my nails and making a right mess of my hands. It effected my self esteem and my feelings of worth.
Now I'd like to work on myself as a whole - eating well, drinking more water and just generally taking care of myself better. Since being diagnosed with Asthma at 21, I've let it be an excuse for my bad weight and health choices. I can exercise. I am lazy; I need people to support me in my fitness goals.
I am not trying to lose weight per se, but to become overall more healthy.

21. Facing things head on: If there's something difficult in the way, to face it like an adult and accept that things may be difficult. It's only a challenge for the moment. It won't last forever.

22. On music: 
Listen to whatever makes you feel something (it could make you dance and be happy, or cry...)

23. There's always a lesson to be learned: No matter what life throws your way, there's always something you can learn from the good, the bad or the ugly that comes your way.
Use these lessons in positive ways.


#24 credit

25. Stand aside from those who do not agree with you and your views. Embrace the whole "agree to disagree" vibe of life. 

  #25 credit.

26. Stop comparing yourself to others. 

The Jones' aren't at the same stage of their life as you are, and that's okay. 

Your life is not their life (and vice versa).

Life in the moment and just learn to be.

27. Be yourself.

Stop being ashamed of who and how you are. Embrace your quirks. 

You're you and your friends and family love you for being you. 

The Gold Coast Australia Trip Part Two

So last week I shared some of things we got up to in the Gold Coast back in July, this week I've written more about our trip: Shopping, photographs and fun times. I also do a bit of a review of the places we went and what I recommend to do when you're in Surfer's Paradise and Chevron Island (Gold Coast).

Shopping?

Pacific Fair: 
Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5:30pm, Sunday open 10am to 4pm.
To get there? Use the G:Link (it is the last stop) or one of the public transport buses (check this website for timetable and journey planner). Located on Hooker Boulevard.
Lots of shops here too ~ from food and beverage outlets in the food court,  Kmart, Myer and a wide variety of clothing and shoe shops, to Smiggle and a surprising amount of chemists!

Beach front Markets: Along the Esplanade by the waterfront.
Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday between 4pm and 8pm, during summer the hours are longer, I think it closes at 10pm? Beachfront Markets site for information

Cavill Ave ~ One of the main streets through Surfer's Paradise. We found a variety of food and beverages along here. During Schoolies it's worth skipping the area though due to the crime rate increasing.

Paradise shopping centre: 
Open every day 9am to 10pm. Located on Cavill Ave.
Lots of shops in here from clothing, to food and beverages and even a Build a Bear workshop! (When we were there in July they had Minions stocked too).
Another highlight is this cute Photography place just outside ~ didn't get pictures this time, but definitely want to in the future.
Vodafone was my stop for my sim card for my phone. There's a number of mobile stockists all near each other so it's personal choice which to use. I just know Vodafone works with my phone so I went with them.
Dan and I also bought bags from Strandbags - he needed a carry on suitcase, and I needed (Okay wanted) a handbag. Both were on sale. (Score!)
You can find more of the shops and info here: Paradise Centre

Activities and things to do?

Infinity: 
***Warning: a few semi-spoilers:
Open daily 10am to 10pm. An optical illusions extreme journey, through 20 areas of insanity. In a couple of rooms I felt like I just needed to get out of *right now*, filled with an infinite space of mirrors ~ inside the computer themed room ~ (floor, ceiling and all four walls) as well as being a maze like space... combined with not being able to find the door and feeling unbalanced about it all wasn't a good feeling - I managed to stop the panic attack but yeah, it's crazy! It took another couple of hours to have my stomach settle after we had left. (Definitely not so fun for me).  It's well worth doing once, but it isn't something I will do again because of how I felt afterwards, Dan said he'd do it again though.

One room has a wobbly floor (there's an option to go around this one though if you're uncomfortable with uneven floors and the signs do warn you so you can take another path), as well as plenty of very trippy and extreme areas.
One area has a Fog Machine - so be aware you may need to walk through quickly like I did as it's hot and a little too humid and it started to effect my asthma. I wasn't so happy with the strobe light area too - felt dizzy after a short time, so be wary of the warnings and walk through areas quickly if you're feeling off about them. There's some good "scary dark" areas too, nothing is too freaky and even I was okay with it.

Tickets for adults are $26.90,  kids are $17.90, seniors are $19.90 and family passes (2 adults and 2 kids) are $72.90. Visit their Website for the exclusions and warnings: there's also a lot of strobe lights, and other light tricks, so avoid Infinity altogether if you're sensitive to flashing lights. 

Infinity is NOT disability friendly with stairs and dark spaces, you need to be in good health and fitness to go through. No photography and you can't take bags in, but they offer a "secure" space for bags to go behind their counter. You have to wear white sock things over your shoes and white goofy gloves that look like Mickey Mouse gloves.

There is also a photograph spot where they take a photo of you, which you can purchase if you choose. When we went through we accidently/on-purpose photo-bombed another groups one, which neither group ended up buying! hehe.

Q1 aka the Skypoint Observation Deck: Great views over the city and local beaches. Option to do a Sky Walk around the exterior of the building, we didn't do this, but we did see others do it above the viewing level we were on. There is a cafe for food and drink in the observation level too, although we didn't use it. There are no glass floors to walk on - I was a bit disappointed about this, but the building is not really set up for that kind of experience.
Tickets are $22/$29 for adults depending if you want one or two entries, kids entry (one day) is $13 and seniors (one day) is $18. Visit their Website for more information.

Wyndham Cruises: We went on the afternoon cruise, $29 per person (it was cheaper with a voucher through Experience Oz so we got it down to $19 per person (lots of cool things on the site for various tourist attractions for cheaper). We had a platter of food too, and complimentary water. There was also a bar where you could buy drinks as well as alcohol. Lots of the photos I've added to the end of this post were taken from this cruise.

Departs at 3pm and is back to the wharf around 4:30pm.
The crew is efficient and give a good tour with a funny commentary along the way.

There is two levels on the boat so you can be inside in the air conditioned cabin area, or up on the roof deck. We spent half the cruise in each area and if it's warm and sunny definitely head up to the roof deck level!

Pros: There is a LOT of photography opportunities as well as dreaming about the million dollar homes you pass. (70% of which are not lived in full time!) When we went through there were more than 5 sections, and around 6 homes for sale.
Cons: The food platters were plain, but the rest of the cruise made up for our initial disappointment with the food (crackers, and crusty bread with cheese, two kinds of spread and some nuts).

Australia Zoo - just an hour north of Brisbane. (Aka the home of Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter).
We visited Australia Zoo on a warm day.

Bindi's Island is quite cute - entry is through a pirate ship, and you can see snakes and a snapping turtle, in her new three storied tree house, which overlooks more of the zoo.

Wear good sneakers as the zoo is huge and you will do a LOT of walking. There is a train shuttle ride you can purchase too - we didn't. There is also wheelchair access and it's disability friendly, it is very accessible with wheelchairs and prams. The zoo is spread out over a large area so you'll be tired at the end of your day there!

Tickets for adults (15+) are $59 per person, kids (3-14) are $35, seniors and students $49 each. More information is on the Zoo website.

We did a transfer to get there from through Experience Oz which was $65 per person. We worked out that it was cheaper for us to just do the transfer to/from the zoo and our resort, and purchase the zoo tickets at the zoo.

One of our highlights was getting a photo with the Tortoise:

The zoo keeper assured us that if the gates were 'accidently left open' the Tortoises would take a good hour to hour and a half to actually notice the open gates and get to freedom! LOL.

They're such large, majestic creatures but man they move slowly.

Comparison to me at Melbourne Zoo about 2 years prior. I love Turtles and Tortoises...

Below: 

Photos from the Cruise; 

Waiting for the cruise to start on the jetty...

Dan with the complementary food.

On board, waiting to depart from the dock.

Dan on the top deck of the cruise boat.

Photography going off...

The dress with the lace inserts.

Chevron Island bridge between Chevron Island and Surfer's Paradise main shopping area.

Us at the Q1 Skydeck...

The hair ties I swear by:

These are so, so good and

they don't leave that annoying kink in the hair when you wear a pony tail all day... 

Glassons NZ also sell them (they're currently on sale, so may not be available for much longer).

Dan with our cocktail we had with lunch, fresh berries with lemonade and vodka. Yum!

Flowers on Chevron Island... 

****I was not paid to advertise any of the services in this post,  I am just writing my opinion/s on them.****

The Gold Coast Australia Trip Part One

So back in July, Dan and I travelled across to the Gold Coast for a 10 day trip.
The trip was to celebrate our 4 year anniversary together.

Highlights of the trip?

Paradise Isles:
We stayed at Paradise Isles on Chevron Island, Surfers Paradise - the Manager Diane Fowler was a pleasure to deal with. She went out of her way to help us. The apartment we had was nice. A simple layout with an open plan kitchen/dining and living room all in one, with a queen sized bedroom and a well proportioned bathroom complete with a full laundry. No bath in our apartment, and not sure if there are any in the others. Considering it was school holidays and the place was fully booked, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we didn't have any issues with noise or anything. Close enough location to walk into Surfers Paradise and surrounding area. The Thomas Drive shops just up the road (within a 5 minute walk) were well explored by us - we ate takeaways / in restaurants every night, even though we had a full kitchen in our apartment! The resort also has a well fenced pool and spa area, with a BBQ - We didn't use them though. (Open 7am to 9pm). The Gold Coast Marathon was also on the weekend we arrived, and so some streets were closed, but if you're walking it didn't matter so much.

It was a pity the bus company the resort uses for airport transfers didn't have our flight time - so we ended up using an UBER driver to take us. Diane is in talks with the bus company about this to allow for early flights to NZ to be able to use their services in future so watch this space! ~ A taxi from the airport to/from Chevron Island will cost around $70 one way. This trip is around $45 one way through UBER. Local bus companies also do airport transfers.

The Pizza shop on Chevron Island: Milanos Pizza was really, really good. Definitely go there! We had dinner from there twice. They have awesome deals for a pizza with a garlic bread and soft drink for $19 (or $21 depending on which pizza flavour you choose). We had one of each deal while we were there. One pizza deal is large enough for 2 adults.

Chevron Island Village - the location of the resort, has it's own website too, although it's a little old and not regularly updated.

Travel options?

GoCard: 
(Thanks goes to Alice my friend from Brisbane who suggested this to us.) Buy a GoCard from a 7-11 and save on public transport. You can use the card on public transport - buses, trains and the new G:link tram. The G:link tram is smooth and we used it to go to and from Pacific Fair for a shopping trip the day before we flew back to Wellington. The bus is super easy too just remember to touch the GoCard on and off when you board/disembark.
You can top up your GoCard from any 7-11 or at the tram stations or onboard with the bus driver - just talk to the driver for how to do it. We topped up at 7-11 since we didn't know how to use the tram station top up, the machine isn't totally clear for how to do it, so maybe ask a local or just go to a 7-11. Also at the end of your trip you can return your GoCard to a local Information kiosk and get the credit off it refunded to you - sadly we couldn't do this as we used it literally until the last minute before our flight.

UBER travel app:
(Thanks to Ranee's friend who suggested we try UBER when we weren't sure how to get home at the end of her party.)
If you sign up to UBER use my code. It gives you a free ride (valued up to $25). Dan and I used UBER twice, the first time we were travelling around midnight from a friend's birthday (house) party, and it was good. Although I wasn't fussed on the driver, so I didn't enjoy it as much. Our second trip out to the airport was much more enjoyable. If you're into just sitting and listening to music you can do that, or you can talk as much as you like with the driver. Seeing as our airport trip was super early in the morning and we'd chosen to stay up all night (rather than sleeping for 3 hours), we were quite tired so we didn't talk so much.
The driver will also have GPS through the app so it shows where you're up to in the trip - you can see it on the drivers phone as well as on your own with the app open. It's quite easy to use the app, just pop in your pick-up location and where you want to go and it shows nearby drivers close to where your pick-up is, they can then decide to accept your trip. The first driver to accept you will be your driver.
When a driver picks you to pick up it shows you (through the app) their name and photo and gives their vehicle type and registration plate. To me this is safer than a taxi - you don't have any of their info until you're in the car. The payment is directly from your credit card - much easier to deal with than money.
For your first trip - tell the driver and they can give other discount codes too.
Here are the app links: Android and Apple iOS.
UBER is a worldwide taxi like travel app for drivers to pick up 'riders'. At the end of the trip you can rate the driver/ the driver rates the rider/s I suggest giving good feedback unless there's a massive issue. Failure to rate (highly) means the app will cease to work for you in future (eg. if your ratings are low you will be declined by all drivers and the app will be removed  for use by you, in the future).

****I was not paid to advertise any of the services in this post,  I am just writing my opinion/s on them.****

Modesty and the lace instillation into the floral dress.

Lately I've been thinking about modesty, how much skin I'm showing and what I'm showing. I'm in my final 18 months of university now and I've been thinking about how I want to be seen when I've graduated. I'm going into teaching and my course will take a further year of study after I've completed my BA. Of course teaching means I'll need to dress even more modestly than I do now. 

I bought this purple floral dress two years ago and wore it to my cousin's wedding. It was nice and it's knee length. However the cut outs along the top of the dress - especially the front showed a lot more boob than I was happy with. I wore a corset under it, not knowing how much worse this made the boob showing situation! (Urgh! Fashion horrors of the past!)

Thankfully I've learned the lesson. 

Recently I re-found my blue petticoat which I wasn't wearing as much - so I removed the lace trim off the lower hem of it and re-purposed it into the cut outs on the dress.

I've simply hand stitched them into place, and no stitches can be seen on the front or back material. Nicely done! I'm very happy with how it's turned out and impressed at my sewing ability. I've improved a lot since learning as a girl guide all those years ago. 

Following are some photos of the dress and of me wearing it.

New lace inserts sewn into place. (above and below).

The original cut outs along the back of the dress. (below).

I think I'll also wear this with a small cardy over it, so I'm not showing my shoulders so much. 

It's also a little cool at the moment to wear it, since we're heading into winter. 

I've been wearing longer sleeves and more layers recently. 

No quote this week, just more of my pondering about the term Modesty and what it means.

modesty

/ˈmɒd ə sti/ 

noun, plural modesties.

1.

the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.

2.

regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

3.

simplicity; moderation.