Just some things I'm really proud of...

This week I have been thinking about the things I'm proud of and I came to the conclusion that I don't just have one thing, so here's my round up of things I'm proud of...

In no particular order -

1. Proposing to Daniel my darling fiance and husband to be. And reaching our 5 year anniversary is another thing I'm proud of too! It's the longest relationship either of us have had and we have both grown a lot in the past 5 years. I'm really proud of what Dan has achieved with work, travel (for work and with me) and just being together.

The ring is engraved and says "Will you marry me?"

He said Yes!

Here we are with our flatmate Loren - photographed by Gareth from Duo Photography -

2. Making a future for myself and sticking with study, even through the tough times, illness and failures. Everything has helped build me up to be the woman I am today. 

In under six months I'll be all done with study and exams... And in less than a year I'll be walking across the stage at Graduation!

3. My nails - just having long nails and going to see my nail lady Serenity every month - has filled me with pride. I used to be a chronic nail biter from anxiety.  

 

4. Furthering my skills through online courses and courses from the university - just creating a better future for myself. To be doing what I love and learning lots every chance I get is amazing.
Recently I completed a few courses over the break from uni with Shaw Academy for Blogging and Content Marketing; learning how to be a Celebrity Fashion Stylist and Event Planning courses through Skill Success.
These cheaply found courses online have helped me to develop skills I didn't know I had to make me a more employable person. I've decided that Fashion Styling isn't for me, but the skills I've gained in learning how to tape shoes and such skills I've learned from these courses may be beneficial in future.

5. Working through my Anxiety and Depression and finding an awesome counsellor and doctor who helped me work through and learn techniques to help me control my panic attacks and keep calmer in exams. I must be doing a great job of it because I sat two exams recently without fear and without having any panicky feelings. So I'm really proud of myself for pushing through the tough times and persevering! I'm also really thankful and grateful for Daniel sticking by me throughout all these times, the good and the bad.

6. Having friends, family and flatmates who are there for me when I need them, and when they need me. They know who they are.

Until next week,
xo, Lisa.

Life, foot problems and University

This week's blog isn't as happy as normal and that's because I'm trying to view the world through rose tinted glasses after receiving some bad news last week from my doctor. As always I'm trying to see the positives and thinking this is just a test on my patience and I'm learning that while I may be down with the pain, I'm definitely not out - and it doesn't help my study so much... Got to do what I have to do though to get through.

I'd been having foot pain for about a week and I'd been complaining about it a whole bunch when Dan suggested I see my doctor and get it checked out. So I did.

There's a high likelihood I have something called a Morton's Neuroma it's a benign (non-cancerous) growth in the nerve of the toe. In my case it's in my second and third toes on my right foot.

Now I'm on a bunch of pain meds and I've been having a hard time remembering to take them every 4-6 hours because as long as I'm busy with my essay and sitting still I don't feel the pain in my foot.
More to the point it's toe pain near the ball of my foot; it feels like I have a small stone or pebble in my shoe, even in bare feet! So yeah. It's not fun.

I have my toes buddy taped together in the hopes of preventing the V sign from getting worse. It's where the nerve is pushing my toes apart so they get more of a split between them. Normally toes sit nicely side by side, mine however have decided they really don't want to be friends any more and have split into a V shape.

Today I have to call and make an appointment for an ultrasound to be done to determine (if they can spot it on the scan) if it is a Morton's Neuroma. There's also a chance it won't be seen on the screen. Sometimes, especially if they're smaller, they can't get spotted easily. Obviously I'm hoping it is big enough to be seen.

The pain may have been happening for only 10 days or so at this stage, but it's enough for me to realise just how much we use our feet and rely on things not to hurt!

Daniel was really lovely and took me shoe shopping on Saturday so I have a second pair of sneakers to wear. All of last week I had to wear my bright (neon) coral sneakers as I couldn't wear my flat black cheap (chuck taylor type) kicks.

I've also worn leggings nearly every day too as it's easier than dresses when paired with sneakers. I also have been clever and just go to uni for as long as my lectures are on, then back home on the bus, and then back up again for tutorials. I try and keep walking to a minimum to help minimise the pain. Really, really bad for my fitness levels and I think I'm getting fatter, but I have to do what I have to... Otherwise the foot pain is too severe and I can definitely feel when I've walked far the next day!

If anyone has any advice about Morton's Neuroma pain and recovery... I'd appreciate the feedback. From what I've read online the past few days - the end result will be surgery after some time. However initially it looks like shoe inserts, taping the foot and toes ... and other such measures will be used first.

If you can give me advice on how to fashion sneakers better - I'd love some help and advice.
So far I've been wearing leggings, with a long top and something like a coat or long jersey over top with sneakers on my feet.

Top 26 places of things to do and see in Taranaki, New Zealand

This week I decided to take on the A-Z challenge and decided to focus on Taranaki, New Zealand.
Here's my top 26 things to do and see in Taranaki:

Americarna - a yearly car festival celebrating American cars.

Beauden Barrett and Waisake Naholo and a number of other Taranaki players have gone on to become All Blacks (in the National rugby team).

Centre City - the main only shopping mall in New Plymouth.

Dawson Falls - a sweet waterfall on Mount Egmont/Taranaki, you can access it by following these directions.

Egmont Village - a quiet little village, with spectacular views of the Mountain, situated perfectly between New Plymouth and Inglewood, and Bell Block, it's where my family live. The local primary school pool is a popular hangout in the summertime.

Francis Douglas - the local Catholic boys high school and where Daniel went to high school.

Gables - an old hospital in Brookland's Park, the location of my parent's wedding photos - funnily enough their wedding photos were used by the local Police in order to find the missing light's which featured in their wedding photos.

Home - it's where both mine and Daniel's families come from; we both grew up there.

Inglewood - a sleepy little town where an aunt and uncle and a number of my cousins live, about 20 minutes from New Plymouth.

Jewellery shopping from one of the many boutique jewellers in New Plymouth, or head further afield to Dalgleish in the city, or Silverado in Hawera.

Kawaroa Pools and Park - the location of the New Plymouth Todd Energy Aquatic Centre. Be mindful of trains in the area as the train track is used (daily) by trains ferrying goods to and from the nearby Port Taranaki.

Lucy's Gully - a romantic bush walk which is picture perfect, with views over the city and sea; It happened to also be the scene of a murder in 2007. For directions to Lucy's Gully click here.

Mangorei Road - where you can see sweet views of the city and sea at one end and the mountain at the other.

New Plymouth - the main metropolis of Taranaki. Population of 68,901.

Oakura - a surfer's haven and township, just south of New Plymouth.

Pukekura Park - the botanical garden of New Plymouth. Fun fact: I used to live in the Curator's Cottage at 25 Victoria Road.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Royal Visit of 1954 -

"I was a young school teacher and a cub leader in Hawera…. 

the streets chosen [for the visit] had some very unsightly and the powers that be who arrange these things

 decided something had to be done to cover these sights from royal eyes.

 Every school child set about making paper flowers in red, white and blue crepe paper. 

These were gathered and hung on these."  -  Judith Foy

For more about the Royal's 1953 - 1954 visit you can go to this website.

Rewa Rewa Bridge - the location of the Proposal/where we got engaged. It's a bridge on the Coastal Walkway. For directions go here.

Spotswood College - where I went to high school.

Taranaki - the only region where you can Surf and Ski in one day! Mount Egmont/Taranaki and surf at Oakura.

Urenui - a sweet little coastal town in Taranaki.

Valley "The Valley" - with lots of Outlet style stores and a large supermarket make it a popular shopping destination.

Walkways - there are many in the city and include the amazing 12.7km long Coastal Walkway.

X-perience - the Forgotten World Highway. Take the scenic route from Stratford to the border of Taranaki; Grab a bite to eat and a beer at the pub/hotel at the Republic of Whangamomona.

York Loop Track - for directions visit here.

Zoo (at Brooklands Park) - where you can visit and see many kinds of animals.

Let me know in the comments if there's anywhere you'd like to visit, or see... In a few weeks I'm going to do the Wellington version of this with an A-Z of Wellington. 

Until next week, 

xo Lisa.

Photography and photo shoots

So this past week has been awesome, with preparing a bunch of stuff for our engagement party...
The past two weekends we have been getting photo shoots under way. Daniel was in charge of booking a photographer to take our engagement portraits and stuff... and we just got everything organised with that and waiting on the venue... and then I get a phone call saying I had won a free photo shoot and three complimentary 5x7" photos (from the Wellington Women's Expo we had gone to earlier in the year/late last year). So of course we couldn't say no to a free $249 photo shoot! Fast forward - we get the free shoot done of us as a couple, and had a number of extras taken of us with Loren and Thomas, our flatmates. Such a fun time!

Here are some behind the scene's shots that I took on my phone, so please excuse the quality.

You can see the mobile studio backdrop, lighting gear and such too.
We moved all the lounge furniture and positioned everything.
With the studio lights and professional camera the light from the window isn't seen.

Hero pose.

Dan modelling for Hallensteins? hehe.

Behind the scenes setting up the camera and stuff

Dan with his Bug-assault rifle - getting directions from Gareth.

Dan sniping bugs.

Gareth snapping away and Dan being a model...

The photographer for this shoot was Gareth from Duo Photography.
He was really fun to work with and put us all at ease being in front of the camera.

At the end of the shoot we booked a time for Gareth to come back and show us the photos, so on Monday evening at 7:30pm we sat with Loren and looked through all the photos in a huge slide show. Duo are pretty neat in that they create a video slide show - we didn't purchase this as we just wanted a number of digital files of our photos. We ended up getting a deal from Gareth - 18 for the price of 10 plus the 3 free prints and he threw in a few extras; since we couldn't whittle down the choices much more!

These following images are some throw back images - Dan and I on the waterfront with my Asahi Pentax K1000 film camera...

Our second photo shoot was with David from Von Photography - this was the engagement shoot package for $99 it's for an hour shooting, and has a set of 20 digital images at the end.

We hired the Dome at BATS Theatre as the venue - I volunteer as an Usher there so it made sense to come and play around on the stage area! The Dome is a large space, with a matte black floor, amazing white columns on the walls,
We had plenty of fun playing with shadows from the lights that David bought with him, and the Dome, then a few sneaky stairs shots.

I really enjoyed this photo-shoot because David made us totally relaxed in front of the camera - we even got a few public displays of affection shots - kissing and holding hands!

My favourite shot so far - us on the stairs, with our D and L letters on the windowsill.

David was lovely and took this on my new Polaroid camera (from Dick Smith for $77.40).

More shots from the day...

Us holding hands.

Oh do you see that? Hot damn gurl! my manicure from Serenity at Absolute Therapy looks amazing!

Until next week, 

xo, Lisa.

Volunteering - skills for life

This week it is Student Volunteer's Week: 11-17 April.

Image credit: Volunteering NZ

I saw an advert on Victoria Plus asking people to make contact if they wouldn't mind doing an interview for Student Volunteer's Week through Volunteering New Zealand. I thought I would sign up to do it and then I thought well, why don't I write a blog post at the same time - about what I've been doing and how awesome volunteering is?

Throughout my time at Victoria University I signed up to Vic Plus, it's an award and certificate system that recognises student leadership and volunteering. I've really enjoyed the opportunities I've been given to excel in my areas of expertise, and developing skills I didn't really have before. You can sign up to and learn more about Vic Plus here.

One part of the programme is developing skills through personal and professional sessions and this helps the student to transition from study into paid work. Some of the workshops I've done through the Vic Plus programme cover things like how to write a kick-ass cover letter and curriculum vitae, and how to really nail an interview and get the job!

The second part is based around volunteering and giving back to the community.

Through my time doing Vic Plus I've done a range of things from charity letterbox drops for fliers as a one off day with my sister; volunteering long term as an usher, fire warden and ticket taker at BATS Theatre (just passed three years!); helping to man the stalls for Vic Plus at Club's Week 2016; and a range of other things on campus like Class Rep for my classes (for a trimester for each paper) and being on the FHSS Faculty board as a student rep (for one year).

Part three of the Vic Plus programme is writing an E-Portfolio, I am doing this step now. This is a place where the student reflects on what they have been doing, what they have learned and what they can take away from the experiences they have been doing.

Through being Class Rep and Faculty representative I've worked closely alongside VUWSA (the student association at VUW) and a large number of fellow students. The Class Rep acts as a voice between the students of the class and the lecturers and the school. They have training from VUWSA and that includes free pizza! And then at the end of the trimesters they also meet with the department and talk about the issues raised by students. The more the Class Reps put in the more they get out of it. In my first trimester I impressed the head of school of English so much that he offered me a PhD position when I get to that level... Needless to say that is no longer in my plans. But still pretty awesome!

Through my volunteer ushering, fire-warden-ing and ticket taking role (I wear many hats at once) at BATS I've learned to multi-task and prioritise things. I've also developed more confidence with talking to strangers and public speaking in general. I still have a few (rare) moments of worry like when a siren is in the sound effects of a show (and I think it's the real alarms going off!)

I am currently working really closely with the Box Office staff each night - we also communicate via radios and I help to ensure that the audience is kept happy and safe within the space.

Because of my love of theatre and box office assistance at BATS - I decided to take on the role of volunteer Front of House Manager for Summer Shakespeare, where I took on full responsibility for all of the Box Office area - from selling tickets, to training fellow Vic Plus volunteers and other community volunteers, and being the main First Aider and on the Health and Safety team.

Summer Shakespeare 2016 - Cast and Crew first rehearsal photo.

Posters by Glover Park, in Ghuznee Street, Wellington.

I had a number of challenges through the season from an audience member being involved in an accident with a prop, to EFTPOS terminals and ticket scanners malfunctioning!

Thanks to my training at BATS I was able to apply a lot of what I already knew, mostly regarding how to fix things up - I had friends who had come along to the show comment that they had never seen me so organised, in control and busy before!

Due to personal reasons* I will not be returning to Summer Shakespeare in 2017.

From the pre-promotional shoot we did which was used for styling ideas.

I had a great costume and didn't know what to do with this apple.

Volunteering for me is about giving back to the community, but it's also about a transfer and use of skills. When I'm not volunteering - I'm often studying. Studying only uses certain parts of my brain. I like being creative - volunteering in the theatre allows me to explore my business side as well as my more creative outlets.

Because of my volunteering at BATS I was introduced to a theatrical genre called Improvisation, because of that exposure I signed up to community college classes for Improv in 2015. I really, really liked performing and I want to expand my skills in that area.

From the pre-promotional shoot we did which was used for styling ideas.

I had a great costume and didn't know what to do with this apple.

*I have to work and get money to help fund our wedding. So by this summer I should be in employment which means less time for all of the volunteering I like to do. However I am sure I will continue doing some volunteering things just because I love doing them so much. For example - BATS you haven't seen the last of me yet!

Until next week,

xx Lisa.

That's a billionaires dream and we're not billionaires...

The past few weeks I've been going slowly more crazy with the workloads of uni life piling up and just feeling overwhelmed by literally everything going on.

On top of two English papers, which have many hours of reading novels, plays and poetry between them, as well as worksheets for the tutorials (both classes), and studying towards assignments (both classes seem to have essays due at the same times), ... Life is just a bit hectic.

One paper (201) has a large novel (600 pages),
three small novels,
a huge number of poems
and a Shakespeare play.

The other paper (312) has a larger novel (860 pages),
two smaller novels,
and a large number of poems.

My desk right now is covered in piles of books...

Along side all of the university study and work I've been doing this year - I am also trying hard to keep my sanity and find information about, research and plan out things for our engagement party, and future planning researching for our wedding.

So far I know the wedding will be in New Plymouth, sometime in 2018.

No - I don't know who is on the guest list.
No -  I don't know if you can bring a plus one.
No - I don't even know if you're invited yet!
Yes - there are limits in place, and yes some friends and family??? may simply not be invited.

I am not saying these things to be bitchy, I'm trying to be honest.

Wedding planning is not easy.
I'm finding it hard to do this from afar. We currently live 4-5 hours away and thinking about all the details does my head in at times. Both of our families are based in New Plymouth which is why we are going to have it there. While I have had a few years of pinterest and learning about etiquette and things, Daniel is totally new to all of this. So we are learning together.

If budget allowed we would bring them all to Wellington, or to another destination; but that's a billionaires dream and we're not billionaires.

Marriage, engagement life so far is about doing things as a team. We're not doing this all alone. It's a team effort. It's not up to one of us to make all the choices, even though it has kind of been like that so far. I've done a lot of legwork to get things sorted (like the invites for the engagement)... But then some is also legwork for Dan to do (like organising the photographer for our photo-shoot before our engagement party).

I'm also having to learn lessons about wedding/marriage/engagement etiquette and how to deal with the people who think they can invite themselves, or change things, or add things, or do things when it isn't their place to do so. Unless the couple actually asks you to do something, please don't just assume you can go ahead and do that thing. We are not about to start paying for things we didn't ask for!

Also if you don't get an invite don't be put off, it may be for a number of reasons that simply you don't know about. We have limits on our budget, our venue has maximum attendee limits due to health and safety, fire safety etcetera etcetera, plus we are choosing carefully who we are inviting (or not inviting) and have our own reasons to do so. Life is complicated. It's not a simple act of making a list and inviting every single person we know. We have many limits.

To put it simply - we cannot afford to have a huge lavish affair with every single person we know (or coupled up person we know for that matter!)

If you're asked not to do something by someone - please just don't do it!

It's all simple common sense, which doesn't seem to be common now.

Next week it's volunteers week and I'm thinking about all the volunteering I do and I am going to do a post about what gets me excited about volunteering...

Until next week,
xo, Lisa.

Life Update - I'm engaged? and a bunch of new things...

So over the past few months I've been donning a new hat - that of the Front of House Manager for Summer Shakespeare Trust's 2016 production of Love's Labours Lost.
This is the first time I've been the FOH Manager for a production, and I have to say I have really enjoyed doing so. A huge shout out and thanks for the memories and new friendships to all the Cast and Crew. I adore and appreciate each and every one of you. I'm looking forward to what this year brings for theatre in general for me and what I can get under way in terms of career, professional and personal development for myself. I'm also in my final year of university... Lots of changes are coming!

In December Daniel got the best Christmas gift* and surprise of his life when I asked him to marry me.  Today it's February 29th, perfect for "ladies to ask their man for their hand in marriage"... apparently. I wrote a more detailed post about this here. I'm still buzzing that we're engaged.
In a couple of weeks it will feel even more real when I have the ring on my finger too. It was ordered and it's being made now. I really love it. I'll write a post about the ring and why it was chosen and others we tried and why we went to the jewellers we did.

On the note of being engaged, I'm also in the process of finding a venue, and setting up everything for the Engagement Party. So far I think it will just be family, but with some friends - have to organise travel for some of us from Wellington back up to New Plymouth too.
Not much point having a big do down here in Wellington when our families are based in New Plymouth! Tentatively planning a smaller thing for our friends here at some stage this year.

Wedding plans aren't for a few years yet though - as we need to save up, and I need a full time job before we can really afford to do everything we want to do.
I started pinning ideas onto my Pinterest board, but over time things have changed, so it's not too accurate of what will actually happen.

Wedding bells in 2018? Most likely. All comes down to finances.

Uni starts back today, so I'm busy having classes Monday to Friday and I'm doing both 200 and 300 level English Literature papers this trimester. Going back as Limited Full Time too, so I've jumped from one to two papers each trimester.
Final 4 papers (courses) here I come!

Until next time,
xx
Lisa

*Well I think so anyway! That image and post is from our friends coming over for dinner and celebrating. Not of the engagement. (Sorry to disappoint!)

F.A.Q's and getting to know me.

2016 so far has been all about getting to know me in a new way. 

This week I've decided to write a bit about myself. 

Last week I did a call for AMA (Ask me anything submissions and questions)...

I'm a "mature" student at university. I'm an undergraduate. In my final year. I'm going to talk about this a lot, on and off for 2016. I've been enrolled in study on and off since moving to Wellington in June of 2008. I'm still doing the same degree: Bachelor of Arts, but I changed my minor and major since starting study. I'm doing a BA in English Literature with a minor in Religious Studies. (I also did a number of Linguistic papers, as well as a couple of Education ones).

I grew up in a kind of Christian home, in that we didn't go to church, but we have values like 'treat others how you would like to be treated.' And 'always respect your elders'. Even today, living in another city I still live by a number of these values. Kindness goes far. 

I'm a self taught and semi-trained teacher in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). I've taught high school kids and adults. (Aged 11-17 and 30+). I've been fortunate so far to have taught a couple of students from China and some more are from South Korea. I'm currently on a break from teaching as I'm studying for summer, but I might start again sometime later in the year*. Tough to work with students, preparing work for them as well as studying. I may readjust this again later and reassess just how much I can take on.

In 2017, after university studies are all done I am thinking to either go into teaching more ESOL, or going into full time blogging. Then again I do need an income because we need to save up for our wedding and impending move overseas!
If only studying meant I'd be paid well enough to not need to work... Haha. As if!
I just hope I can find a good job where I'm doing something I love every day and not feeling down or anxious about the work, wherever we end up.

I'm the oldest of four children. The oldest grandchild in both families too (of my parents that is).
Daniel is also the oldest child. It makes it difficult when we're both stubborn about certain things. One of us has to let the other lead and such sometimes too. We're both super stubborn with some things. Makes fighting interesting!

On top of all of that I am also aware of how lucky and fortunate I am for the life I currently have. If I didn't have such a loving and wonderful fiance I don't know where I would be living right now. I certainly couldn't afford not to work and just study full time! I am also looking forward to getting some financial assistance from the government for my studies this year, the past few years have been self funded (from fiance) and it has created stress between us. This year I'll get a little to put towards expenses so that will be nice and help relieve some of that stress we currently face.

I have a social media empire growing more and more every day.

 I'm on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and here. I also have YouTube but I'm less active on there now as I've chosen to go more of a written (blogging) and photography route with my creativity. 

This is also why the post a couple of posts back has a new Photography Theme on it. 

I want to showcase more of my creative side this year. 

I'm on a Podcast called Skepticism Today - with fellow skeptics Mark, Sara, Tim and my fiance Daniel. We talk about a variety of topics each month when we meet to record. We haven't been the greatest in getting recordings out quickly, if I'm being totally honest and blunt... The aim for 2016 so far has been to record more. We will see how that goes. 

I love listening to music, to the point I'll find something that I love and play it on repeat for hours on end. Right now? It's this remixed song: Oh Wonder - Lose It.
Sorry not sorry flatmates (and neighbours) hehe. Just kidding - when they're near I have it turned down. Also I wear awesome noise-cancelling headphones.

I'm a very busy person - between full time study, part time teaching*, recording a podcast, blogging here and being a flatmate/ fiancee/ daughter, it's a tough life! I'm also a volunteer at local theatre - BATs and currently doing a lot of shows (think every night) as the Front of House Manager for
Wellington Summer Shakespeare's show of Love's Labours Lost, tickets are available here**.

Until next Monday,
xx Lisa.


*TBC
** Until the end of the season.

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.

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.

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.

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.****