January Favourites & Pets in Clothing.

How is it January 2017? How am I now 20? How am I three months in to university? SO MANY QUESTIONS. Admittedly I should be graduating this year but, you know, someone decided she was going to go travelling for a few years and I honestly wouldn't have had it any other way. Despite now being at university and being on a very strict student budget, I've somehow managed to accumulate a whole bunch of new products. I suppose I do like to do things my own way, even if it does mean having an emptier bank account than usual...

From Me to You: Tips for Long-Haul Flights.

It's safe to say that I've done a few long haul flights in my life. Two personal highlights include a fifteen hour flight followed by a nine hour flight - they were GREAT (major sarcasm) and oh so long. They involved me becoming so ill and the plane staff being no help whatsoever that I burst into tears and told them they were going to have to give me drugs or do an emergency landing... So they gave me Calpol. NO HELP WHATSOEVER. Those two flights aside, the rest have been great and I've strangely enjoyed them, so I thought I'd share a few tips with you. Oh, and once you're back flying short haul, it will be like you've blinked and you've landed. It's so weird. 

2016 Memories: What I Ticked off my Bucket List and 2017 Wishes.

I know 2016 was, on a whole, such a sad year for many but for me personally, I'd say it was on off the best yet. I got to travel and explore new cities, countries and continents, strengthen friendships and make new ones, as well as achieving some personal goals. I also got the chance to tick a fair few things off of my bucket list. I hope 2017 is just as good, if not better. I hope to continue conquering my anxiety, travel even more (I've got some big plans for this year) and continue to spend more time with the people I love. For now though, here's some of my 2016 highlights...

I Want To Get Away.

It's wet and cold in England and I am ready for some sunshine. I'd put up with it all - the not buying any clothes so I could save for a ticket, an annoying kid behind me kicking my chair, the inflatable pillows and air-conditioning that's set to freezing and the awful plane food - if it meant being able to jet off another adventure, preferably somewhere tropical with sandy beaches, palm trees and crystal clear water. I feel a warm winter holiday coming on... Until I (hopefully) get around to going on one, I'm going to spend my time on Tumblr and Pinterest, searching for all things Summer and the perfect holiday destination for some sun in Winter...

Back to Blogging & a Happy New Year!

A lot has changed since the last time I blogged. Posts may have been going up, but they were written back in July, way before I was too busy getting drunk at university to really string a coherent sentence together about anything other than tequila. But "New Year, New Me" and all that. Now that it's 2017, I'm looking to crack on with work more and really knuckle down, as well as getting back in to the swing of blogging. After all, it'll be good to have a hobby that doesn't involve damaging my liver.

DressFashion* - Christmas and Party Dress Shopping.

Ah, the festive period - it's time to spend time with family, indulge a little too much, give gifts to the ones you love and, uh, stress about what you're going to wear? Don't worry, I've got you covered, thanks to a little help from DressFashion. DressFashion is a UK based online store who offer a wide range of prom dresses, special occasion dresses and wedding dresses, all of which come in a great variety of shapes, sizes and colours: long or short, sleeveless or full sleeves, backless or not... The list is endless. I've put together a list of some of my favourite dresses from their site to get you ready for any Christmas party...

You're Taking WHAT?!

It's official: I am all packed up and off to university. Yep, this time next week I will be moving into my halls of residance, ready to start my Forensic Science and Criminology course. Though I do have two weeks of Freshers to look forward to first... Admittedly I should now be entering my third year of university, but have been putting it off to cuddle koalas and find monkeys in tropical rainforests, and it was worth every second. I was going to defer my offer for yet another year, but chose not to for fear of giving my family a heart attack. I spent the last month back at my family home in Spain, packing up suitcase after suitcase, and was amazed at just how much stuff I had packed that wasn't clothes. I want my room to feel homelike, so made sure to pack some special pieces from my room...

Current Hopes & Goals + Talking About Anxiety.

It's hard to believe that there are just four months of 2016 left. I know we say this year after year, but I really do feel like time has flown. Just two months ago, I was beginning my last week in Australia, but even that trip seems like a dream, and I was there for six months! I like to think that I've achieved a lot this year: I moved out, went travelling, made new friends, reconnected with old ones, worked hard, blogged three times a week without fail... I'd say that's pretty good going, right? Even so, there are still a few other hopes and goals I'd like to achieve before the year is out...

I Got (Another) Tattoo & The Highest Cablecar in the World...

Hugging kangaroos and koalas, taking the scenic Karanda railway up through the mountains to see the whole of Cairns and the amazing waterfall up in the mountains and then the highest cable car in the world over Cairns rainforest... I couldn't think of a better way to spend my penultimate day in Cairns. Actually, I can, and Meg and I definitely topped it. As well as doing all of that, we piled on the make-up to hide our hideous sunburn and decided it was time for a night out, especially as it was the 4th of July (because, you know, Australia definitely celebrate that). Now I'm known for being quite spontaneous, but even I didn't expect to stop off and get a tattoo on my way to the bar. I didn't even know what I wanted until I was sat in the chair, and that's when I realised that I wanted something to commemorate my travels, so I got a plane on my wrist. This is my second tattoo and, just like with the first, my family didn't speak to me for about a week. Who wants to tell them that I have two more booked in for September? At the bar, we were treated to goldfish racing (Nemo won), wet t-shirt competitions, a group of Japenese people that wouldn't leave us alone (story time: I was in the middle of making out with someone and he kept tapping me on the shoulder), plenty of fit Australians and half price vodkas; eight vodkas for $32, plus drinks bought by other people and a few shots, yet I still wondered why I had a sore head the next day. Good times. 

Finding Nemo & Dory at The Great Barrier Reef!

I've definitely ticked off a fair few things off my bucket list this year, including visting the Great Barrier Reef. After years of watching David Attenborough documentaries (don't tell me you've never done the same), I was determined to see it for myself. We booked ourselves onto a day trip to Green Island and it was on the journey there that we both discovered that we don't get seasick, unlike half the population of Asia, who also seemed to be on the boat, who spent the hour long trip throwing up over the side of the boat and sucking on ice. Nice. We were booked to go far out into the reef to go scuba-diving and snorkelling, but a storm unfortunately put an end to that, so we had to stay a little bit more inland. Because we stayed reasonably close to shore, where everyone is allowed to swim and explore, we really noticed just how much had changed. It wasn't the vibrant and colourful place it once was, but brown and, well, a bit dead... Don't get me wrong, it was still an amazing experience, I just wish we could have gone further out! There was still plenty of sealife to see though, and we even managed to see Nemo and Dory. It started off as a pretty cloudy day, and Meg and I made the rookie error of not wearing sunblock. Massive mistake. We both fell asleep and woke up to full sun. We have never been so sunburnt in our entire lives. I actually wanted to cry. The fit lifeguard made everything a little better though...

Surrounded by Wild Dolphins...

My last day in Perth was definitely one to remember, mainly because I was joined by my best friend, who had flown all the way from the UK to join me for the final two weeks of my adventure. I had been in Western Australia for six months and even I hadn't seen anything, so my Aunt and I hatched a plan to show Meg the best of what Perth, where I was based, had to offer. We drove quite far up the coast, stopping off at various beaches (the beaches in Perth are some of the best I've ever seen), stopped off for some lunch with a view, went into the city, watched Perth's famous orange sunsets and spent the final few hours before our flight to Cairns kayaking. One of the main things I'd wanted to do in Perth was see wild dolphins. I'd seen them briefly, but not as close as I'd have liked. Clearly Meg is my lucky charm as, whilst kayaking, a whole pod of dolphins surrounded us and started jumping in and out of the water! Both of us were so mesmerised and shocked that we didn't even reach for our phones or cameras, we just lived in the moment... Definitely an amazing way to end a great trip!

A London Adventure.

Despite having visited some amazing places this past year, there is something about London that I just love and can never get out of my head. I think it'll always be the city that I want to come back to. One of my favourite things to do is to just go out with no objective in mind and explore, which is exactly what Diana and I did recently. Brunch was of course on the agenda. We ended up going to Farm Girl in Notting Hill, where we both enjoyed avocado and strawberry on toast with a poached egg. It was amazing - I love brunch. Next we decided to do something that, surprisingly, neither of us had done, and that was hire bikes and cycle around the city. We ended up cycling all through Hyde Park, where we visited the new entrance to a temporary pavilion (a must for architect lovers), and Kensington Gardens, mainly because Diana is slightly in love with Prince Harry and I consider myself to be a Queen. We also took a fair few outfit photos, because who wouldn't take advantage of the coloured houses in Notting Hill and amazing street art in Carnaby Street? Unlike me, Diana has her posing game down. We ended our day out in the only way we know how; prosecco and vodka. 

Let's Have a Chat...

It's weird to think that, this time three weeks ago, I was on a fifteen hour and then a nine hour flight back from Australia. It's hard to believe that my six month Australian adventure has come to an end. I spent my last day in the most touristy way possible; on Bondi Beach in my Aussie hoodie and in a very hungover state. I left with new tattoos, new friends and plenty of new (some slightly fuzzy) memories and exciting stories to tell. Unfortunately for me, I came down incredibly ill on the plane. My best friend arrived at Heathrow airport and came running towards me, ready for a happy reunion, only for me to sink to the floor in hysterics, demanding to be taken to A&E.

Exploring a Tropical Island - Singapore #6.

If you've read my Meet KC post, then you'll know that, while in Singapore, I spent a day at Pulua Ubin, a tropical island located between Singapore and Malaysia. Your data provider actually switches  from a company from each place, so just buy going to Pulua Ubin you can say you were in two countries in one day! One thing's for sure though, I don't think I've ever breathed air as clean or felt so free as when cycling and hiking around this tiny island, exploring everything it has to offer. From palm trees to lily-pads, wild boar to monkeys, lakes to streams... Everything was just incredible. Definitely one for the bucket list, and a place I hope to return to one day. Though if I do return, I'll have to remember to take the mosquito repellent with me - a month late and I've still got bites!

Hiking in a Tropical Rainstorm - Singapore #5.

It's official, after my trip to Singapore, I could survive on a deserted island with crazy rain and smoke monsters like the one in LOST. I've done it all. I've had my hair bobble break and had to tie my hair up with a piece of string I found in a tree, and I was even running on a treetop walkway through the jungle when it suddenly started to rain, heavier than I've ever seen, so much that I could barely see and had to shelter in a tree (100% had to refrain from shouting "JAAAAAACK". Kate Auston, eat your heart out)...  Before I let my imagination run wild and imagined just how I was going to kill a polar bear, my aunt and I visited the Botanic Gardens & Orchid Garden of Singapore. I don't know a lot about flowers and plants, but I can tell you that it was beautiful. We actually chose to go on what was the hottest and most humid day of the week, so just seeing the words 'cool house' was enough to help me ignore the sweat dripping down my neck and send me to a happier place. One too many selfies were taken but, with such a perfect backdrop it was hard not to...

The Highest Roof-Top Bar in the World - Singapore #4.

While in Singapore, I got the chance to see two sides to the country. Half of my time was spent in poorer, rural areas, while the rest was spent in areas that make it easy to understand just why there are so many millionaires in Singapore. As people have mentioned, it's safe to say I had a gentle introduction to Asia. While I enjoyed visiting the poorer areas, with some of the most welcoming and open people I've ever met, I'm glad I got to explore the other side to it too. One of these places was the designer shop filled shopping centre located near the Marina Bay Sands hotel (an amazing experience in itself). From here, you see the entire skyline of the city, including various different old-fashioned hotels, the Lotus building and Louis Vuitton Island. Being a girl who loves her labels, I obviously had to visit LV Island, which is basically just a giant LV store located in the middle of the river, with a boardwalk leading to it. It's made of glass so the first thing you notice is the reflection of the water, lily-pads and lights reflected on it. We wanted to see the area both at night and during the day, so went back twice. It's safe to say we did plenty of walking, so much that I actually had to just have a lie down on the floor outside the shopping centre (lying and sitting down on the floor is actually illegal in Singapore, so I feel like I should point out that I was just watching a light show!)

The Best Day.

You know when you visit a new place and just know that you will visit again and again, and never tire of it? That's how I felt about Seville. I grew up in Malaga and thought that Seville would be similar, and it definitely was, but it also might have been a bit better. I love going to the beach, but historic towns and cities are definitely more my thing. Seville is home to some of the most beautiful architecure and historic sites I have ever seen. You immediately know that if they film Game of Thrones there, then it's going to be pretty special. The best part? I got to experience it with some of my favourite people. If you're ever there, you need to visit Alcazar. Word of advice: don't hold hands with your favourite person and walk/skip/run down the alter at the cathedral with your favourite person, pretending you're getting married, because they will threaten to kick you out and also bar you from one of the oldest cathedrals in the world. Probably wasn't my finest moment. The best part was seeing my History & Music teacher, both of whom came with us, getting extremely angry as they defended us and the security guard slowly going redder and redder, not realising that there was Chinese tourist behind him doing ballet with an extremely long selfie stick in her hands. SERIOUSLY?!

The Nicest Person Ever - Meet KC.

Meet KC. He is a 65 year old man, originally from Malaysia, who now lives in Singapore. We met through a mutual friend, and he immediately offered to take my aunt and I to the tropical island of Pulua Ubin, situated between Malaysia and Singapore. He used to volunteer at the island, collecting samples and showing people around, so knows it pretty well. We arrived by boat and spent the day cycling & hiking around the island, sheltering from the tropic and torrential rain and just having fun. He even brought a picnic for us. The world needs more people like KC and, if I turn out to be half the person he is, I think I'l be pretty happy.