University Life in Photos.

University can be a daunting process for many - it certainly was for me. I was SO anxious for about a week before my arrival. After all, I was about to enter the next stage of my life, live with and get to know complete strangers, as well as heading back into education after having been travelling for so long. But I needn't have worried. I completely lucked out my flatmates, love my course and have made some incredible friends who I know I will be friends with for life. Yeah, there will be drama and stress, but that's understandable in a new environment and when there are so many strong personalities around. It's important to put the hard work in but there will still be plenty of time for lots of fun (and lots and lots of drinking. Don't forget to take paracetamol - it'll be needed for the hangovers and potential bruises that you have no idea how you got!). Here are some photos from my time at university...

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.

One to Remember.

You can't fly halfway across the world, all the way to Sydney, and not visit what are quite possibly the most touristy destinations in the world: the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I wouldn't say they were my favourite places that we visited while in Sydney, but I do think that they are worth the visit, even if it's just to say you've done it. We opted not to do the bridge climb and chose instead to walk around the botanic gardens, mainly so that we could sit in Mrs Macquerie's chair (which is bloody hard to find and even now I'm certain we didn't actually find it, we were just sat on a random rock), from where we got a great view of the bridge and Opera House together. As it was Winter in Australia, the day started off pretty cold and damp, but the clouds soon burnt out and we were left in short-sleeved t-shirts, so decided to head to the Chinese Garden of Friendship. After all, Meg and I have been best friends for seventeen years, so I'd say we're qualified to go there... While we, like most, did admire the architecture and beauty of the gardens, we did also spend an hour pretending to be Mulan. Good old Disney... 

Exploring Sydney & Meeting Ryan Gosling.

I could have included the Royal family, Rebel Wilson, Brad Pitt, Harold from Neighbours and many other celebrities in the title of this post, but the babe that is Ryan Gosling just holds a special place in my heart, and me including his name definitely wasn't clickbait... Taking a photo with a waxwork figure of someone at Madame Tussauds still counts as meeting them, right?? As well as visiting Madame Tussauds, we also visited other tourist attractions such as two different aquariums (which I liked), the zoo (which I hated and was awful) and, my personal favourite, the Sky Tower, where we were treated to a 4D cinema experience before visiting the tower itself, with 360º views of the city. We also visited Hyde Park (I swear everywhere in Australia is just named after places in England. #ORIGINALITY), the ANZAC Museum, which was incredibly moving, St Mary's cathedral, where we got to witness the joy and randomness that is Christmas in July, Cadmans Cottage (the oldest building in Sydney), and quite a few museums, my favourite thing to do when visiting a new place. My favourite was the Powerhouse museum, mainly because I'm a geek who loves anything and everything to do with Science. Who else would take a photo with a giant periodic table just because she knows it off by heart (I'm still proud of that)? They also had a fashion exhibition on at the time, meaning they were combining my two favourite things: fashion and science. It was so fascinating to find out all about Isabella Blow's work and the years she spent mentoring Alexander McQueen, even if it did come to a tragic end. 

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. 

They Know Me So Well!

Okay, I'll admit it, I am an addict. A stationary addict. Pens, pencils, magazine holders... you name it, I want it. I think my biggest vice would have to be notebooks. My obsession with stationary didn't exactly go unmissed when I was in Australia, with my aunt and friend, both of whom I lived with on separate occasions, noticing pretty much straight away. This was probably due to the fact that I dragged them both into Kikki K, AKA my favourite store in the world, at every given opportunity. I'm actually pretty glad they noticed because, if they hadn't, I wouldn't have received some of the amazing leaving gifts from them that I did. These gifts just happened to include a laptop (in a Kikki K bag) and I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. Here's what I received...

The Happiest Place On Earth.

This blog post may or may not be inspired by me having just hysterically, ugly face sobbed à la Kim Kardashian my way through Toy Story 3. I've seen it multiples time but it still gets me. It's also one of only three films to ever have made me cry. SO EMOTIONAL. Watching Toy Story 3 made me cast my mind back to last November, when I spent a day at the happiest place on Earth - Disneyland - with some of my favourite people. We spent the day running around, going on rides, meeting characters, doing plenty of shopping and basically just being big kids. Ride highlights include Ratatouille, Finding Nemo & Star Wars, probably due to the fact that they're three of my favourite films. The worst was the haunted house. Each time I've been on it, it's broken down and we've been trapped inside! I must be cursed. Either way, I wouldn't have changed a second of it for the world and I'm so excited to head back (hopefully soon!). We even witnessed a proposal in front of the tower, though one of my friends thought it was a protest, which he made known to everyone. We ended the day watching the firework display. As cliche as it sounds, it really was a magical day.

A Year Ago Today I; GRADUATED.

I can't believe it's been a year since everyone in my class, so many of my favourite people, were last together. I can't believe it's been a whole year since I got drunk and sang Let It Go from Frozen in my (fit) History teacher's face after one too many tequilas (true story). I can't believe it's been a whole year since I graduated. So much has changed this past year and, up until now, I haven't really felt that homesick, but I'm now looking back on all the good memories that we had, especially in that last year together, and the friendships made, both between students and students & teachers. I'm so glad we were able to have one last hurrah, even if I did make three of my bestest friends in the whole wide world cry with a letter I wrote to them, telling them I was off travelling. It's safe to say that all four of us hit the tequila after that. To celebrate it being an entire year since we graduated, I thought I'd share some photos of the day/night with you. The event started at 6pm, went on all through the night, before we finished with a rather hungover breakfast at 7am, the girls with our heels in our hands and the boys with their ties around their heads. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I Think I'm in Love.

KIKO is easily my favourite make-up brand. There isn't an item I've tried that I haven't loved. It's affordable, excellent quality, long lasting... I could talk about it all day. Yes, there's NARS, Charlotte Tilbury, Bobbi Brown and other more expensive brands, but why should I spend money that I don't have on things I can't afford when I can buy something just as good for a third of the price? You probably know my love of KIKO, considering I mention them in most posts, but I still thought I'd share some of my favourite products of theirs, like I did a few months ago with Clinique products...

Lost in the World.

It's safe to say that I have seen and done most things that Perth has to offer. It's been fun but, if I'm honest, I'd probably have left earlier if it hadn't been for my job ($$$). Because of this, I decided it was time to head a bit further afield, just to stretch my wings, before heading east next month. My aunt, cousin and I decided it was time for a roadtrip. We didn't head too far (you can drive for three hours in Australia and still only make it to the next city), but it was far enough. We headed down to the Margaret River region, located some three to four hours away from Perth. We visited Busselton, Bunbury, Yellingup, as well as a few other places. Despite the bad weather, I still enjoyed my wet and windy walks on the beach (you can take the girl out of England, but you can't take England out of the girl). Fun fact; Australians hate rain. A bit of drizzle and they were running for the hills. 

A Day Out in Chelsea.

My days out and adventures with Amita always seem to end up with us wandering through streets or areas lined with houses we can't afford and only dream of living in. Think Chelsea, South Kensington, Notting Hill, etc. We'll happily stroll along, admiring and taking photos of everything. Here are some photos from one of our last days out together before I left for Australia and, be warned, they're mainly of doors and floors (#IHaveThisThingsWithFloors... No, I really do).

I'm in Australia!

So yesterday, after four continents, too many time zones and 56 hours of no sleep, I arrived in Perth, Australia! It feels a bit weird to be saying that and I couldn't actually believe I was actually here. I felt like I was in such a daze but that might have something to do with the 56 hours of no sleep that I mentioned. That was definitely the way to beat jet-lag though as I then slept from 11pm to 9am, refreshed and ready to start my first proper day in Australia.

A Letter to Amita... (@amerzxo)

Let's start off by doing a little introduction. This post is about Amita, one of my best friends. We met on Tumblr five years ago and, what could have turned out to be a complete and utter disaster, turned into one of the best decisions I have ever made. We spoke everyday for five years; sharing secrets, goals, fears and everything in between. We became best friends, despite not even having ever met. After my graduation, I had planned on moving to London before moving on to Australia. My accommodation fell through at the last minute and Amita immediately said I could move in with her. 

Winter Wonderland.

Whenever Ariadna and I plan on meeting up for a quick coffee, we end up staying out for the entire day and most of the night. I love being with people that make me forget to look at my phone and who conversation just flows with, and she is definitely one of those people. Even when I was at work all day everyday and she was at university from 9am until 6pm, we still managed to meet up and go out. Throughout December, most of our adventures consisted in accidentally bumping into celebrities, going to designer shops and food markets, and also doing anything Christmassy! One of our Christmas days out involved a trip to Winter Wonderland. Here are some photos from that day...

New Year, New Plans, New Adventures.

You've probably read this on everyone's first blog post of 2016 and heard it from everyone but happy new year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and that it was everything you had wished for and more. Hm, my primary school teachers were right - I need to learn to use the word 'and' more. I had what I think was the best New Years Eve I've ever head! I headed out for food with friends, before making our way to Trafalgar Square to catch a glimpse of the fireworks, and then to Joe's Bar Covent Garden (if you're ever around, you have to go!). I think we eventually stumbled in around 5am, but it was so nice to ring in 2016 with some of my favourite people. I ended up completely living in the moment and only taking a few photos with people I don't actually know!

Coco Melody Sale.*

Can someone please explain why I keep finding myself thinking about weddings? I think I'm going to one in November but, other than that, there's no reason for me to be thinking about them. I've even been listening to romantic songs, thinking how nice they'd sound at my own. Bit weird, considering I'm currently single. I'm guessing this is down to my brain thinking about all the wedding emails I've been sent from brands, asking me to take a look at their dresses, including Coco Melody...

Meg.

Meg is my best friend. She has been since we were two years old, so I think you could say we know almost everything about each other. After all, it's not everyday that you can say that you've been friends with someone for seventeen years. Her mam happens to be my mam's best friend too, so it works well when they come out to visit us, which is exactly what they did this past week. Here are some photos from our trip...