As this week is my mid-semester break from Uni, I decided to have a little adventure in the city of Sydney today with some friends as a break from assignments and reading. The main purpose of the trip was for me to take a massive (and might I add, flipping heavy!) bag of old books to my favourite book store in Paddington, which buys and sells second hand books. Don't worry, they weren't good books! Just reminders of my cringy vampire obsession collecting dust and taking up needed space.
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (Second Hand) - $8.50 // Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish (300 - Bare Bones) - $16.95 // Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (52 - Vanilla) - $22.40
Have you made any interesting purchases lately? Leave a comment and let me know!
Welcome to Hogwarts.... I mean, The University of Sydney
I just thought I'd try and fit in a quick blog post between madly trying to get through all of my readings for lectures tomorrow! Speaking of, that's mainly the reason my blog has been virtually non-existant for the past week or so - university!
O-Week (Orientation) was last week, and my goodness was it fun! I made a fair few new friends that have made sitting in massive, jam-packed lecture halls with intimidatingly intelligent lecturers spray words at you for hours just that little bit easier. Myself and two of my best friends stayed in a very cheap hotel close to uni for 2 nights, so we could attend as much as possible without having to worry when the last bus home left. Lets just say... my new adult privileges were utilised!
I started actual classes yesterday, and despite being scared out of my mind, I throughly enjoyed the new type of learning I will be doing over the next 4, 5 or 6 years. Although the work load is starting to pile up (2 days in... gah!), I'm having a lot of fun with English, Sociology, Socio-Legal Studies and Cultural Studies.
For the first time in a long time, I feel very happy and content with the direction my life is heading. I don't have any significant worries nibbling in the back of my mind, and I feel free to just live in the moment and truly enjoy myself.
Let's see where the next year will take me.
Until next time,
Jess
P.S. My only day off from Uni is Fridays, so you can try to expect (I promise I will legitimately attempt to do this!) posts from me on this day!
So, I've now been 18 for 3 days. Has it been eventful? Well, besides the cliche'd buying my first drink in a bar and going clubbing (which I would love to forget all together) - I haven't really achieved that much as an adult.
Before my birthday, I was so focused on finally being able to legally drink and go out to clubs, I failed to see the huge amount of responsibility that came attached with this momentous age. I now have to contribute my opinion on whom should run my country (woo hoo, 8 months of slander and debate to listen to), make sure I follow the law because I can be sent to actual jail, and have to start paying taxes. The list could go on really, and frankly that scares me to no end!
It's not all bad though. There are a lot of exciting things to look forward to now that I am legally considered an adult and (legally) mature enough to make my own decisions.
Whilst I continue having an early-adult crisis, I'll tell you a little bit more about the actual day. In the afternoon, I had about 45 friends and family over for drinks and finger food. I had an amazing time, and received some lovely gifts - my favourites being a Nikon D3100 from my family, a voucher to buy concert tickets and a small bottle of Moet and Chandon Champagne.
After this, I went clubbing with some friends in Manly... and I'd rather not eternalise the events that followed on the internet where future employers/the human race may see and judge.
How did you celebrate your 18th birthday?
Until next time,
Jess
You know you've well and truly become a blogger when you see or hear something and automatically think - 'I could write a blog post about this.'
Well that has been happening an awful lot over the last couple of days, mainly whilst I've spent my days lounging around the house trawling through the depths of Spotify and generally not doing much else.
Music has always been a huge part of my life - singing in the Australian Girl's Choir until I was about 10 and playing the Piano and Clarinet up until recently. Although my passion for creating music has subsided, I still love listening, sharing and experiencing music - new and old, pop and alternative.
90% of the best times I've had in my relatively short life involve music, and I will never turn down concert/gig tickets when they're offered to me.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic and reminiscing unnecessarily - back to the point of this post. I want to share some of my favourite artists and songs at the moment. Please be mindful that I am a creature of change, so this list may well evolve significantly over the next year. But I guess that may be a good thing, as I'll have another blog post to write for you in a year's time.
The Vaccines - Live
The Vaccines are currently the best British band (in my opinion). Each song is so different, I don't understand how you wouldn't be able to like them. If you're a fan of albums with songs you can dance to but also just lie on the floor contemplating life whilst listening, I recommend 'Come of Age'. I saw these guys live when they supported Two Door Cinema Club in Sydney just over a month ago, and oh gosh it was a fantastic 45 minutes.
Enjoy my favourite song -
HAIM is a band that I have literally fallen in love with today and I'm well and truly kicking myself for not listening to them about 4 months ago when somebody recommended them to me. Wikipedia claims they've been compared to Fleetwood Mac a fair bit, and I would have to agree with the people that make those statements. The lead singer has an eerily similar voice to Stevie Nicks (whom I LOVE), and the whole all girl-group thing really makes my inner feminist happy.
Just realising how excessively long and boring this post may be getting, instead of explaining why I love all these songs, I've decided to compile a 'What I Listened to in January' playlist. Enjoy -
The 'What's In My Bag?' Tag has been a popular post and video that I've seen floating around lately, but it wasn't until I found Anna's blog (TheRosyFreckle) through SprinkleOfGlitter, that I was inspired to do my own version!
I charged up my camera (it's been a tad neglected since I got my iPhone 4 about a year ago...), emptied out my bag and took some photos. I don't really understand why I, and what seems like the majority of the human race, are so fascinated with other people's handbags - but I thought I would share the contents of mine with you all.
My handbag (Mimco - $249) was a very generous gift from my parents for Christmas. I'd been looking for a very simple, black tote with slightly long straps to use for Uni this year, and my Mum just so happened to pick out the perfect one for me!
(Clockwise) Magazine or book, Diary, Makeup/Medication Bag (H&M Paris), Sunglasses, a rogue Fantail (I honestly have no idea why or how it is in my bag), Lip Products, Compact Mirror, Hand Sanitiser, Headphones, Water Bottle (Less Talk, More Water), Hand Cream, Reading Glasses, Wallet (Bluebird), iPhone, Umbrella, Car/House Keys
MAC Lipstick (Hue), Maybelline Baby Lips (Berry), Rimmel Royal Gloss (Candylicious)
Reading Glasses - Maze +, Sunglasses - Sportsgirl
I really do carry way too much in my handbag, and it will only get heavier when I have to start lugging textbooks and notepads around with me. Oh the joys of student life!
I hope you enjoyed a peek inside my handbag. I'd love to see inside yours too, so link me to your version of the tag in the comments!
After browsing through some of my favourite blogs (which I should really get around to making a page for or writing a post about), such as Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter, I've been inspired to do the '25 Facts About Me' tag. Even though nobody really visits my little piece of the internet, nor care about what I have to say, this might be a chance for me to really have a good look at myself and what makes me one weird individual. So, here we go...
1. I hadn't left Australia prior to my trip to France in April last year.... that's 17 years and 2 months stuck in the same country.
2. I set myself a book-reading target at the start of each year. For 2013, its 50
3. My fear of failure has prevented me from trying new things
4. I love seeing people enjoy food that I have cooked for them
5. Since joining a gym in August 2011, I have lost 20kg and hope to continue becoming happier and healthier
6. I enjoy making new friends, but hate having to be the person who speaks first
7. I topped the year in 5 out of 6 of my HSC (final year of high school) subjects
8. If I find a TV show I like, I have to watch every episode available ASAP (finished season 2 of Pretty Little Liars in 3 days)
9. I have 1 sibling - a younger sister
10. Never had a boyfriend, never been kissed
11. My absolute favourite book is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
12. I'm currently saving so I can hopefully go on a University exchange to the UK in my 3rd or 4th year of Uni
13. I'm obsessed with Nazi Germany and WWII history
14. When I was 16, I had a chunk of my hair died blonde, so I could die it bright colours. I still have about 5 cm of this chunk in my hair (Worst. Decision. Ever.)
15. Anxious about nearly everything
16. My favourite movies are The Notebook, School of Rock, The Help, Crazy, Stupid Love, the entire Harry Potter series, Dracula and anything Tim Burton
17. From the age of 1 to 5, I had a teddy bear named Teddy. My Mum lost Teddy, and she replaced him with a dog who I named Puppy. I still have him, but he now only has 1 arm
18. My sister and I have 1 million nicknames for our Spoodle, Ollie. He pretty much responds to any noise projected in his direction
19. I played Softball for 5 years, and Soccer for 7
20. My first job was at McDonalds
21. Between 2010 and 2012, I saw just under 50 bands live
22. I've never broken a bone *touches wood*
23. There are over 100 things on my bucket list
24. I wish I was more self-confident
25. I want towill publish a book in the future
To whoever is reading this - I dare you to complete this tag as well. Leave a link to it in the comments below, and I would love to have a read!
Finally finishing one of the most hectic years of my life, which also happened to be my final year of high school, I thought I would have 5 or 6 months of endless free time and boredom before I started Uni. Oh how I was wrong! Since graduating, I have worked quite a bit, caught up with friends and tried to minimise my ever-growing pile of books I want to read. Having not been as relaxed as I would have liked, 5 of my friends and I set out on a road trip/weekend getaway last weekend.
On Friday morning, the 6 of us piled ourselves and our bags in to 2 cars. We set out on our 2nd road trip after Schoolies in November. Having passed my driving test in December, I volunteered my (lack of) driving skills. This road trip happened to be my 2nd time driving on freeways, with the 1st trip ending terribly (but that's a whole other story I'd rather not have to un-repress the memories of). I'm proud to say that I did alright, and managed to get up and back safely!
Despite it being Summer, and having travelled over 200km to the usually sunny, warm and lovely Forster, the weekend was spent mostly inside due to Australia's currently horribly cold, wet weather. However, we still managed to have a great time inside the apartment, passing the time with plenty of eating (mainly peanut M&M's), card games and a Game of Thrones marathon.
There may have also been a fair amount of pleading on my part for a couple of games of Cluedo. In my family, I ALWAYS win Cluedo, so to say it was disappointing that I lost the first two games of five is an understatement. Having not played in a fair while, my detective skills were rusty, and it took a few games to fine tune them once again. But I was victorious eventually! It was also pointed out that I may need to work on becoming a more gracious winner.... Loser's get upset when you thrust your excellent sleuthing victories in their face. Weird, I know!
This weekend was just another frustrating reminder that my current and seemingly responsibility-free teenage life will all too soon be coming to an end. After being offered a place in a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney, I enrolled in the middle of January and will be starting classes in exactly a month. I still have the next month to spend with friends and my family and cherish every moment - including my 18th birthday (FINALLY!!!!!!!). Everything is so exciting, but mildly terrifying, as I attempt to dip my big toe in to the pool of adulthood - although I can't help feeling that there is someone lurking in the shadows, just waiting to shove me in when I am least expecting it.
I'm hesitant to belly-flop straight in, but who knows what great things could be waiting for me once the massive splash subsides?
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