1. Know your limits. If you've had a lot of socialization and it's beginning to drain you then be intentional about your plans. Don't keep saying yes to everything if you know that you won't enjoy it and will drain you further. 
2. If you're a busy person then get your alone time when you can. One thing i've started doing recently is having my lunch breaks on my own reading a book. I used to just go find a seat with a work colleague and chat about general things but now I enjoy it SO much more just sitting on my own reading. 
3. Plan your "ME" time. This tip sounds lame but I actually think it's so important. It's easy to get caught up in constantly doing things but make sure you fit in time on your own to recharge. What I like to do is either read, have a bath, watch Netflix, watch YouTube videos, do face masks, or do some baking. 
4. Don't book up too many social things in a week. I'm guilty of this, sometimes at the start of the week i'll end up making plans every day with different friends and by the end of the week i'm so tired and grow bitter at having too much on. So to combat this I just plan only a few things, giving myself plenty of time to myself but still socializing. 
5. BUY MORE BOOKS! Well, this point is more for me because i've gotten obsessed with reading. Books are the best way to unwind though. No technology but just yourself getting lost in another world. Reading is the best.

Flashback to 2013 and I was an 18 year old girl with a raging social life. I used to have plenty of friends, more than I could count on my fingers. I went from being quite a low-key girl in school with not a large friendship group to becoming a lot more confident and having slightly improved social skills (I used to be very awkward, still am a bit haha).

I remember being 18 and having plans almost every night of the week. I used to have a night each week appropriately titled "board game night" where I would get together with close mates to play games or watch movies. Sunday night was church (a cool one with lots of young people) and after the service we'd all go get coffees and hang out. Other nights of the week i'd find friends to hang out with. When I started uni my social calendar got even fuller adding uni friends into the mix.

Flash forward to 2017 and being now 22 years old my social life has completely changed. I went from being such a socialite to being someone who spends most nights in and with less friends.

You know what though..I actually like it better this way. Sure, I had a great few years always being busy and having lots of friends but I much prefer having more close friends. The 20's are where people start to really go in different directions. Sometimes it sucks when you aren't as close to some friends but it's important to learn that some friendships are just for a season and it's only natural for us all to do different things.

In your early 20's it'll become more "quality over quantity". You'll find it's better to have less friends than to have lots of friends. You'll find people you genuinely connect with and bring out the best of you.

With a catch phrase of "Shop now. Take now. Buy in 4." it's no wonder Afterpay has become a raging success among online retailers.

I think it teaches people unhealthy habits with their money. It makes the price of a product look more appealing by dividing it by 4, telling you that you can have it for a cheaper price straight away instead of having to pay a full amount. It doesn't change anything though - you still will pay the same price if you pay for it up front rather than do it in 4 payments.

My motto is "if you don't have the money for it then don't buy it". I've always done this in my life. At times when money was tight I didn't bother excessively buying things like makeup or clothes because I knew it would be wiser to save it or spend it on essentials like food and petrol. In those times it would have been so easy to buy into the Afterpay craze and purchase a range of things online, but it wouldn't be wise. It's not good to get into the habit of repaying things. I only ever want to be in debt when i've purchased a house or something that's a proper investment.

I think it targets vulnerable consumers who haven't got sound budgeting skills and who have developed a "I just want it now" mentality. I think it is a dangerous way of people to get in the habit of buying things.

If somethings that's good - then save up for it and buy it when you have the money.

Okay now we have that uber silly and cringe song away I want to celebrate the fact that i've stuck to blogging for 3 years! It has gone by so quick, i'm amazed. It's so fun going back to old posts seeing the products I used to write about and the life updates I did. It feels really cool knowing i've had this blog to document a lot of the big milestones in my life - traveling, university, finishing placement, getting my dog Harvey, graduating, getting my first job etc. Shout out to my ride of dies who have been here reading since the start (you know who you are!) and also to the new readers who have joined in. It's been so fun interacting with all of you, it means a lot.

The highlights...

• Getting to have a creative outlet which is all my own! It's so cool having my own website where i'm the designer, creator, writer, and editor. 
• Getting better with my photography skills - I used to be pretty terrible but these days i'm actually getting a lot of shots I like. I even bought my Canon G7X camera which is my best friend.
• Interacting with other bloggers - there are so many lovely people I have met along the way, all from different countries. It's awesome coming together with people who share common interests. 
• Getting better at makeup! Having my own blog which features A LOT of beauty products has meants my makeup skillz have leveled up. Still not amazing, but a whole lot better than I was.
• Blogger events - i've actually only been to two but the last one was amazing. It was great fun and I got to make quite a few blogger friends :')

Hello everyone! Continuing on with Blogtober (blogging every day of October) i'm doing the Wanderlust Travel Tag. I thought it was quite a fun one with some interesting questions. :)

1. Where have you traveled to that you would love to travel again?
Europe. I've actually been three times, and even still there is so much more of it I would love to see. I just love how it's so easy to travel around and each different country has a completely unique culture.


2. You're leaving tomorrow, money is no object where are you going?
CANADA. I reallyyyy want to go to Canada, i've been obsessed with it lately. I follow a lot of Canadian photographers on Instagram and it just looks stunning. If I went i'd love to travel around the whole place, perhaps rent a car.

3. Preferred method of travel; planes, trains, or cars?
Trains! There's just something I love about trains, there's much more ease with them opposed to planes. Unfortunately living in Australia and being so far away I have no choice but to go places on planes (eek) but I like taking trains when I can because you get to the see the countryside. Plus I just hate airports haha, they're always so stressful.

4. Favourite travel website?
Does AirBnB count? I just love going on there and looking at places to stay, even if I don't any travel planned haha.

5. Where would you travel to just eat the food?
It's gotta be Italy. The land of pizza, spaghetti, arancini balls..it's carb loaded but so delicious.

6. Is there a place you would never go again?
Probably..Hong Kong? I didn't mind it but I didn't love it.

7. Can you recite your passport number from memory if asked?
Definitely not, I can't even remember the first number! Or does it start with a letter? Gosh, I have no clue.

8. Do you prefer the window, aisle, or middle seat?
Who would willingly choose the middle seat?! I prefer the window, always. You get to look out and watch what goes by, see the twinkling city lights as you land, and you have your own little space. The only downside is having to awkwardly ask people to get up when you need to go to the bathroom but I feel that's an okay trade off to have your own space.

9. Favourite travel memory?
There's SO MANY I could choose from. Still to this day I think what stands out most is my first time going to England. We caught the dreaded 24hour flight to London airport, caught a taxi to the house we houseswapped with (you can read about the experience here) and it was the most beautiful cottage covered in so much snow. I had never seen that much snow before. It was just a wonderful moment realizing we were going to spend the next 3 months living there.


10. What is your most ideal holiday?

Somewhere cold to escape to when it's the middle of Australian summer. It gets soo hot here and i'm not a summer person. Probably going somewhere I can see the snow and go snowboarding.

"Discussion is an exchange of knowledge, argument is an exchange of ignorance". - Robert Quillen

We live in a generation where more and more people have access to wide platforms for voicing their opinions. In prior decades, and without the comfort of the internet, people would resort to soap boxes and writing to newspapers to air out their thoughts on topics. These days there is an abundance of opportunities to get your thoughts out there - like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. They're an easy way to reach a large amount of people which are also in a sense a safer way to voice opinions as you suffer less repercussions than if you were to stand in the street yelling out your views.

Due to the ease of expressing opinions online I believe people have become more intolerant of listening to other people.

Just the other week I was blocked by someone on Twitter. I kind of want to laugh at that statement as it's something I never thought would happen as I don't engage in speaking rudely or negatively to people online. This blogger tweeted saying how she thinks people are total snobs when they refer to their job as a proper or adult job. I replied to this jokingly saying how it made me feel bad as I occasionally refer to my job as an adult job only because I studied hard through university and my current work feels different to my uni jobs. This was met with a string of quite rude comments calling me a snob. I was a little taken back because, as I said, I never engage in being uncivil/mean to anyone online and was surprised someone would be unkind back? I tried to explain as nicely as I could how I never intend for it to be a demeaning statement and I think what everyone does in life is important as we all make the world go round. Gosh, I even added in a smiley face to sound friendly in case my original statement could be interpreted the slightest bit mean haha. Without much discussion or anything I was blocked. It just made me more disappointed than anything that we weren't able to enter into a civil discussion so I could hear why she felt that way and then also reiterate how my intentions were not to be snobby in the slightest. Well, I guess that's the internet for you.

In my opinion: discussion is power. We should never get stagnant listening to other points of views and hearing why people believe what they believe. I think it's important to hear what people have to say. In the past i've held certain views on topics only to have them completely changed when having a conversation with someone. One of my best friends (shout out to you Cherri!) comes from a different background to me and holds quite a lot of different views on topics to myself. I absolutely love chatting to her as we both have such civil conversations discussing soo many things. I love trying to understand her point of views and rationale, similarly she also likes trying to understand my views. Discussing doesn't mean you always have to agree with each other but it just means you're trying to absorb more knowledge and gain an understanding.

Unfortunately, the media is a very one sided thing and if you happen to have an opposing view to the alleged popular opinion of the day you face ridicule and an onslaught of horrible comments. This is probably why I never post my opinions online, because I know for talking about certain topics I could face a lot of backlash from people who don't have any intention of understanding where i'm coming from. It just shouldn't be that way. The best way for our society to grow is being able to have open conversation with one another which is free from judgement and argument.

I do think social media is good in many ways for acting as a forum for discussions but it's so important for us all to treat each other as HUMANS. It's the simple things like being respectful, not judging people, not throwing out hateful words, asking why someone feels a certain way.

In my life I think I strike a great balance of: working, catching up with friends, exercise (okay I only go for a few walks a week but that still counts right?) and being at home. As i'm naturally more introverted I cherish being a homebody and chilling around my house when I can. Sometimes i'll be productive and do some work and blog, but sometimes I just want to relax and find a new series to get into.

These are the shows I have binged over the last few months, all of which I have recommended to anyone and everyone in real life. You know a series is good when you find yourself bringing it up in conversation just so you can get someone else into it.

Everyone has their "thing". Some it may be baking, reading a lot of books, photography, sports..mine happens to be music. Music is just my absolute passion and I love nothing more than discovering new bands and going to various concerts. I'm always making playlists for myself and friends, burning CD's for my car (yes i'm still a little oldschool, I love my mix CD's!), looking up what bands are touring soon, and trying to find new music.

This year there have been some absolutely fantastic albums released. The ones I were mainly excited for was Lana Del Rey, Asgeir, and Foster The People due to them being my favourite artists. I was also lucky enough to discover new artists with some were recommendations and some being just found at random. These ones mentioned in this post are the standouts, the ones I keep going back to and the ones I can't stop telling people about.

PARCELS - HIDEOUT EP

Now this isn't really going to be a proper life update but just a post to announce.....i'm going to be doing Blogtober! If you don't know Blogtober is basically where you post everyday for the month of October. I'm quite excited for this challenge and have a notebook full of ideas for various posts. I did my first post of the month yesterday (my Colourpop haul) and this is my second.

Today has been the cosiest day in a longgg time. Where I live (Queensland, Australia) has not had rain in ages to the point we're currently in a drought. Today I awoke to find the sky gloomy, the air cool, and the trees being embellished with many raindrops. It's currently 5pm and I haven't left the house all day. Suuure I probably should have gone to the shops to buy some food to do meal prep for my work lunches this week but I couldn't bring myself to get out of my comfy gear and become presentable. Not today, not today. So instead I have had many cups of earl grey tea, written up some blog posts to get ahead of the blogtober game, had a friend come over briefly for tea, and watched the latest season of Doctor Foster with my brother. *sighs* Isn't this the life? Unfortunately I have work tomorrow and as much as I love my job I also love rainy days so it's going to be a major struggle to get out of bed. Wish me luck.

Guys i've got the guilts. I haven't done a blog post in 12 days and...I feel baddd. in my defense the last few weeks have been super busy with work and going away for the weekend so there really hasn't been time to rustle anything together. Also I always like to post stuff that i'd want to read myself!

Last week my mum and I went for the weekend away in Melbourne for no particular reason, just to have a nice getaway. The past few months have been quite full on at work with so many learning curves so I was really needing a nice trip away to reset and treat myself. It was full of lots of shopping, drinking lots of wine and coffee, eating lots of cheese, and exploring around the city. My highlight would be either going to a Wallace & Grommet exhibition or seeing The Book of Mormon.

The Wallace & Grommet exhibition was sooo amazing. We weren't aware it was even on but saw a sign in the city promoting it so we had to go. I don't know about you guys but Wallace & Grommet was my childhood!! I think I have seen each episode hundreds of times. I felt like a little kid running around the exhibition excitedly. My favourite part was at the end where you got the chance to make your own plasticine characters to then make a little short animation - similar to what they do. Would definitely recommend you checking this out if you go to Melbourne, it's only $24 and worth it if you were a huge fan (like me!).
The Book of Mormon was hilarious. The easiest way to describe the humour is that it's South Park kinda humour. Very politically incorrect and offensive at times, but generally funny. I wouldn't recommend this to the faint hearted, if you don't like South Park or shows like The Inbetweeners then I don't think is gonna be your kinda thing. Absolutely loved it though.
A random cute coffee shop we discovered in Fitzroy after destroying two delicious croissants from Lune.
Also I went back to my favourite spot which is a cafe called Higher Ground (photo above with the huuuge pancake). It's the prettiest place with high ceilings, exposed brick, plants, friendly staff, and a killer menu. I mentioned this in my  Best Spots to Get Breakfast At in Melbourne post a few months back. The thing to order is the Ricotta Hotcake which apparently no one has ever finished. I tried, and only got 3/4 through which was a solid effort.
And lastly we went to Lui Bar which is a gorgeous bar 55 floors up and overlooks the city. It does great cocktails and is ultra classy. It's wildly popular so we had to wait awhile to get a seat next to the window but when we did it was all worth it. Maybe avoid going on a Saturday night like we did because it was very busy.

On the weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the Bloggers United event in Brisbane. I had purchased my ticket a few months ago and was uber excited. On the actual day I was filled with a lot of nerves, albeit I was mostly pumped, but very nervous at the fact that I was going to an event where I didn't properly know anyone. Eeeeek. In the end I gave my self a pep talk on the car journey there and told myself that it won't be as daunting as I think it is. Upon my arrival I met a bunch of lovely girls and felt at ease, us bloggers are all quite similar aren't we?
The event was great - it featured a few brands (such as BYS and Kiehls) which gave information about their brands vision and different products. It also featured two established bloggers on a panel who gave some advice about starting your own business and how to manage blogging. I don't see myself chasing blogging as a full time thing but a lot of their advice was really encouraging and beneficial. It also allowed time for mingling which made me really bond with quite a few other bloggers!

I think that's what I loved most about the event was getting to meet other like minded people. We were all so similar and have such a passion for creativity. It was really refreshing! Hopefully in the next few weeks a bunch of us are going to meet up again which will be great. I feel so cool now that i've finally made some blogger friends!

• Steph from The Soul Echo (just a gorg blog, her photography is amazing)
• Alex from Justashine (writes super cool interesting stuff like ingredients in makeup )
• Shivanni from Quarter Life Crisis (writing about life as a millennial) 

As an operating theatre nurse I get asked this a lot.

It isn't something I resent answering because I would ask myself it too.

So, is the operating theatre really like Grey's Anatomy? Yes and no. 

Why it is...
There are definitely handsome doctors walking around looking all important. I don't know what it is but on average the majority of people in the medical industry are so attractive. Perhaps it's just them walking about with stethoscopes around their necks which magically makes them appear more attractive? I'm not sure but there are so many beautiful people i'm faced with day to day.

Sometimes (depending on the doctor/nurses) music is played in the theatre. People plug their phones in and play cool music. One time a song came on which was off a Grey's Anatomy episode and I had to keep my chill even though inside I was like "OMGGG MY LIFE HAS COME FULL CIRCLE".

There are super cool and fascinating surgeries. When I used to watch Grey's I was always fascinated by the surgery side of things. Now I get to see a bunch myself ranging from cancer being removed, babies being born, and fixing up broken limbs.

There are emergencies every now and then. When they occur it does kind of feel like a scene off Grey's: doctors and nurses comes running in, people attaching monitoring, and medical jargon is being yelled out. It's all so interesting to watch. At first I thought I would be quite freaked out but everyone is soo efficient in what they do that the situation is always under control.

People do chat during surgeries. Sometimes it'll get a bit intense so conversation halters, but usually if there's a nice surgeon they will chat with everyone about various topics like politics or what good movies are out at the moment. A few weeks back we were all discussing favourite Simpsons episodes which was great.


Why it isn't...
There isn't much dating that goes on. In Grey's everyone is dating everyone but realistically this doesn't happen. Occasionally, yes. But not often. What I have found is that 95% of people are married with kids, and the ones that aren't are in long term relationships. Mentally I just assume everyone is married with children because even the younger looking ones seem to all have their own family.

There aren't constant emergencies in every surgery. On the show it seems like something goes wrong each surgery but this barely ever happens. Pretty much most surgeries will go smoothly.

On Grey's all you see is it being allll about the surgeons but the anaesthetist is just as essential. Anaesthetics gets really ignored on Grey's but they're super important!! Like they help a patient go to sleep and stay asleep and deal with pain stuff.

No one discusses their sex life, in the show you see Meredith discussing nitty gritty topics with whoever she's working with whilst operating on a patient..but personally i've never seen anyone get this personal. It's definitely a fabrication of the show just to bring the drama in - which I totally don't mind - but realistically that wouldn't happen. It makes great television though!

Surgery isn't just the surgeon being a one man show - nurses practically run the operating theatre! They're the ones who check in the patients, make them feel comfortable, set up all the equipment, and ensure everything is accounted for. I don't want to diminish the role of doctors in any way because they do a lot, but nurses are just as essential in the theatre and without them doctors would be screwed. It's a team effort.

I adore travelling, which you may have gathered from my many posts regarding travel. I guess I just get this euphoric feeling of seeing new places, immersing myself in cultures, and being away from reality. The past four years I have been to Europe three times, Japan, and various cities around Australia. As soon as one trip ends I mentally start planning where i'll go next.

The issue is that I don't feel fully content being still. I get so down on myself when I feel like i'm stuck in routines and doing the same thing. Even though I love my job, family, friends..I can't shake the feeling of wishing I was somewhere else. It's completely unrealistic though. You can't just travel your whole life away (unless you're a travel blogger..you truly blessed people) and at some point you need to stay put and anchor yourself to a place. This can feel quite depressing though and leave you feeling stuck in a glass box looking out at all the places you're missing out on.

When i'm travelling I feel free. You can be whoever you want to be without prior expectations. You can be spontaneous and catch the train to a nearby village. You can walk the cobblestones of an old English town and smell the coldness and fireplace smoke in the air. You can go tan topless in the South of France cause you won't get tan lines and no one will know you (i'm guilty as charged on this one). You aren't tied to anything and can simply be.

Right now i'm at a point in my life where I need change. I don't know whether this is me actually needing it or just romanticizing the idea of change. I would love to move to a new city and make new friends. Would love to have my own flat (ideally to myself) to decorate with cute homewares. Would love to find a new local coffee shop where I go to read and get my daily flat white.

So that's my main problem of being obsessed with travel is that I crave to always be doing something and struggle with letting myself be still. Maybe someday i'll be content with where I am based but for now i'll be daydreaming of new places.

At first when I thought about posting this I was like "nahh no ones going to want to read this" but then I realized that this is the sort of thing I like reading on other blogs...so I may as well post away! Also it's great for the memories, I love scrolling back through my blog year to year and remembering little milestones and moments.

A few weeks ago I was given a week off by work and I wanted to make the most of it. At first I considered going to Greece but a) I would only be able to go for a week so jetlag would be killer and b) it was EXPENSIVE flights..like $2500. So instead I decided to go back to my old roots: Tasmania. I was born there, left at 5/6 to come live in Queensland, and go back every 2 years to visit family and explore around. If you're not Australian then Tasmania is that liiiitle island at the bottom of Australia. It kind feels like a mini England, it's so cute.

After months of adjusting to working a proper job post university I was exhausted and needed a break. Not just a holiday, but a mental break. Personally the way I feel revitalized is hiking. Something about leaving my phone behind (okay it was actually in my backpack but I swear I didn't touch it!) and being in nature makes me feel at peace and relaxes me. Cradle Mountain is one of the most popular hikes in Australia, it's absolutely stunning and rewarding. Would definitely recommend it to everyone - you have to option to do easy hikes or more difficult ones..which is nice if you're just getting into it. I'll let the photos speak for themselves though.

 (How cool am I hiking with a pink shirt on, red backpack, and a puffer jacket tied on my waist haha..nottt)