conquer with coffee.

I've been living in what seems to be an Antarctic climate (actually like -4 degrees celsius to 10 degrees celsius) for a week now and there are definitely a few things I've learnt that differ from living in hot Queensland weather. I thought, since I can't think of "creative content" to upload I would give you a little list of the things I've learnt since living in a cold climate.

1. Always take a spare cardigan with you. I don't care if you're already wearing a shirt, pullover jumper and a jacket; take another cardigan with you wherever you go. Leave it in your car, in your handbag... Just always have one spare because you never know if you're going to need a spare.

2. Following on from taking a cardigan with you everywhere, take an umbrella everywhere! That cold weather can quickly turn into rain and no one wants to be that guy who is stuck in the rain without an umbrella.

3. A hot water bottle will become your best friend. I had never owned, or even thought about owning, a hot water bottle under a week ago when I moved to freezing temperatures!

4. Moisturiser is also your best friend. Cold weather bring on dry skin in a lot of people and I am not an exception. I underestimated. When living in Queensland, I would moisturise my body once a fortnight to keep it from looking (and feeling dry), living in colder climate has meant that every morning I need to moisturise!

5. Speaking of moisturising (what I gross word!), I've been taking quite a few Lush Bath Bomb baths. A lot of them have moisturising qualities in them and are proving to be very useful! Just baths in general really; soaking in the tub, listening to some Mumford & Sons, scrolling through Pinterest... isn't that just perfection?!?

6. Your "style" is probably going to change. Now, while I will still jump at the chance of being able to wear a midi skirt and crop top, or skinny jeans and a tshirt for the next few years I'm going to have to settle on the jeans, shirt and jacket option. Only reason being, anything else is far too cold!!!!!!

7. Candles. There's something soothing and warming about lighting a candle.

8. Snuggling up and watching movies - today I sat in my bed and watched 4 hours of Downton Abbey. I've been told (since it came out) that it was a show that I would really enjoy... So far, so good.

9. Not exclusive to living in a cold climate, but living away from home. FaceTime/technology is also amazing! I constantly have Snapchat sprees with Anemice and we text pretty much all day :-)

P.S. I know I mentioned this about a year ago but I am going to start uploading some videos - things like follow me around and vlog style videos. I have wanted to upload videos to YouTube for 3 - 4 years now but have always lacked the confidence. Now that I've gained a stable following on this blog I've finally had the kick in the butt to start making videos. It's only a trial for now and it won't be super frequent but they have been suggested by viewers for around 8 - 9 months now so I thought I'd see how well they go.

- Stay tuned for those!

No comments

, by Unknown

Welcome to Hobart.

No comments

, by Unknown

I HATE EMOTIONS.

This is less about hating emotions and more about hating other people's negative influence on my life.

I hate how one (or at the moment in my case, 2) people can have such a horrible, terrible, not so good (I hope at least one person gets that reference) impact on my life. Now, this isn't an everlasting impact but at this current point there are just a few things going on that I could do without. I trust you guys enough that I feel comfortable sharing with you, as long as you promise not to email nasty things...

As we all know, Joshua and I have recently broke up. I'm not sure if any of you have previously experience exactly this before but we are still in (minor) contact and are tossing up whether or not to give our relationship another shot... Stupid thought, I know. I trust that someone out there, somewhere, will have some sort of advice that they may see fit and email through to me (or if you know me personally, text me). I'm not confident enough in myself at this point to openly ask for guidance, but I think if the advice was there I would take it. I'm at a bit of a crossroad; I don't know what to do, where to go, who to trust, who to ask. I do know that I am quite enjoying my 'hermit' time and enjoying my own company for a while until I start back up at university for Semester Two.

The emotion part comes into action when I start to think about how this whole 'Joshua and I' thing is going to affect my little hermit bubble. We were happy together, living in our shared bubble but I am also happy now. I can't decide which makes me happier but I can definitely say both make me happy.

Another person has recently come into my life - recently as in today. I'm not really ready to talk about this one because I'm not too sure that I am comfortable with the situation at all but I'm ignoring it while I can and will start pondering it tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. I love procrastinating and I hate confrontation - welcome to my life.

I'm treating myself to a few nights at a spa retreat so that I can forget about everyone else (don't tell me that's overly selfish - I know, but when else could I just forget about everyone else except when in my teens?!?) and focus on being pampered.

Decisions... Decisions...

It's more than likely that I'll keep you posted, until then - have a good day! :-)

No comments

, by Unknown

7 Things TAG.

One Insecurity;
1. I have just always (since I can remember) been quite an insecure person; no real reason why, it's just the way I've always been. But I would have to say that my biggest insecurity is the shape and size of my body. [Don't lecture me about how no one is forcing me to eat that cupcake or that I can go for a run or to the gym.] And for that very reason, there are very limited people who will ever see me in limited/no clothing.

Two Fears;
1. I have a completely irrational fear of death. Whenever the topic arrises I do all that I can to either change to topic or remove myself from the conversation. I know, I know, I know... It happens to everyone and there's nothing I can do about it, but I just don't like the thought of death.
2. Another (possibly) irrational fear. I am scared that I will focus too hard on my career, suddenly I'm in my mid-30s and I haven't had a family.

Three Turn Ons;
1. I love a good sense of humour.
2. Inner nerd/book worm. Finding out someone has a secret shrine to Doctor Who or a large collection of books is awesome.
3. Thoughtfulness. When someone else puts in a lot of thought to things, it really shows and is super impressive.

Four Life Goals;
1. I would really like to live overseas for a few years. Whether that be straight after university, when I have a family or when I am retired - I would love to live in another country for a while.
2. I would like to have a child (or two, or three, or four). I go through phases of wanting and not wanting children, but I think deep down it will happen one day.
3. Be genuinely happy. Be happy with where I am in my career, be happy with my family and friends and just be enjoying each stage of my life.
4. [I figure since the last three have been kind of sentimental I can put this in] I would really like to travel around either Europe or North America with a friend or two and just chill out, relax and explore.

Five Weaknesses;
1. [I've talked about this before] I couldn't prioritise to save my life. I do things like blogging, instead of packing. I go out for coffee instead of doing assignments.
2. I find it hard to say no. If someone asks me for a favour, I find it very hard to say no. This can sometime become a bad thing, I've been told that it means I don't have enough time to do the things that I want to do and I am constantly fulfilling others needs.
3. Organisation. Organisation. Organisation. Let's just leave it at, I start doing an assignment hours before it's due because I forget.
4. Household chores. I absolutely hate anything to do with cleaning or attempting to keep things tidy. My least favourite thing about living alone is grocery shopping, which is why I rarely do it.

5. I have very little confidence. I have definitely taught myself how to fake confidence over the last 12 months but I am still working on it. I have only just began to be confident around my closest friends so it will take some time before I open up to others.

Six Strengths;
1. I would like to say that I believe my writing ability is pretty good. Not in things that I have a set criteria to or anything because I hate having to stick to restrictions, but freelance writing.
2. Random talent: I am actually very good at ballroom style dancing. I don't know why, Josh and I started taking ballroom dance classes as a joke (we were the youngest by at least 40 years - it's incredibly fun though), but I'm randomly good at it.
3. I would like to believe that I am quite good at socialising with people. Up until the middle of grade 12, I was socially awkward talking to people I didn't know but I think that's change and I've learnt to be myself... - coming back to that "fake confidence" -
4. I have been told that I am very romantic when I want to be. (We've talked about this before) I was never a huge fan of [over the top] romance. But within the last 6 months I have been attempting to do more romantic things for Josh. I'm not going into details but now that I'm becoming more accepting I've realised I have a knack for spontaneity.

5. Cooking. Before I moved out of home I couldn't even make toast without burning it. Having to become independent I have taught myself how to cook the perfect spaghetti bolognese, salmon, chicken, stir-frys and curries.

6. I can't think of a sixth one, so here's something stupid... still a strength though! I am very good at holding my liquor. There have been quite a few occasions where I am one of the only people who hasn't thrown up after a party and I take that in my stride and consider it a great strength :-)

Seven Things I Love;
1. I love being a hermit. I love coming home, having a relaxing bubble bath and a hot tea, getting into comfortable pyjamas and cuddling up under a blanket to watch some Netflix.
2. I love the support that I receive from my friends and family. No matter my choice - changing universities, moving across the country, etc. - they support my decisions and I will be forever grateful!
3. I love learning new things.
4. I love warm baths, a glass of wine, rose petals, candles and a bath bomb.

5. I love travelling/exploring new places. I love driving along the coast line and pulling up to a small town that I've never stopped at before. I love walking along beaches, up mountains or through parks I've never explored before. I also love travelling to new cities and countries; immersing myself into a new culture and experiencing new things.

6. My inner nerd loves reading, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.

7. I love food!!!!!! My favourite dish at the moment is a chicken stir-fry and I've been making it at least once a week.

No comments

, by Unknown

20 Favourites

I haven't done one of these in a little while and I stumbled across this "tag" on Tumblr this morning, so I thought I'd upload my version for today's post.

1. Colour:
Can I say black and white? Otherwise, probably mint blue and pink.

2. Dessert:

I have a weakness for cake: chocolate cake, ice cream cake, any kind of cake.

3. Smell:

I love the smell of most flowers, fresh cut grass and caramel.

4. Flower:

White or red roses, daisies, sunflowers.

5. Animal:

I love dolphins!!! And cats!!! And elephants!!!

6. Month:

It would have to be August. It's not only my birth month but it's the season where it's coming out of Winter so it's still kind of cold but pretty flowers of Spring are blooming.

7. Beverage:

I love a good peach iced tea. As for alcoholic beverage? Probably just a vodka and lemonade or an espresso martini.

8. Shoes:

I love comfortable sandals. My personal favourite at the moment, though, are my Windsor Smith boots.

9. Snack:

Hmmm. I love apples and peanut butter. I also love avocado on toast with salt and pepper.

10. Song:

If we're talking favourite song of all time, it would have to be something from Nora Jones. If it's a current favourite song because of sentimental value it would have to be Love is Strange by Mickey & Sylvia. If it's just simply, my favourite song of right now it would have to be The Wedding Song by Matthew Mole.

11. Book:

That's far too difficult!!! Currently, it would have to be The End of Alice by A. M. Homes. As for my favourite book of all time - it would have to be a classic like To Kill A Mockingbird, Emma, A Clockwork Orange or Lolita.

12. Fruit:

Grapefruit, dragon-fruit or strawberries - depending what's in season.

13. Hairstyle:

Ummmm. On myself? A pixie cut or something else quite short.

14. Piece of clothing:

I love my navy "dress coat" that I am wearing almost everyday at the moment. It's comfortable, warm and goes with everything.

15. Stores to shop:

TopShop, Country Road, Universal Store, Dissh, Bardot, Portmans, Review, etc.

16. Season:

WINTER - cuddling up under a blanket with a hot chocolate and candles lit is my idea of perfection!

17. Magazine:

I love the magazine Frankie. It's a paper magazine with artsy photos and beautifully written articles.

18. Things to collect:

I collect movie stubs, polaroid photos, tickets, anything that has an awesome memory attached to it.

19. Movie:

I love anything with Meryl Streep or Benedict Cumberbatch!

20. Restaurant:

There is a restaurant near me called Ahmet's. It's a turkish restaurant and is just perfection!

No comments

, by Unknown

[Not so] Ready to Mingle.

Single and ready to mingle; that's the quote right? The few weeks (days for some people, months for others) after coming out of a serious-ish relationship are quite difficult. I've now experienced this feeling twice. After you've been apart of a couple for such a length of time, suddenly doing things on your own seems very strange. I mean, even things like going to get groceries on my own is a very weird concept. Living completely alone, knowing that no one is coming home is another of those weird concepts. It was coming. I knew it was. I knew that one day, soon, our relationship would end. Josh and I were moving to separate cities and growing apart from each other. Those 6 months we spent together were incredible and I am thankful for getting to know Joshua over that time. I know to some people, 6 months is not a long relationship at all; our relationship was quite a short one but everything progressed quite quickly.

We were living together very quickly, the thought of one day being married was incredibly prominent and we spent as much time together as we could. I'm not mad, or angry, or sad, or upset. It's a painful feeling, but one that can't really be expressed in words. Like, an emptiness? A sudden feeling of not being loved, or cared for, or needed anymore. Like suddenly, everything I do is followed by me questioning myself and my actions. I'm not very good at expressing emotion. It was a weird feeling, one of we knew it was happening but put it to the back of our minds and pretended everything was fine. We both knew that this was coming, we (from the very beginning) knew it would only be until one of us moved away. And that time came around, luckily, longer than first thought. Initially, we met and knew that he was moving away for his job in 2-3 months. He postponed. It wasn't until we realised that it just wasn't really working and it would be better for both of us to continue our lives, without each other, that the decision to separate became apparent.

Don't get me wrong, that conversation was incredibly difficult (especially for one who hates confrontation), but it was a happy one at that or at least as happy as it could have been. I cried. He cried. It's hard to explain how it ended. I'm writing this blog post more for me to remember this incredible relationship that I was ever so lucky to be apart of. I'm thankful for meeting Joshua. I'm thankful we got to spend the time together that we did. I'm thankful for all of the wonderful memories. And I'm thankful for the not-so-shitty break up. I use italics for the words 'break up' because were we ever really together? We both knew the end was near, we both knew it was only a short term thing because we enjoyed each others company. It's kind of hard to explain, or at least for now it is.

I'm not going to go into detail, but our break up sort of continued for a weekend. We had planned to spend the weekend before he moved away together in a cabin in a remote place so that we could truly enjoy each others company. Phones were used to a minimum. And we spent the entire weekend spending the last moments with each other. It's an odd concept to try and comprehend (spending an entire weekend with someone only to know that once Monday rolls around, everything between you two is over) but it just felt right. You know when you have those gut feelings that just feel like yes, this is what I should be doing and I should embrace and enjoy the situation? Well, that's how I describe both the beginning and end of Joshua and my relationship. I had an overwhelming sense of this is the right thing to do, no matter how long it's going to last emotion when the two of us began dating and the you've had a sensational roller coaster six months and I wouldn't do anything to change them sense of emotion at the end.

In saying all of this, I'm not yet ready to move on. A part of me is still waiting for him to walk through the door as if he's just been away on a business trip and he's coming back home. But then, I know he's not. I know he's gone and I know I need some time to get a grip around that thought. This is me time now, I'm not going to go rushing into another relationship for a while, I want this time for myself; time to discover who I am without being in a relationship. A chance for me to enjoy some proper alone time.

XX

No comments

, by Unknown

I Love My Friends!

No comments

, by Unknown

Bye Bye Brisbane.

As my weeks in Brisbane are coming to an end, I've been doing all that I can to cram in as much time with my closest friends and family while I can.

Saturday June 6th: Who doesn't love a good musical? Dirty Dancing is one of my favourite movies and it holds a sentimental meaning so I was beyond excited when I found out the musical production was coming to Brisbane!

Wednesday June 10th: There are the most beautiful shops in Paddington. They are incredibly artistic and beautifully designed. My friend Abigail and I spent the afternoon visiting the cute cafes and adorable shops.

Wednesday June 10th: This is the city view from my balcony. I love that the clouds add a level of character to the photo.

Wednesday June 10th: My favourite place in the city is Mt Coot-tha Lookout. It's about a 20 minute drive from the city but I've been going up at least once a week to watch the sunset and enjoy the beautiful views of the entirety of Brisbane.

Thursday June 11th: These two girls are my best friends. The girls I can call upon for anything, anytime. On Thursday night we laughed, we cried and had endless fun. I can't even begin to imagine what living apart from them is going to be like but I know we'll stay in contact and make every attempt to see each other whenever we can. Meeting these two lovely ladies over two years ago through debating seems a lifetime ago and I feel as though we become closer and closer whenever we're together. I want to thank them both for the incredible memories we've made together and I know we will make many more in the future. I love you Anemice and Cara and will miss you both dearly.

Thursday June 11th: I love having/taking polaroids photographs. It's having a printed memory in your hand, you don't need to scroll endlessly through your phone or camera to find a photo. We had an incredible amount of fun and certainly memories that I won't forget for a very long time!

Friday June 12th: Since it's my last weekend living in Brisbane for at least a few years I had some friends over for a bit of a 'gathering'. Good friends, good fun, good alcohol.

Friday June 12th: The ladies. Abigail, me, Chelsea, Sasha and Harriet.

Friday June 12th: I had my first ever Vodka Cruiser... I can see why so many "white girls" get incredibly drunk, incredibly quickly. It tastes like soft drink!

Friday June 12th: I don't really know how to caption this. I just remember it being hilarious to take the photo and it reminds me how fun the night was. (And before you ask, yes... I did get a new tattoo on my ribs - it is roman numerals of my nan's birthday)

Friday June 12th: Abigail, me, Chelsea, Sasha and Harriet.

Friday June 12th: Abigail and I were getting distracted taking selfies while playing "Kings Cup"

Friday June 12th: Apparently we all love wearing white.

Friday June 12th: This is Harriet. I love her. She's amazing. Love.

Saturday June 13th: The morning after the night before.

- Emma xo

No comments

, by Unknown

Pages

I Can't Do This.

My Week in Photos.

Baby, It's Cold Outside.

Welcome to Hobart.

I HATE EMOTIONS.

7 Things TAG.

20 Favourites

[Not so] Ready to Mingle.

I Love My Friends!

Bye Bye Brisbane.

About Me

Blog Archive

About me

Labels

recent posts

Pinterest

Add Me ON

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images

Instagram

Pages

About Me

Blog Archive

About me

Labels

recent posts

Pinterest

Add Me ON

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images

Instagram

Subscribe