FRIENDS XO

Yo!

Okay okay sorry for not blogging in quite some time. I definitely want to keep the habit up, and will endeavour to do so, but I have just been lacking in motivation a bit. So I shall make this post a round-up of what’s been going on in my life since the last post!

Work – Post-trip depression has died down somewhat and work has been going fairly well. However, we had a meeting with the editor of our sister newspaper a couple of weeks back in which I felt extremely targeted and got quite upset (fighting back the tears). Since then, I’ve tried to make more effort, and haven’t had any complaints so hopefully things are going better. However, when talking with one of the other girls in the office about my issues, she said she also notices the mean way the editor talks to me and constantly criticizes me. So it’s not just in my head. Unfortunately, the editor is the managers’ darling so I don’t feel as though I can talk to her about it.

Gym – I have been really good since I’ve been back, going 5-6 times a week. It’s such a great release for me (especially when issues like the aforementioned are occurring).

Friends –Haven’t seen my Hastings besties for ageeeeeees which has been lame. Spending time with my friends here is always great. It’s good for the soul.

Music – For some reason lately I can’t get enough of Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa. It’s not a new tune but it’s just so good and it makes me dance. I also love everything by Miguel at the moment.

Movies – Recently I’ve watched Don Jon, The Wolf of Wall Street, and V for Vendetta. Would recommend the latter two. The first one is, well, interesting. I’ll leave it at that.

TV shows – Almost up to date with White Collar and have one more episode of Sherlock to go. Both are just so great. Suits and Game of Thrones are starting up again in not too long – YUSS. Also, I watched an episode of KUWTK a couple of days ago and was LOLing so much that I’ve now completed series one and two. Guilty pleasure.

Books – Finished Catch 22 finally! It only took me about 2 months haha. Actually thought it was a pretty good read once I was done with it. For the latter half of the book I was appreciating how funny and well written it was. Then read Animal Farm – so fantastic! Am now reading The Book Thief which is Ah-mazing so far. In the interim, I also spent the paperplus voucher I was given at Christmas and bought Gone Girl (soon to be a movie and I’d heard the book is great) and I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson which I finished the day I got it. Cutting out sugar is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and having now read two books about sugar, it’s a main goal of mine.

Car – Argh. Discovered my car had a big oil leak which is going to cost far too much to get fixed. Going to take it for a second quote to see if it’s worth fixing. If not, new car time! Sad though, I liked this one L

Family – Haven’t seen them in quite some time and miss them all the time. Seeing my Dad and sister soon though as sister is moving to Palmy in two weekends! That will be cool. I was tasked with finding her a flat, which I did. I hope she likes it! (though I’m sure she will – it’s awesome). Can’t wait to see Dad as well. I’m taking the two of them out to my favourite Japanese restaurant when they’re down. Eeeeep!!

Garcon – Has been far too long since I’ve seen him. Texting has been good though, for the most part. Can’t wait to see him next. We have some stuff to figure out.

Time for a selfie? I think so...

Heh so attractive.

xx

Those moments you're just like YES

I love those days and moments when you're just like YES cause things are going well. I had a day like that on Sunday. I was back in Hastings for the 22nd birthday of my best friend. I love going back to Hastings, especially in summer. It's where a lot of my favourite people reside and in summer the weather is beautiful and they have the best summer fruit and there's lots of lovely things to do outside whilst soaking up the sun.

So anyway, I had a lovely lunch surrounded by lovely people, then bought some deliciously juicy strawberries from the strawberry patch and chilled back with friends before driving back to Palmy. Even the drive there and back was good because I had new music on my ipod and a new car that is super smooth to drive. Ahhhh bliss.

I got to spend time with this gorgeous birthday girl, which is always a pleasure:

xx

Adventure time!

So I'm officially going! Thailand come at me! My friend and I have booked our flights and are off out of here on the 23rd of December! To say I'm really excited is the understatement of the century. Just some of the things I want to do in Thailand include:

• Ride an elephant
• Go on a hilltribe trek
• Go on a river cruise
• Visit some fantastic temples
• Go to the Full Moon New Years party on Ko Phangan
• Stay at least one night in a 5 star hotel (accomodation is crazy cheap)
• Visit the amazing markets
• Eat amazing Thai food
• Drink amazing cocktails on an amazing beach

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

xx

Last weekend

After being relatively unsocial and nanna-ish of late, I had a fabulously social weekend last weekend. A very dear friend who lives in Hamilton came down to visit from Friday to Sunday which was outstanding. On Friday night a group of 6 of us went out for dinner at The Brewer’s Apprentice (if you’re ever in Palmy, stop here, it’s the place to be on Friday nights) which was delicious. After dinner and a cheeky walk to get dessert, we went home to get changed and then went back into town for a bit with another of my lovely friends who was visiting from Wellington. Saturday morning we hit the gym for two hours then saw Johnny Depp’s latest flick The Lone Ranger, which was very amusing. That night we had a few friends over for drinks and hit town (the first time in agesssss for me, considering my town appearance history). It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately my Hamiltonian friend had to leave on Sunday which was sad – a weekend visit just isn’t long enough. But regardless, it was a fantastic weekend.

My friends are just fabulous.

xx

Things that make people interesting

1)      Travel - One of the things I find most interesting to talk about is travel experiences. This is always a one-sided conversation (so it is potentially not as interesting to the person I’m conversing with) because I have yet to leave New Zealand. I love hearing where people have gone, what they’ve seen, and their thoughts on what’s worth seeing and what isn’t. People who are well travelled are worldlier and tend to be super interesting.

2)      Career - Someone with a career that sounds interesting or that I’m unfamiliar with gives that person points on the interesting scale. Imagine the conversations you could have with a taxidermist or criminal lawyer! I have friends in a range of occupations like graphic design, radiography, hairdressing, childcare, accounting, physiotherapy, photography and psycology so I'm pretty spoilt for interesting career talks. I find some jobs are just fascinating. 

3)      Opinionated - Someone who is opinionated is an interesting person. I'm not talking about people who have an opinion about everything, cause that's just annoying. I'm talking about people who are well informed and can hold a decent conversation about something and back up their argument. These people are interesting because there is always an event or something that has led them to hold such beliefs.

4)      Risk-taker - I like to think I'm quite the risk-taker myself. I find people who do things out of the ordinary/out of their comfort zone quite interesting. Perhaps this is because I wish I had the guts to do the same sometimes. 

5)      Avid book reader - I don't really need to explain this one as I have stated before how I love people that read. It's so hot, and to have a deep conversation with someone about a book is one of the best things in the world.

Yay & Nay

Yay - It is almost Friday!!
Nay - I just watched the season 3 finale of Game of Thrones. Waiting for season 4 is going to be tough.
Yay - Got to see my best friend a couple of weekends back, and had such an amazing time with her.
Nay - Realised how much I miss her and now crave her company even more.
Yay - Have been to the gym 3 times already this week, on track for 6 times this week!
Nay - Made a delicious (and semi fancy) meal for the flat tonight and there ended up only being 2 of us there to eat it (out of 5 of us).
Yay - The All Blacks have started up their season again, Saturday night rugby = good times.
Nay - Was fully keen to do the Tough guy and gal challenge with the flatties but then realised I have work on that day. Lame!
Yay - Only one month before I can get my hair done again, hopefully for the last time!!
Nay - A whole month before I can get my hair done again. waaaaa.
Yay - Getting back into reading again, and it is good. So good.
Nay - The weather here lately has meant that I pretty much permanently have my clothes horse up in my room. This means frequently walking into it = bruises = not ideal.
Yay - Have been able to save money again. This is excellent and alleviates a bit of stress from my life.
Nay - Have to pay my car rego tomorrow :(
Yay - Am going overseas at the end of this year! wooop!
Nay - Keep seeing so many lovely things I want to buy. Sometimes I wish I was a millionaire. Then I realise that material things are pretty worthless in the grand scheme of things.
Yay - Get free movies at both Downtown Cinema and Cinema Gold here in Palmy, so I can write reviews for the paper. Ideal for the movie lover that I am.
Nay - I was fully going to write like three posts tonight, then somehow managed to waste time doing nothing at all. As I do. Seriously so bad at that!

And now it is late, and I must rest my tired eyes. I leave you with this:

Stay Rad readers

xx

Bunnies visit Wellington

Hola readers. Again apologies for not being as frequent with my blog posts. Life happens, and things get put on the back burner, which unfortunately tends to be the blog. But do not fret, I always return. I had the most glorious weekend in Wellington last weekend for the flat warming of a good friend. It was a pretty crazy night, after the flat party we hit town and stayed out till about 5:30am. I worked out that this meant that I had been in my heels for about 8 hours straight! And my feet were in so much pain as a result. But it was fun. Wellington town is so much better than Palmy. There's this club called Famous which is my favourite (that I've been to anyway) cause it plays all my favourite tunes and has a real cool atmosphere.

The next day was pretty much a write-off cause we were so tired. But I did try Bubble tea which was a first. I had a milky Taro flavoured one, and didn't really like it. But I had a sip of my friend's mango non-milky one which was delicious so I'm still on the bubble tea fence (so to speak).

All in all, a great weekend. 

Thank you Wellington, always a pleasure :)

xx

Those friends

I've made a new friend recently. And he's become one of 'those friends'. You know the ones, that you can talk to about the most random stuff, at all hours. Whenever we hang out in town, we ditch beer barrel (the place to be in wee ol palmy) and climb the FMG building, go round the side, sit down and yarn about the most random things. Last time it was about the social skills vs academic skills you attain at university, and whether it's better to aim for straight As and not go out much, or go out and socialise but only get B grades. Interesting stuff. We've also discussed the merits of being male vs female, football and IQ tests.

I love friends like that, that you can have random yarns with. I'm very lucky that all of my closest friends are ones I can do exactly this with :)

xx

 

One week on

So the wellness challenge....yeah....haha. So it pretty much failed miserably last week when it was supposed to start. I blame the fact that I had visitors from out of town and thus was going out for meals, having movie nights etc etc. BUT I've made a much greater effort this week. I've been very good and healthy and have been to the gym more so feeling better about my efforts! Still have areas that I need to improve on but pretty pleased with my week so far in this sense. And when you eat healthy you realise how yum healthy food is! Like I had low-fat yoghurt with muesli and sultanas for lunch yesterday and it was so delish! Don't know why I don't have that more often tbh. And apples are just so yummy. As are salads, and soup! (It's been ridiculously cold here lately).

On another note, I've been super busy with work at the paper lately, and am getting things published every week. Things I've covered lately have included: a triathlon, the 'Square Affair' retro festival, a 100th birthday celebration, the NZ and US meat export market (my Daddy would be proud), home insulation and education for teen parents. It's so varied and interesting, and I love it.

Also had my two 21st celebrations recently, one a huge house party (which was soooooo fun/crazy) and the other a lovely lunch back in Hastings with my family and a couple of friends. Got to catch up with these gorgeous ladies who I don't get to see very often:

And this was my amazing cake courtesy of le mothership:

Wish I turned 21 more often!!

xx

Cray Cray

So last night was going to be a relatively quiet one, a few bevys with a couple of girls. No big deal. HAHAHA well that plan was shot through the roof and we ended up having an amazing flat party with about 20 people. It was off the chain. And the best part about it was that everyone had a good time. Excellent practice for the big one this coming Saturday!! Which reminds me, I'm almost 21!! Wow.

My left arm is currently covered in vivid ramblings which, despite my best scrubbing efforts, are refusing to budge. Sigh.

I saw a funny quote today:

"Heat makes things expand. So I don't have a weight problem...I'm just hot..."

Also, I have begun the process of returning to blonde. Had my first 'eraser strip' session on Saturday which lightened my hair quite a bit. Next I am getting foils done to further lighten. Very excited :)

This is the goal:

 

Colour before (please excuse the completely posed nature of this selfie)

Colour after (hopefully!) (also, JLawr is such a babe blonde!!)

Peace readers

xx

Inadvertent absence

I've been rather busy lately. More socially than anything, though my work hours have also increased a bit (such a relief). A few things I've been up to lately:

• Work experience at the local community paper. This has given me an insight into journalism and I like what I see!! Have had 3 articles published so far including one front page!! :)
• A 21st in Wellington for one of my dear friends. It was absolutely awesome and we ended up staying out till about 4:30am (at which point we were pretty much falling asleep in the clubs lol)
• A very enjoyable visit to Wellington zoo.
• My first ever hotpot experience. I was the only non-asian present and found the whole experience super interesting. Delicious also.
• Attended Jim Beam Homegrown. And what a day it was. My absolute favourite was Minuit. 
• Job screening test in Wellington at Sentia Media. Such a flash office! Would absolutely love to work there.
• Being super social. Town 3 times in a week is not uncommon atm (possibly need to ease up hah).

My favourite picture from our zoo trip:

so cute

xx

What's been up lately...

Apologies for my delay between posts, I have been all over the place lately and haven't actually found the time/have been too lazy to sit down and write. But I will be better from now.

Over the past few weeks I have been on the hunt for a job, which is getting more and more desperate/depressing/scary/worrying as time goes on and my savings keep whittling down. Thankfully my hours at my current job have picked up a bit again but still not enough. I have lost count of the number of jobs I've applied for online, but the problem with online job-hunting is that all those jobs are applied for by hundreds of people, and there will always be someone more qualified or better for the role than me. It's hard to not get really down about the lack of success, but I'm trying to keep my head up!

In talking about my monetary woes though, I have myself to blame for a lot of it. I've been travelling around a lot lately, which hasn't helped my funds! I had the 21st of one of my dearest friends in Hamilton one weekend (which was awesome!) then was up in Hamilton again the following weekend for the Parachute music festival (sooooooooo much fun) which was a real money-killer. Fortunately since then I've been able to curb my spending quite a bit, and I've had some decent work shifts too.

Here are some pics from my life lately...

Social social social!! Sorry some of the pics are terrible quality (they're from an iphone).

My next step is to go door-knocking with my CV. I am dreading this very much, but I must do it.

Ly xx

The old resolutions

So the time has come to welcome in the new year - 2013. I am heading back to Hastings this afternoon to see the new year in with my best friends. I am really quite excited. We will probably head over to Napier and watch the firework display. So I found my resolutions that I made at the start of this year, and here's how I did:

• Do really well academically seeing as it's my final (and most important!) year

I did pretty well this year, though I could have done better for sure, but then that's always the case. I'm pretty happy to get top in class for a few of my papers, and to have a degree that has over 50% A grades. It's awesome to have a degree under my belt now! And can't wait for graduation!!

• Get into the habit of eating really healthily. Three meals a day, everyday. Here's to making this year the one where I finally kick those unhealthy habits!

Don't think I've really achieved this one. Had periods of eating really well but they didn't tend to last very long. I definitely still need to get into the 3 meal a day routine.

• Keep up regular exercise.

Yes!! Jaclyn and I have been excellent with the gym this year, and I've reached the point where I actually really enjoy going. We've varied things up this year by taking Les Mills classes to supplement our usual cardio sessions, and this has definitely made exercise more enjoyable :)

• Be more social, and make more friends!

Well I most definitely achieved this one! It has been my most social year to date. The people we flatted with helped with this as they were a social bunch. I have been out pretty much every weekend! It's been great. And I have made more friends as a result. Met so many new, interesting people. Didn't really have many guy mates before this year but I can say I now do, which is cool as.

• Become more self-confident....somehow...

These all kinda link in with each other. Definitely have become more self-assured and confident. No doubt being way more social has helped in this respect. Actually was talking to Jac about this a little while ago and she said she'd noticed it in me too. This makes me happy :)

• Go to more gigs!

Haven't really been to many local gigs. But I did go to Coldplay (which was beyond amazing) so that kinda counts, right?

• Blog more! And maybe get to 10 followers? 

Don't know if I've blogged more but I've kept it up! And yes I surpassed 10 followers! Yuss. 

A kiss for you loyal readers, cause you are awesome :) 

xx

One magical night

On the 8th of December it was the 21st of one of my nearest and dearest friends. A group of about 20 of us went out for a meal at Lonestar in Napier and then went back to her place for dessert and drinks. My amazing friend had completely decked out the backyard with a gazebo, fairy lights, candles and other lovely things so that the effect was a magical wonderland of sorts. It was just beautiful. The dessert was fantastic too - cream puffs, jelly slice, cheesecake, strawberries, whoopie pies, mini pavlovas...!! It was the most wonderful night. Great food, great music and great company. Unfortunately I didn't get too many photos of the setup but here are some that give you a rough idea (though they don't really do it justice):

^^and one of the cool kids couch ;)

I believe that Jess got a few ideas for decorations from pinterest. Definitely a source of inspiration if you have any events coming up!!

xx

Oh hai there :)

Hey there readers, sorry for my absence!

Our flat has been between internet plans so I've been relying on phone internet for the past wee while, which is simply not viable for blogging. But I have now returned!!

Since my last blog post:

• Two of my flatmates (including the bestie) have moved out. There are currently only two inhabitants, and its weird not having the loud ones around anymore. 
• We had one last party at the flat before these two moved out. It got cray. Jac and I dressed up as cats, we were pretty darn cute.
• I've been working a fair amount, which is good because Christmas is super close! ahhh!
• I've become a fan and user of Instagram.
• I've watched heaps of Game of Thrones. It's amazing.
• Had the most lovely weekend in Hastings with the parents. Lovely food and great company = bliss.
• Caught up with a few friends, which has been nice.

Jac and I had a pamper day and did these face-mask thingys. One of mine was electric blue, as you can see. This is my take on 'blue steel', Derek Zoolander eat your heart out...!

Got given this super cute gift for being a valued customer at 278 on Cuba. It's hot chocolate in a jar! Choc drink powder, choc bits and marshmallows...just add to hot milk and voila! So cuuute :D

xx

Humour

I've randomly been thinking about the different types of humour lately, because one of the first things I notice about someone I meet is what sort of sense of humour they have, and something that attracts me to someone is if they have a similar sense of humour to me.

I asked my mum what sort of sense of humour I have a few weeks ago and she described it as "dry quirky" and "witty". I definitely notice that the humour I use is not everyone's forte, as sometimes I'll meet someone and make a joke that I'd be used to my friends laughing at and this new person won't laugh, and its like...awkward....haha.

This is one of the main attractions to le garcon, our humour is very similar :/

So I googled types of humour just to see how they can be classified, and have discovered that my sense of humour is a mixture of these types:

• Sarcastic - I use sarcasm a LOT. If you know me well, you will be aware of this. Sometimes I even use sarcasm in text. This usually fails.
• Self-deprecating - I will often make fun of myself. And others, actually, but in a joking way. This sometimes comes back to bite me though if the other person doesn't realise I'm kidding...
• Witty/Highbrow - I like to think I'm a bit witty. I like to use puns :)

A sense of humour is a wonderful thing, and is so so so important. Cause your friends are those who not only are there for you through thick and thin but who also make you laugh lots (and thereby share a similar sense of humour). And personally, I love to laugh, and heartily appreciate those who can make me laugh :D

This is a photo of me laughing. I have no idea what Jess and I were laughing at, but any time spent with her involves many many laughs. I love this picture though, its so in-the-moment and candid <3

xx

People I wish were my friends

Jamie Oliver - Seems like such a chilled, down to earth guy, with a heart of gold. Not to mention his amazing culinary talents. Like honestly, imagine going to a dinner party at his place...(drools)...!

Johnny Depp - Do I really need to explain this one? He is pretty much the epitome of cool, and he is an amazing musician and quite a looker too. Can just imagine he would be an awesome person to chill with outside on the deck in the sun with a cold beverage, jamming his guitar.

Zooey Deschanel - Quirky and a complete babe, if she's anything like her character on New Girl she would be one fun chick to hang with. I imagine she would be the kind of friend to do girly things like baking or crafts with. Or go antiquing with.

Stephen Fry - Wittiness is something that I really admire (and wish I had more of), and this guy is pretty much the ultimate master. Hopefully being his friend would mean some of his incredible intellect would rub off on me....!

Jack Tame - This TVNZ journalist seems like such a cool dude. He's so passionate about what he does and mega talented at it too. I imagine him being a friend that you could have deep and meaningfuls with about current events yet still go out with for a dance.

George Orwell - I admire the mind of this man greatly. Through his novels you can see he has some pretty strong beliefs, and I just imagine a conversation with him would be stimulating and thought-provoking.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Pretty much think this guy is amazing. He's an incredibly talented actor, a good singer and super cute! I reckon he seems like a guy you could watch chick flicks with, and he would actually enjoy them, and would enjoy walks around pretty gardens and stuff like that. Not saying that he's really girly, but he comes across as a guy who would enjoy and appreciate the simple things in life.

Atticus Finch - An emblem of unwavering morality and goodness, who wouldn't want Atticus Finch as a friend! He would be the type of friend you'd go to for life advice, the type of friend that everyone needs.

Quite an eclectic group of people aye! Funny that there's only one female in there too. 

Who do you think would be a cool friend? Fictional characters allowed ;)

Nailed It

One of my good uni friends, Jessie, has gotten into nail art this year and every time I see her I'm intrigued to see what design she is currently wearing. She is amazingly talented at it, and I always marvel at the patience she must have to painstakingly paint each different design.

Here are some of my favourites...

Floral Pattern

Cute cat pattern

Sneakers! so cute!

Despicable Me minions!

Pacman - amaze.

Watermelon

Pretty florals 

My personal favourites - rose pattern :)

Ain't she talented! Check out many more amazing designs and the tutorials for them on her blog and be sure to check out and 'like' her facebook page!! She's an awesome chick too :)

xx 

Current life haps

Hey there! Sorry for the delay between posts, I keep meaning to post but then don't get round to it...my bad. Here's what's up with me lately:

• Uni - getting pretty busy atm. 3 assignments due next week (gaaaaah). I'm sure lecturers get together in their staff room thingys and connive to put due dates all in the same week. evil. 
• Work - got heaps of hours over the study break which was excellent (ca-ching!). Next few shifts are doing nights which I much prefer, so cruisey!
• Flat - going ok at the moment. Things have calmed down somewhat (for now anyway). As always, love living with Jac who is my go-to/confidante/partner in crime/SB4lyf.
• Weekend - Nuts. Had 2 crazy Australians visiting the flatmate over the weekend. So the boys decided they would do a 3 day bender: going out Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Thursday night I sober drove them to town (5 big boys in my little hatchback (one in boot) = LOL), they got home 2:30am. Friday night they had another added to their number and hit a party then went to town. Awoke at 3am to moaning in the hallway followed by retching in the bathroom. Poor Graeme had a wee bit too much. Saturday night they were all over the place so Jac and I went to watch the rugby at Erik's and then hit town with him. Met the boys in town. Got home with the boys at 3:30am and went straight to sleep. Pretty sure a few boys slept  on the floor that night cause we didn't have enough couches/beds for everyone. Crazy but fun times. Also hung with the parents on Saturday during the day which was awesome. So lovely to see them again. We went out for lunch, I took them for a tour of my work and then we had a drink beside the fire at Brewer's Apprentice. So nice. Also got to see Jess and Ethan on Sunday which was also cool! Such a mean weekend filled with my favourite people :) :) :)
• Le Garcon - texts everyday, is coming over for a movie night on Friday (ta for advice Emma), is also coming to party in Hastings with me&jac&erik this weekend! excite! still incredibly attractive ;)
• Gym - really enjoying it lately. Body Attack tonight YAY (that is not laced with sarcasm btw).
• Music - getting into a bit of trance music lately, courtesy of le garcon. Armand van Buuren what up.
• Recent splurges - went clothes shopping with Jac yesterday, spent too much oops. Bought a khaki parka (have been wanting one for aaaaaaaaages so this purchase was justified I think), a top and some cute ankle boots. Also bought some new flats today. Soooooo balance has suffered a wee bit.

Here are some photos from Thursday night. Adam, Blair and Dan were gutted they weren't on my photo wall so made me take some  photos. However, they wouldn't stay still so the pics are all rather blurry. This is probably how they were seeing things though hehe...

Me & Adam - I was standing on the bed so I could be the same height as him. 

Me, Adam, Blair

Adam and Blair - he actually wasn't punching Blair in the face.

Adam, Blair and Dan. Silly boys wouldn't stop moving. LOL

good times though

xx