So, 2014 aye

So 2014 huh. The year of slack blogging. This is only my 19^th post this year and for that I am somewhat ashamed. I love blogging, and there have been plenty of things going on that I could have blogged about. I think it’s partly because my job involves writing. So I’m writing all day and don’t really feel like it when I get home.

I have kept a record of every book I’ve read each year since my first year at high school (when I used to read 100+ books  a year – yes I was a book nerd!) and the other day I counted the amount of books I’ve read this year and it was only 11. I was less than impressed with myself so I set myself a goal of reading at least one more so I would get to 12 which equates to one a month. That’s still not very good but I can live with it.

è I’m currently reading Eat Pray Love. It’s excellent. I’ve already got massive wanderlust and this book just feeds that. It’s about a lady who leaves her monotonous life and spends a year travelling Italy, India and Indonesia on her own. It’s such a delicious book.

è Before that I read Pig Island by Mo Hayder. Also excellent. A thriller unlike I’ve ever read before and the entire time I was reading this book I was thinking ‘gosh this would make a good movie!’

Part of the reason that I’ve become so slack at reading is because of the number of excellent television shows these days. Once I find a show that I like, I’ll stream an episode with my dinner every night and then usually watch at least one more episode during the night. This year I’ve made my way through Pretty Little Liars (guilty pleasure – it’s pretty stupid), Luther and White Collar and just this week discovered an absolute gem – How to get away with Murder. Hnnnng this show is fantastic. I love legal dramas (Suits is one of my great loves) so this immediately appealed to me and BY GOLLY it’s good. I’m a little sad though because it’s only in season 1 and only has 9 episodes, which I’ve finished. I also flirted with Teen Wolf this year but got over that after a few seasons. Next up I want to try True Detective, Vikings, Gotham and finally get into Community.

In other news, I’m moving to England next year. I’ve just started the process of getting my working VISA and then I’m applying for a live-in pub job through the London Pub Company. My aim is to do that for 4 months then look for a job relevant to my field. While I’m over there I want to see Europe too. I’m doing this on my own which is scary but I think it will be good for me. I’m going to be forced to make friends and rely on my own resourcefulness.

I’m going to take my time getting to England before I start my job and stop in LA, New York and Reykjavik on my way over. I’m so very excited. It’s going to be epic. I may love it or hate it but I won’t know until I try!

I’m looking forward to the Christmas break! Spending time with friends and family, good food, sitting in the sun with a good book and just relaxing will be so therapeutic. I’ll be in Hawke’s Bay and Hamilton for my break – hopefully the weather is good so time can be spent outdoors.

Bye for now xx

Skills of a modern woman

I came across an article the other day on The Huffington Post (probably my favourite news site) which had a list of skills that they reckon every modern woman should have. I love lists like this so wanted to test myself and see which skills I’ve got, and which ones I perhaps need to work on. Here’s my results:

1)   Make at least one great cocktail – I can’t check this one off as I never make cocktails myself (unless vodka and orange counts..?). If I was going to learn one to make though it would be the Mojito, they’re my favourite!

2)   Drink without getting a hangover the next morning – Concerned that the first two are about alcohol. But I can definitely do this. I don’t drink very often these days and being sensible about it when I do is pretty easy.

3)   Look good in a photo – I think from shoulders up is ok but I don’t think I’ve mastered how to look good in a full-body photo just yet.

4)   Remove unwanted body hair the most effective, painless and affordable way possible – While I haven’t tried all ways of removing hair, my methods are fine, thanks.

5)   Dump someone gracefully – Haven’t mastered this one as haven’t had to do it!

6)   Write a sincere thank you note – I don’t know the last time I wrote a thank you note but with a career in writing I’d hope I would be able to do this!

7)   Set a table – Yes I can do this. Growing up and having to set the table plus having to set hundreds of tables through hospo work has given me this skill.

8)   Open a bottle of champagne – Again, working in hospo I’ve done this sooooo many times.

9)   Send a group email – Yes.

10) Dress for your body type – I don’t know if I have this skill because I don’t really tend to think about my body type when I’m shopping. I just sort of go with what I like and think looks good. I may well be doing myself a disservice, who knows.

11) Graciously offer assistance to someone in need – Yes.

12) Book a vacation – As of last year, yes!

13) Hide a bad hair day – Put it up in a slick bun? Yes.

14) Find the best deal – For sure. I’m all about looking online to see if I can find something cheaper than in store.

15) Write a cover letter – Yep, you get really good at this when you’re applying for jobs after uni.

16) Hold a baby – Support its head, right? Haha I think I know the right way…

17) Wrap a gift someone would be excited to open – I don’t tend to care too much about wrapping presents beyond the basic (my sister is really good at making them look amazing) so maybe I should start making more effort?

18) Start a conversation – Just ask people about themselves. I used to be soooo shy but I now know how to converse confidently. I’d say my job has helped me a lot in this respect.

19) End a conversation – Yeah I get pretty good at this through my job too. Often I’ve only good the car booked for an hour and a person I’m interviewing will be rabbiting on and on and on and I have to stop them.

20) Pack everything needed for a weekend getaway in one small bag – I suuuuck at packing and always overpack! But I often go somewhere for the weekend and just take one bag with me so I think I can tick this one off.

21) Ask someone out – I have done this only with people I already know. I have never asked out someone I’ve just met though. I don’t think I have the courage for that!

22) Invest her money – Ummmm….

23) Use Google maps or some other 21^st century version of direction giving – I use Google maps a lot! I’ve had to go and meet lots of people at random addresses for work which I wouldn’t have a clue where they were if it weren’t for Google! Also have turned to maps on my phone when I’m out and about and get lost. Best invention ever.

24) Pack her purse with essentials – I don’t carry a purse. I’m more of a satchel girl. But I always have what I need so yes to this one.

25) Prepare a tasty and healthy dinner for herself and at least one guest – Yes. I used to cook dinner at home for my family fairly often and used to cook for a flat of 5 so definitely can do this.

26) Edit, upload and print photos – Yes.

27) Perform CPR – Did it in high school but haven’t since. However I am booked in for a course through work soon!

28) Choose a ripe fruit – Yes. I know my fruit.

29) Cook and carve a chicken – Can do the cooking but not proficient at carving. I just hack in to cooked chickens haha.

30) Google her date – Absolutely.

31) Negotiate a salary and/or pay rise – Haven’t had to do this so nope I don’t have this skill.

32) Bite her tongue when it’s appropriate to – I’d say I’m too good at this and often don’t say what I’m thinking when it wouldn’t hurt to do so.

33) Get a passport – Yes.

34) Reserve a library book online – Yes.

35) Leave reviews online – Yes.

36) Find the right bra – I think so?

37) Welcome a new neighbor or coworker – Yes.

38) Assemble furniture – Pfft, no. This is what boys are for.

39) Find a reputable repair person – Yes.

40) Give a sincere apology – I find this a lot easier to do in writing rather than in person.

41) Change a tire – Wouldn’t have a clue how. That’s why it’s good to have guy mates.

42) Give herself a breast exam – No idea.

43) Ask for help when she needs it – Yes.

Evidently there are a few things I need to work on! But overall I think I’ve got a few skills under my belt. I think most 22 year old women would probably have most of these skills though, don’t you?

I didn't know what pic to post to accompany this and since I've been so absent on here I figure maybe showing you who I am again is a good idea. This is me:

xx

Wedding Song

I've found my wedding song. I may not even get married but if I do one day, this is the song we'll do our first dance to. It's SO BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT. The groom doesn't get a say, this is it.

Also, I want to date Ed Sheeran.

xx

Bucket List

Almost two months without blogging. My bad. It's not that I haven't had the time, it's that I haven't had the motivation. But I have returned, don't fret! 

The other day at work I was bored so I decided to write my bucket list. I haven't written one before and I feel like my one sounds awfully generic, but OH WELL. Here it is:

Bucket List

•     Visit all the structures I studied in Classics at High School (Colosseum, Acropolis, Athena Nike, Hadrian’s Column, Arch of Titus, Arch of Constantine etc)
•     Get visible abs (even if it’s just for a week! I should probably work towards this when I’m younger, aka now, when my body is more likely to allow this to happen).
•     Go to the airport, pick a number, count down the flight board that amount and take a plane there (I’m all about being organized so this would be a complete thrill for me).
•     Try Crossfit (I want to see just how hard I can push myself physically)
•     Get a wrist tattoo
•     Work for a nonprofit organization
•     Run a half marathon (or a full one, even better!)
•     Buy a house
•     Own a dog
•     Skydive
•     Bungee jump
•     Swim with dolphins
•     Write a book
•     Donate blood
•     Take a hot air balloon ride
•     Go zorbing
•     Get a second degree (I kinda wanna do something in nutrition)
•     Join the army (I’ve been interested in this for a while now, it would be a massive challenge but I think the benefits would be great).
•     Get married
•     Live in a country where I’m forced to become fluent in the local language
•     Travel on my own (to test how well I could do without anyone to rely on).
•     Be a bridesmaid
•     Go to a massive music festival (Tomorrowland/Glastonbury/Coachella/Summerfest)
•     Go to a huge baseball/basketball/gridiron game in the USA and an EPL game in England.
•     Go to the Rugby World Cup final.

Things I have already done that would have been on my bucket list:

-          Get a tattoo (I have the deathly hallows on my ribs)

-          Go ziplining

-          Ride an elephant

-          Get lost in a foreign country

-          Pat a tiger (I actually went further and hugged a tiger)

And of course travel the world! Countries I want to visit include Italy, France, England, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Peru, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Iceland, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Hungary, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Zambia, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, China, India, Russia, USA, Canada, Paraguay, Ukraine, Bora Bora, The Maldives, New Caledonia....basically the whole world.

xx

Injustice

I’ve had an injustice committed against me.

I wrote an article for my paper that I was quite proud of. My article was uploaded to the New Zealand Herald, who then ran it on their website. BUT the article was attributed to a Herald reporter. The only thing that was changed about the article was the heading, everything other than that was my exact wording and everything.

And what makes this worse is that this particular article had 132 shares to Facebook. That would have been my name out there 132 times. For a budding reporter, that’s a big deal.

They did credit our newspaper at the very bottom of the article, but to anyone viewing it, it was written by this other reporter.

And that’s just not fair. She wasn’t the one who took the time to do the interview, meet the person in question and get a photo. She wasn’t the one who spent the time going through pages of notes to write the article up.

That was me.

I did mention it to my manager and editor, who said they’d look into it, but nothing came of it. And even if it was now rectified, it’s not like it would be shared 132 times again.

Not impressed!

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Annoyance

Do you ever get those days where you find every little thing about someone incredibly annoying? These sorts of days are not uncommon for me. The other day I found this with someone I had to spend a significant amount of time with. I just found everything about them to be annoying and unnecessary. From the sound on their phone’s keyboard being on so I could hear EVERY SINGLE LETTER being typed to the occasional gasps (when reading off the computer) and exclamations of ‘wow’ or ‘oh my gosh’ or ‘that’s so sad’. Not to mention their incredibly loud and clacky computer keyboard and stupid bird tweet that signaled every text they received. Ugh.

Friends and family aren’t even exempt from this. I can recall times where my best friends and family members have just bugged me and I didn’t want to be around them. I love them all to bits, so it’s obviously just reflective of my mood at the time.

Do you ever get times like this?