Hello from Brisbane, and the life of Maria!

Me, feeling like a proper lady on the steps of the casino in Brisbane city!

The amount of times in the last month that I've written 200 words of a blog post only to toss it aside aimlessly in hopes of "finishing it later" has been astounding. I love to write, I really do, and taking photos and being creative and all that jazz, but being so busy with other things has killed my vibe. Since we last spoke (or, since you last read), I finished my first year of university, was promoted to a barista at work (which is all very exciting and new!) and have celebrated one year since graduating high school. How profound is that? I can't believe it's been 12 months and it's a nice feeling knowing I've achieved something/s during 2015. So, here's a little recap of the last four weeks for you.

Overall, my new job is going well! I say "overall" because today was a bit terrible, but I think it was one of those days. I managed to smash an expensive cafe plate and glass latte cup, flick filthy mop water up into my face and whenever I went to chat with a customer, I fumbled over my words and when I awkwardly tried to resurrect my broken sentences, I only stumbled further. Despite it all, I have to laugh because I said to a co-worker right before I clocked on, "This is going to be a marvellous shift, I'm sure of it!". Oh, the irony! I am quite happy with things in that aspect though, I've made some lovely friends and it's always nice being able to recite the orders of those who come in on a daily basis. At least I have some element of my life together, even if it is remembering whether or not someone's cappuccino is 1/2 strength or not! 

University went as well as can be expected when you have stressful few months involving personal dramas, and I won't lie and say I got straight 7's the whole way through, but I am happy with the grades I did achieve. UQ treated me well, and honestly, that campus deserves all the praise and hype it gets because it really is beautiful. QUT will be my uni though next year! I submitted my application last night for a dual degree with Business and Journalism and am SO EXCITED to be studying something that I am naturally quite good at. It's so nice to be on holidays. I exclaimed my excitement about finishing right before my last exam to one of my roommates saying "Ah! Holidays! I can sleep in, watch movies and have fun with my friends!", and her response was "Maria, you do that anyway". Haha, at least I can do all of those thing without feeling a pang of guilt. 

Onto more personal matters, I'm doing much better than I was in late September through to mid-late October. A lot of growing up had to be done to cope with financial stress and all that kind of thing, but I'm doing okay. At the moment I'm just relishing in the fact that I'm on holidays! Mum's saying "Love many, trust a few, always paddle your own canoe", has been the daily mantra in surviving adulthood over the last few months and as always, I'm incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful group of people in my life who love and support me the way they do. And, for all those nosey-bodies who have inquired relentlessly on my tumblr about whether or not there's been any romance in my life, here's your answer: Nope. And that is totally okay, because, to be quite frank, as much as I would love a Gilbert Blythe in my life to help me cope with things that bother me, it's much more rewarding in the long run if I can do it all by myself. :) 

With Moon River playing in the background and a pot full of chicken pasta on the stove, it's definitely time for me to depart and say goodnight. I'm not sure when I'll be back with another entry, but hopefully it'll be soon. Thanks for reading and take care of yourselves! xo