holidays have come to an end...

(Wearing MAC's matte lipstick in "Russian Red", a favourite. My current bedside table ft. a bright and beautiful lamp and some of my favourite Anne novels! Me again with some baby's breath flowers, and my hair during the hiking trip with lotsa pretty flora in it!)

Happy Friday, friends! I go back to university on Monday, so I thought I would squeeze in another post before things get really busy. Looking back over the last three weeks of holidays - I realised there's a whole bunch of special moments that I didn't realise were really that special until I look over pictures/ reflect on the specific day. I think that's something we often do... we're in the moment, enjoying life and we have no idea how significant that memory is going to be in the future.

Despite getting sick these holidays, I'm going to make a list of reasons why they were still wonderful and happy and I'm ready for another semester of uni. 

• I went on a hiking day trip with my friends to the Glasshouse Mountains in which my hair was adorned with lots of wildflowers found on the pathway up Tibrogargan 
• I spent a fortnight with my family recharging; eating chicken soup, reading L.M Montgomery books and blogging!
• My roomies and I became addicted to the Vampire Diaries... (Okay, little bit of character analysis here: I think I like Damon so much because despite how morally bankrupt he is, during the series he continues to make a significant effort to acknowledge his humanity and the fact that he has the potential to be a really good person, like he was before he turned. Oh, he also has killer eyebrows and the cheekiest smile and eyes I've ever seen. *swoon*)
• I got to see my sisters! I hung out with my oldest sister in the sister a couple of times for hot chocolate and gossip, and tonight I'm seeing my other sister for a much-needed weekend catchup. 
• Discovered this hilarious version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley in which he's laughing the whole time. Just listening to it warms my heart, his laugh is so genuine and happy. 
• I caught up with my old friends Abbey and Belle too... discussing boys, makeup and reminiscing over high school. So good. 
• FOOD! Had so much delicious, real, good FOOD! There was actually time in the days to dedicate to solid meals. 
• Cuddled a newborn. A perfect, precious little baby!

There. That's not even all of it! I'm really grateful for everything life has to offer and the people in it. 

I hope if you're about to start uni, you're looking forward to it and that you enjoy this last semester before 2015 is over! I can't believe how fast this year is going and that I'm halfway through my first year living out of home. It seems like only yesterday I was pouring my fears and anxieties out about the move and the trials of my first few weeks of Brisbane where I felt like a lost lamb. Now, look where I am! Life is really good at fooling you into thinking things won't work out, then it works things out and you're thinking..."Oh, wow. Okay, I can roll with this!". 

Over and out. xo

(Makeup - glorious makeup and...me... in the Queens Plaza food court, moments after handing in copious copies of my resume to any store that is hiring. PLEASE GIVE ME A JOB!)

lilac

Heyo - me again! Notice anything different? Of course you do! And yes, it's my hair! There's this magical thing called a hairdresser and up until this year, I'd barely even payed attention to the services they provide. So far, since January, I've been three times and I'm immensely proud of my efforts to keep this monstrosity of hair under control. Today I saw my fave girl, Dee, again and as usual I left feeling like a million smackeroonies. Unfortunately, this blowout will probably only last about two days max, but hey, that's what makes it so special. 

It's been relatively holiday-ish since I last updated... I had a sleepover with one of my good friends (shoutout to you Abba for doing my makeup this morning!!), watched a sh*t-ton of Netflix and wrote quite a lot. I went for a walk the other day to get some fresh air and when I got home I had this overwhelming urge to write a novel, so naturally, I typed 5000 words and will probably never finish it. It's good though, I enjoyed reading it and did crack myself up a few times. Maybe I could be a writer one day, just maybe. 

I'm heading back home to Brisbane soon, which is good because I miss my friends and roomies and I do enjoy the constant buzz quite a lot. I'm definitely going to miss Mum's cooking though (and Mum, duh). Basically food in general.. OKAY, it's not that bad. I mean, I'm eating, but when I come to Mum's, I feast on delicious, nutritious wholesomeness. Anyway, I'm gonna go and clean up the guest room because at the moment, it looks like a bomb has struck. Ciao for now! Have a nice weekend. 

P.S: I've rekindled my obsession with all things The Temper Trap... definitely give Love Lost, Trembling Hands, I'm Gonna Wait and Need Your Love a listen to if you need some good music! 

head in the flowers

It's not often that you find the time - or opportunity - to arrange gazania's (thanks to my Aunty for identifying them!) in your hair and have your photo taken... unless of course you have a little sister who would do anything to get her paws on your iPhone for a turn at Dubsmash! It's been quite peaceful during my visit at home so far this week. Today I went rifling through the boxes of books in the garage to find the rest of our L.M Montgomery book collection and I'm so glad I did because I have enough reading material to last me until at least the beginning of August (which also happens to be the start of second semester). I also made a vegetarian pizza, played another game of monopoly with my sisters (it was seriously ridiculous... I lost by over 10 million! (definitely a poor reflection of my skills as a business woman!)), watched Call the Midwife on Netflix and picked my subjects for next semester. I had limited options because a lot of the courses I was anticipating on doing were either only available to second/ third year BA students, or only ran in first semester. So, I settled for a classic mix of liberal arts just for something a little different. I'm doing Philosophy, Art literature, English literature and a History course based around evolution. It's going to be quite refreshing I think, after doing such heavily political-based subjects during first semester. I did enjoy them, but they were dry in a lot of crucial areas and it can be hard to get variety in your first year of Arts if you're a picky student. 

I'm pretty excited for the coming weeks... despite having such a hideous string of bad days earlier on, there's still plenty of forthcoming postivity including another dance (I really need to sort out a dress for it!), a wedding, christening and plenty of other social events too. As well as that, my roomie will be home soon from New Zealand and all of our house will be reunited again AND I'm keen for another semester of uni with fresh new classes, some more new friends and learning about things I love :)

--

Patience child, patience. Remember, life is a journey. If you got everything you wanted all at once there’d be no point to living. Enjoy the ride, and in the end you’ll see these “set backs” as giant leaps forward, only you couldn’t see the bigger picture in the moment. Remain calm, all is within reach; all you have to do is show up everyday, stay true to your path and you will surely find the treasure you seek. — Jackson Kiddard 

I found this quote today and thought it had definitely been written for impatient 18-year-olds (*ahem* ME!). I do find myself wanting things to speed up in life, rather than enjoy them in the moment and it's definitely a habit I've been trying to slow. Sometimes I think we underestimate the power of just waking up, going outside and participating in LIFE because without it, how else would opportunities arise! Have a great weekend! 

sundaisies // a collection of things that make me happy

So I've been on university holidays for a week and it's lovely waking up in the morning and being able to enjoy the day for what it is without having the stress or pressure of assessment lingering in the back of your mind. I love uni, but it does take a toll on mental sanity during exam periods and that aspect is something I don't enjoy AT ALL. 

The last few days have been quite horrid for me: I've been stressed about money, I went for a job interview and didn't get it and I got a cold/ flu right before I was supposed to camp with my friends for the week. After plenty of tears were shed (because that's generally breaking point for me... wailing and incoherent ranting), I got on a train and headed home. I think your appreciation for your Mum and everything about home quadruples when you move away, especially if you're greeted with a hug, freshly made bed with the same dinosaur sheets you had when you were small, and a bowl of chicken soup to soothe the soul. The main focus for this week is to just relax, unwind and focus on getting better, mentally and physically. Today I slept in, read for a bit, took some blog photos (quite happy with how they turned our considering I used my phone to do it!) and now I'm freshly showered and in my warm PJs, enjoying my fave tea....YOU GUESSED IT: Rooibos ;) 

This post is a mixture of things that have made me happy over the last few months. I've been struggling with what to write about all day... I feel like blogging is the only time I ever have writer's block, which is ironic. So, here is a diverse mix of quotes, books, food, moments, fashion and things that I would like to publicly proclaim appreciation for...

1. Sunny, winter days. Brisbane winter's aren't profoundly cold... I think the lowest we've reached this year is 5 degrees Celsius, and most days are a lovely balance between 20 and 27 degrees. 

2. Roasting marshmallows. For some reason, firing up those squishy rounds of sugary goodness makes them taste about 100x better. 

3. Anything written by L.M Montgomery. After Jonathan Crombie died a few months ago, anything to do with Anne of Green Gables or Gilbert Blythe felt like a punch in the gut. But now, re-reading the books and re-watching the movies are a bittersweet experience for me. Montgomery's writing style is re-assuring, beautiful and serene and the love shared between Gilbert and Anne may be fictional, but I truly believe that one day I will experience the same love with my Gilbert and it will be well worth the wait.

“I think, if ever any great sorrow came to me, I would come to the pines for comfort,” said Anne dreamily.

“I hope no great sorrow ever will come to you, Anne,” said Gilbert, who could not connect the idea of sorrow with the vivid, joyous creature beside him, unwitting that those who can soar to the highest heights can also plunge to the deepest depths, and that the natures which enjoy most keenly are those which also suffer most sharply.

— L. M. Montgomery (Anne of the Island)

4. Cinderella, the live-action movie! Oh man. Everything about that movie absolutely mesmerises me... I've lost track of how many times I've watched it now, but it's truly beautiful. The costumes, casting, dialogue, the philosophy behind the storyline and the soundtrack send chills down my spine. 

5. Nature. I tend to appreciate it much more at this time of year, simply because during the Summer I generally hibernate because it's too hot to do anything strenuous! A few weeks ago I went on a hike to the Glasshouse Mountains with some of my friends and it was wonderful escaping the hustle and bustle of city life to breathe in fresh air. The sky has also been incredibly beautiful lately with the alignment of Jupiter and Venus enhancing the beauty of the rest of the stars at night. 

6. Youth Lagoon is a band I've had on repeat recently. The tunes are very mellow and a little eerie at times, but still very beautiful. Some of my favourites include "17","Cannons" and "Montana". 

7. Fan Bingbing in Cannes for the Film Festival... holy guacamole. That dress, hair and makeup. She looks like a painting! Click here to see the pictures!

8. This quote: 

say “hi” first. if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that if you want to talk to someone, talk to them. go out on a limb. do not wait for the them to talk to you first because, odds are, they’re waiting for the same thing — helpful hint to not regret missed opportunities  (via bl-ossomed)

9. Intelligent conversations. I value it a lot when I can sit down with someone and talk about EVERYTHING - from random facts to personal anecdotes. I think it's amazing when you can talk about things that matter; facts, jokes, issues and still manage to hold comfortable silence and respectful disagreement. Relationships like that are a true blessing in my life. 

10. Random acts of kindness: phone calls, text messages, flowers or compliments or anything that is done simply because the other person cares enough about you or appreciates your existence. 

11. I'd also just like to add in here that a boy winked at me at university the other day. It was on the second last day of my exam week, the week where I had dismissed all concern for my personal experience and wore odd socks, pyjama pants, denim jacket and a messy topknot to campus with pride. Anyway, I completely forgot about this until now! But this boy was sitting a few rows across from me in the exam room of 300 students and right before the old bats out the front started barking "examination conditions", he looked across at me and winked. I'm almost certain he didn't take my course because I had never seen him and his jaw-carved-by-the-gods before. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him since and probably never will (unless it's fate), but it's just little moments like that that absolutely melt me to the ground. I think as much as I try to conceal it sometimes, I'm too romantic and ridiculous for my own good. 

12. "Sometimes you read a book so special that you want to carry it around with you for months after you’ve finished just to stay near it." — Markus Zusak 

This quote is exactly how I feel about the novel "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit. I've talked about this book before on Avenue Maria, but it's incredibly special to me. If you haven't read it, you should definitely look into it. Not only is it beautifully written, but the story is so intricate that it's perfect for both adults and children - exploring romance, growth and life through the lens and analysis of eternal life and mortality. 

13. Hubble is one of my favourite sites to visit when I feel like it's time to re-evaluate my problems and put things into perspective. It's really humbling when you look at these amazing pictures of galaxies in outer space and you realise "Wow! I am so, so small. I'm important as an individual, but I'm a tiny little spec in the whole scheme of things!". 

14. Saying three "Hail Mary's". I don't talk about religion a lot on this blog because I think it's a deeply personal aspect of life, but something that has helped me a lot in the last few months is praying the rosary and saying three "Hail Mary's", when I'm stressed or worried or even happy. The rosary is a Catholic prayer that focuses on all of the most important events in the New Testament. It's incredibly powerful and brings people together in peace and harmony. One of the prayers within it is the "Hail Mary". My Mum has taught me ever since I was little to say three of the prayers whenever I'm upset or scared and it helps every time. 

15. Vsauce is one of my favourite channels. Michael's videos are incredibly dense (as in MINDBLOWN!) and you can't just watch his videos passively - there's a lot of thinking involved. After watching about three videos, on average, my brain is fried. Also, Connor Manning. I've followed this guy on Youtube for a couple of years now and he blows me away with every video he posts. His perspective and stance on so many issues is always so eloquent and well thought-out and he's just a really intelligent and deep thinker. Definitely check his channel out! 

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I swear about 10 mins ago it was 9:30 and I was chatting away on the phone... and now it's almost midnight. I may be at my prime thinking time late at night, albeit I do pay for it the next day when the inner-corners of my eyes are purple and my fuse is shorter. It's time for bed. I'll be back again soon, promise! I'll probably take more photos tomorrow too :) If any of you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see on here before I go back to "vigorous" uni work in August, please let me know! Ciao for now!