part A

ITS NEW YEARS EVE
tell all your friends

this is not a new year resolution

tomorrow, i will join the gym!
again.
my membership ran out about 6 months ago, but my loving father has funded a new membership as a christmas present. and to get me even more excited, i scored a pair of bike pants today for $1 in the boxing day sales. bargain.

thats about it. nothing amazing/interesting/fascinating to report on.

countdown to nye: 4 sleeps

irrelevant photo of recent shennanigans.

525,600 minutes

warning: this is going to be deep.

how do you measure success?
it's not how much money you have, it's not how much stuff you own.
it's the life choices you make and the goals you set out for yourself to achieve.
achieve these goals, and you have succeeded.
i'm not here to tell you how to live your life (see a certain 'angel in training' for that)
but i just wanted to share with you what i have succeeded in achieving this year.

one of my new years resolutions this year was to stop lying to my mother. no sneaking around, no lying about what i'm doing and where i'm going. and i am proud to say i have succeeded (except for just once. promise, just once). and what do i have to show for it? a better relationship with her. not fantastic, but definately better.

so now i've started brainstorming more new years resolutions.
i'm thinking something along the lines of, be kinder to hannah.

inspired

Whenever I'm feeling lost or need something to get my head straight, I go back to my roots. And my roots just happen to be at the piano. Sometimes I forget how much I love music and playing piano always reminds me of my strongest passion in life (which I have forgotten lately). So here, I am sharing with you, my favourite piece by a guy named Rachmaninov. And I feel like the ultimate dork for posting this (because i am) :p
I asked my dad to film me and he got a little excited and decided to bust out his 'film maker' skills.
it is kinda long, i don't blame you if you don't watch the entire thing. i know I wouldn't.

I'm really self-critical when it comes to piano. there are heaps of mistakes in this and my technique isn't as great as it was when I played this for a performance 2 years ago, but I still hope you enjoy it!

welcome to the world

yesterday I got not one new goldfish, but TWO. they are currently bunking together in the same bowl I used for my old fish, so I'll find out sooner or later whether they can survive in a bowl of that size.

Biggie - quite fat. possibly preggers.

Ron Weasley - pretty self explanatory.

they really like to swim together for some reason.

it's pretty much play time all day for them.

you're sew cool

I just had to share my little creations.
I've been sewing since I was a kid (taking after my mum who sewed nearly all my clothes when I was a baby/toddler) but have never really made anything to be proud of.
UNTIL NOW!! :D
ok so it's nothing special, but when YOU go and make a t-shirt(s), you'll know how I feel :)

even bobby dylan in the back likes the shirt.
Model: G Tromp
Styling: G Tromp
Photographer: Ju
Make-Up: I hate it when people label their "photoshoots" like this

the sleeves are a bit awkward on this one :s

jets and sharks

So I saw West Side Story last night.
AMAZING dancing. I have never seen so many dudes dancing together actually looking like dudes and not pansies (not that I have anything against that).
Although the story lacked the same strength the dancing had....in my opinion anyway.
It probably doesn't make it into my list of favourite musicals but I still enjoyed it.

Here is my favourite song/scene.

Once upon a time...

A family of four won free tickets to see a family movie at the cinema. Full of excitment, they lined up with all the other ticket winners and waited for the attendant to let them in.

All of a sudden, the mother realised she had not purchased any snacks for the family, so she hurried off to the candy bar.
As the family waited, the line began to move, so in order to keep the line moving, they let those who were lining up behind them, pass in front of them. When the mother returned, the family rejoined the moving queue.
A couple behind the family were taken aback.
"Honey, they just pushed in!"
"Oh don't worry sweetheart, it's what they do in their country."

Luckily no one in the family heard these rude comments, except for the eldest daughter. I'm not terribly angry at the comment but I do wish I had turned around to say something.
That's what I regret.

sorry about ANOTHER holiday photo. the only relevant one I could find for this story.

ichi ni san

What do you do when you encounter the japanese mafia on a silly night out?
You do two rounds of tequila shots with them, then go to the bathroom and never return.
And don't ask where the wad of hundreds came from.

craving

Whenever my mind wanders, it wanders to Europe and reminisces about my family holiday.
Now all I want to do is go back! Or just go overseas really. Brisbane is nice, but thats it. Its just nice. Now that I've tasted other pieces of the world, I want more.

I'm not sure about you, but my attention is drawn to my the enormous lense on my dads camera.

no paparazzi please

i regret being grumpy this day. it was too hot and i was over looking at statues.

I would never tell my sister she is cute to her face. but really, I do think she is. and shes wearing my hat.

that girl is pretty kinky

i'm in a weird mood right now. I still have one more exam tomorrow but for some reason I feel like I'm on holidays right now. and I am dancing in my chair to sir rick james and have just made him my new ringtone. mmmm.
also, i introduced my sister to what a magic 8 ball is (my phone has an app)
i told her to ask it a question, so she leant in and yelled "DO GIRLS HAVE BEARDS?". then i told her she didn't have to yell because it can't hear her, gave my phone a shake, and up came "without a doubt".
the highlight of my day.

we're better than you

C'mon down and join the winning team.
Because here are Globo Gym....

We're better than you.

sometimes I get the feeling that there are people who go to Globo Gym.

study bum

I have come to the conclusion that studying is unhealthy in every aspect except one.

Physically - it requires sitting for 3/4 of the day
Emotionally - sitting for 3/4 of the day can make you sad and wish you were outside playing frisbee (you become so sad that frisbee will satisfy your happiness)
Mentally - sitting for 3/4 of the day and wishing you were outside playing frisbee can make you wonder why your even doing this in the first place
Intellectually - i guess you learn stuff

here's another irrelevant picture. its the original of my blog header. dad took it on our holiday.

trick or treat

In this case trick.
Someone/thing hacked into my gmail account!
And in doing so, deleted my blog.
Luckily Google is smart.
And recognised this sly suspicious behaviour.
So now I'm back to the position I would have been in had this not happened (Rach I think your the only one who'll get this, Anthony too).

Yey.
In other news,
I got given a key to work on Friday! Celebrations are in order.

completely irrelevant picture.

I will never complain again

the picture pretty much sums it up

One of these things is not like the other

I came downstairs Sunday morning to find my little sister (who is 10) sitting at the bench eating breakfast. At first I thought, awesome, she's finally figured out how to make her own breakfast. Then I saw her toast. With bright eyes and a strong sense of pride in her voice, she told me she had put kiwi fruit on her toast because she couldn't open the new jar of vegemite.

I didn't really say much. Its times like these that there really isn't much to say.

I just opened the new jar for her then made my own breakfast.

Hittin' the track

On Saturday I made my first visit to the horse track. A few days before I wasn't sure if I was going to get bored, because, I mean, what do you even do there? But all my problems were solved when I got silly. Generally, I just had some ridiculous conversations, visited the bar and took too many photos in between. All those photos you see of people at the races pretty much sums it up. Boys and girls standing around in their prettiest clothes.
And it was FUN!
I think I would get bored though, without the bubbly.

Its a real popular event on rainy days.

cereal, cheeseburgers, cookies and chicken

Just some of the things I would currently trade my little sister for right now.
My wisdom teeth came out last Friday and I now know what it is like to be a starving child living in poverty. Well not poverty, but definately starving.
I can't wait to eat a proper meal.
It'll be the happiest day of my life this month.

Memory Lane

So... I've just picked up my really cute Memory Lane dress. My very own made to fit unique dress :) and most importantly its fun to wear.
Thank you Maddy!
http://memorylanevintageclothing.tumblr.com/

ps my little sister took this photo. thats why its awkward.

One of the hardest things in life

Is baking gingerbread men. Anyone who's tried it will understand. First you've got to cream the butter and sugar together, add in the golden syrup and various spices (mainly ginger). Then you have this nice goopy mix, to which you add flour. Now at this point, the recipe says to 'knead' into a dough and wrap in plastic and put in the fridge.

Well, you pretty much can't 'knead' this mixture. its freaking sticky. But I managed and put it in the fridge. Whilst waiting, I started making the icing. But turns out we have about 2 tablespoons of icing sugar left. So my mother kindly went out and bought some more. Eventually the 'dough' had spent enough time in the fridge so I took it out to cut into gingerbread boys and girls. Urgh. The dough is simply not dough. My understanding of dough is what I see on bread commercials. This is like playdough that isn't quite right and just sticks to everything.

Literally after 3 hours, I get all my gingerbread children (and the odd bunny rabbit) in and out of the oven and ready to ice. Funny story, I literally could not find a gingerbread cutter ANYWHERE. The only thing I did find was a bucket of 100 cookie cutters. So I bought it. Anyway, you can see the finish products. After a total of about 4 hours, I had finally accomplished one of the hardest things in life.

G is for Gerhard :)

What are friends for

A: "Oh my god this dress is so cute..."

B: "It is! How much is it?"
A: "....too much. But its sooo cute"
B: "Just buy it otherwise you'll be forever thinking about it."
A: "Yeah ok."

A: "Come out with us tonight!"
B: "Oww but I have an exam next Tuesday"
A: "Well todays Saturday so you can study on Monday."
B: "Yeah ok."

I don't know about anyone else, but this is pretty much my life, both A and B.
I was thinking about it today on the bus.
As friends, its clear we all have each others best interests at heart :)

I can feel vibrations

GOOD VIBRATIONS.
I'm just a little beyond excited for Good Vibes next year.
I had nothing less than a blast last summer.
Although I did like this years line up (Busta Rhymes, Kid Cudi, SaltNPepa, The Killers) a bit better.
I'm sure Cee Lo Green, Kelis and Luda will not disappoint.

Plus I'm secretly hoping that Bieber will pop up just so him and Ludacris can sing together. I know it won't happen. But I'm still hoping.

So long, farewell

My wisdom teeth are coming out! In two weeks as of tomorrow. Everyone says it hurts and I believe them. So I'm going to embrace this experience with ice-cream and Jersey Shore for a week.

I'm all for fun

Ok so I lately I've noticed I've become quite the fan of bright colourful things and all the fun that comes with them. In my opinion, these are the days where I can actually pull them off without looking ridiculous (I guess sometimes I already do). My favourite is my orange watch which I picked up at the the Porta Portese Markets (Rome) whilst I was on holidays. The sunglasses were a gift from a best friend who went on holidays to Thailand around the same time. I stole the jacket off my mum who wore it in her 20s. And the nailpolish, well, after wearing a friend's bright pink shade, I had to go out and buy it too!

My fashion following skills are fairly poor, so I guess I've found comfort in colour :D
Trust me it's fun.

Samson

Samson
He was once a feeder fish living in the tank of a handsome young turtle named Stampy.
But the stress was too much.
He was rescued and given his own home, fully furnished with pebbles and plants.
Soon enough his black spots disappeared to reveal the gold underneath.
He was fed every evening and even had his home cleaned every so often.

It's been a great 7 months Samson. You've brightened up my bathroom and kept me company whilst brushing my teeth.
Rest in peace.

Looks can be deceiving

Last night we had our weekly game of netball (our team is called Wii Not Fit) and we versed a team called 'Hufflepuff....YEAH!' They were all dressed in fluoro pink from head to toe, including bright face paint. So really they just looked like a joke. But when the score reached 16 all, no one was joking. Thank god we beat their lame asses in the end, 18-17.

Bad luck Hufflepuff (this isnt actually them)

Protocol

Last week, some very important people and I were discussing a matter that needs to be settled once and for all. When you are passing someone you know and you are both clearly walking with a purpose, do you really need to ask, "How are you?". There is just no time for that. A simple, "Hey!" or a "Hi!" will suffice.

Just the other day it happened to me and it was beyond awkward. I ended up doing a 360 spin because I had turned around to say, "Good, how are you?". It just looked silly.
So please use your judgement and save yourself and others from the awkward "How are you?"

Sorry to sound bossy <3

Temptation

While I was at uni yesterday, I went to the bathroom, and as soon as I enter the cubicle, I see a Blackberry staring at me on top of the toilet paper dispenser. No way. I was just thinking about getting a Blackberry. But what if I had gotten a Blackberry and left it in the cubicle in the bathroom at uni. And someone else had found it staring at them.

Yeah, I gave it back.

I can't help it

There are no underlying messages. You can't learn anything from it. It isn't a competition. There is no money going to charity. And there is no aim. It's Jersey Shore and I won't lie, but I'm addicted.

Tonight...

...Nothing matters. No one can see you. No one can stop you. Everything sparkles.

Thank you, my dear friend, Vodka.

10 Ways to Absorb a Textbook

I'm a law student. That means the only skills I need are reading and writing. And hey, I already know how to do that. So here are some of my study tips.

1. Use studying as an excuse to avoid events you know will be lame.
2. Watch other people study so it feels like you are studying too.
3. Find a hobby (I like sewing).
4. Exercise because all those studies say it helps. Personally I feel tired afterwards.
5. Keep sugar based foods on your desk.
6. Allocate some time during your lecture to take notes.
7. Complain about uni on Facebook, looking for sympathy comments.
8. Save up $200, then pay someone to write your assignment. (I made $200 on a nursing assignment)
9. Create a list of the work you need to do. Then decorate it.
10. Write a blog!

I'll cut your little heart out

There is no other way to say this. I am in love with Florence and the Machine. She is amazing. I can't count how many times I've listened to her album Lungs; whilst running, on the bus, vacuuming, even going to sleep. My personal favourite is Girl With One Eye, which I must admit, its just way too much fun to sing along to.

Get your filthy fingers out of my pie.

Roma, Italia

Ok so I've been back home now for a good ten days, but I never made a post about my adventures in Rome. It feels like an eternity since I was there though. I can tell you that the weather was scorching and that gelati was never more than a footstep away (thank god.) The underground in Rome is nothing compared to London and Paris. Basically you have line A and line B. Everyone seems to zoom around on a scooter. Or jammed onto a bus. Here's a stack of pictures that will tell you everything, seeing as they speak a thousand words.

I don't know why they bother standing like this in the heat, just for a couple of Euros.

Your standard carpark.

Just part of the line to the Vatican Museum.





Entirely carved from wood!















The Trevi Fountain.









The ancient Coloseum which looks much bigger on TV.

We Getting Down With Everyone We Meet

Oh sweet Paris. Over three days, we've managed to see practically all the major attractions here that one must see. We visited the Musee du Louvre to see Mona Lisa, the Musee d'Orsay to admire Monet and Van Gough, walked down the Champs-Elysees (obviously not the entire road) and conquered Montmartre where the cathedral sits on top. The most exhuasting sites which we visited were Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and of course the Eiffel Tower, all of which required strenuous stair climbing. I'm not complaining though, because the views at the top of all these were amazing. Being the summer season, there were huge crowds wherever we went, but luckily the longest we had to wait was 40 minutes, to climb the towers of Notre Dame. We completed our sightseeing with a day trip to the Chateau de Versailles. The Palace is bigger than anyone could ever imagine and the gardens or should I say parklands, were amazing.

This is how to park your car in Paris.

The Palace Versailles

Notre Dame

Madame Tussauds

This was probably one of my favourites parts of London. Not necessarily because the wax models were so lifelike, just because it was a lot of fun. After a while, every person who was standing still started to look like another statue which nearly resulted in some embarrassing situations. We saw the new Marvel 4D Experience (4D = water comes spraying out of the back of the seat in front of you). The highlight for me was the Scream exhibition where I walked through a blood splattered maze with scary people jumping out at me. It sounds lame but it was absolutely terrifying. The good kind of terrifying.

Obama, along with MJ and the Queen have designated photographers trying to make you buy their shots.

Disappointingly not that realistic.

Kings and Queens

Our day around Edinburgh was quite the adventure. We visited Holyrood Park & Palace, Parliament House, walked down Princes Street, hiked up to Edinburgh Castle and finished the day with a 3D film about the Loch Ness Monster (which we all know is real). An East Coast train took us down to London where we got ourselves Oyster Cards and conquered the Metro to our apartment. Our first day in London was almost entirely on foot as we proudly shunned every tour bus operator that approached us. We saw all the big sites as one does - Buckingham Palace, West Minster Abbey, Big Ben, etc, etc. My favourite part of the day was visiting the Coven Garden Markets where there were people selling all sorts of quirky little homemade creations. Day 2 in London was when we made our first big mistake. Taking the metro during peak hour. We then switched to the railway to spend the day in Cambridge where I bought myself a universtiy jumper (the only thing I had been looking forward to). Overall it was a super exhuasting day, but it's these sorts of things that you have just got to embrace.

Just a small part of Edinburgh Castle.

Buckingham Palace.

A street performer in Covent Garden Markets. (I gave him money and he shook my hand and patted my head...then blew a raspberry in my face)