See ya later August! Winter is over and Spring has Sprung (if you could say that we even had a winter!) I have to admit, I was terrified going into August. Every weekend was booked up with an event of some sort and I had no idea how I was going to get through it. I guess this is a reminder that no matter what lies ahead, you’ll always get through it. You may be tired but at least you bloody did it! So let’s have a look at the craziest month EVER!
👠 Melbourne
Did you even have a girls trip if you didn’t go to Melbourne?! This was such a random and fun weekend! A few friends of mine from high school decided to rendez-vous in Melbourne for a getaway! I honestly had SO MUCH FUN! We stayed in a gorgeous apartment in the CBD. We ate, drank and danced all over Melbourne! I drank waaaay too many espresso martinis, bought funky pants, went to Brunswick for feminst-vegan food, trammed out to Fitzroy for coffee and vintage stores, and managed not to loose anything (sorry Mollie!). I also got to catch up with some friends that I haven’t seen in forever. There’s nothing quite like connecting with old friends and having a beautiful, genuine catch up on one another’s lives. I felt truly lucky to call these people my friends.
🏄♀️ City2Surf
It’s that time of year again! The painful 14km from Sydney’s CBD to the beautiful Bondi Beach. This is my 3rd year doing it and was easily one of the best ones! I surprisingly ran (without stopping) for the first half! This is unheard of to anyone who doesn’t know me! A mix between a run and a jog later I was at the finish line! Honestly – it is such a great day! I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone! You feel so energised and excited, the adrenaline is real and the beers waiting for you at the end have never tasted so good I assure you of that!
💄Shenanigans
There’s nothing quite like some shenanigans with friends. Here’s just a few snaps. What’s not pictured are is my sore tummy from laughing so much!
👰 Lauren’s wedding
*Hold back tears* This was easily the most beautiful day of my whole month, if not year! I was lucky enough to go to my friend, Lauren’s wedding. I was pretty nervous about going because I only knew a few other people there, and this was only going to be the second wedding I’ve been to. Well I tell you – IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! I felt like I was in a movie! Honestly it was gorgeous and flipped so much of what I thought I knew on my head. I always thought I would elope and have a small, quiet wedding. But what’s the point?! You can have all of your friends, family and loved ones with you to celebrate your special day and eat amazing food! Ah it was honestly gorgeous and it made such an impact on my life. And to Lauren and Adam, thank you for including me on your special day! Your love for each other is evident as it filled the entire room! I wish you all the happiness in your new life together. *cries*
✍🏽 Publishing an article in the Tertangala
Ever since I started uni, I’ve wanted to write an article for the Tertangala (the student magazine). Actually, even before I started uni! I thought that writing for the student magazine was the coolest thing you could do! And this month I finally did it! My lovely friend Laura approached me and asked me to write an article about immigration (basically my honours thesis) and the article basically wrote itself! I feel like this is such a cool addition to my student experience here at UOW and I’m so glad I could share my voice and somewhat, expertise on an issue I’m passionate about!
🎶Tunes
Nicki Minaj- Queen.
My girl is baaaaccckkk! (rolls tongue like Nicki). This album is INSANE! Starting off with some sweet honey tunes, she takes you through a smooth journey of rnb and rap. Her hard hitting stuff is rough, her sexy stuff hits the spot and her ballads are contagious. All I’m thinking is… when is she touring Australia?!
Running Touch – My Hands.
This song is epic! I’ve had it on repeat this month. Everytime I hear it, it digs its way into my earholes and stays there. It’s very unique and excellently produced. I just love it and am definitely all about it.
The Preatures.
I was lucky enough to score tickets to the Preatures at the beginning of the month. I have to admit, I didn’t really know a whole lot of their music. Nonetheless, I went along. Holy shit, seeing them live changed my whole perspective towards them! The singer is an INCREDIBLE performer and I was purely captivated the whole way through. I’ve been listening to them non-stop since and think I can officially call myself a fan!
🎥 Flicks
Orange is the new black – Season 6. It’s back! Finally! I really should cancel my Netflix subscription while I’m trying to finish my thesis (I may or may not have finished this season in a week) but it’s totally worth it to feast my senses on this masterpiece! There are some truly magical moments in this series. Moments that catch your breath, coax tears from your eyes and inspire laughter.
Book Club.
So Chloe and I went to the movies to watch Crazy Rich Asians. And I read the movie timetable wrong and we were a day early (classic!). So instead we went to watch Book Club. OMG it was hilarious! It was so cute to see these little cute ‘old’ ladies galavanting around LA! Would recommend if you’re after a feel-good flick and want an insight into your future as a ‘mature aged’ kick ass woman!
📷 Bloggers and Vloggers
kold
So I’m not usually a fan of Sam Kold but this video is RAD that he deserves a mention! Holy shit the YouTube game is changing because of creators like him. Storytelling is evolving, vlogging is growing and travel is becoming more daring. This video is pure awesome. If you didn’t want to go to Brazil before this, you will now!
📗 Book
Illicit FlirtationsL Labor, migration, and sex trafficking in Tokyo by Rhacel Salazar Parreñas
*nerdy talk* This book is awesome! Written in an engaging, human-centred way that looks into the everyday lives of Filipino migrant workers working as hostesses in Japan. When most people hear the word sex-trafficking, they think victims coerced into a transnational network of crime, gangs and slavery. This book completely turns that on its head. At least in my research, I think it’s really important to research migrants as individuals with agency. They are not useless, mindless people that make stupid decisions. The world of hostessing is complex and there are a range of different environmental, social, political, health and economic reasons why someone may end up as a hostess in Tokyo. A lot of the time, it’s actually their choice. We cannot ever make these choices for these people and I think this book does a great job of delving into the difficult decisions faced by thousands in Japan and across the world.
📝 Quote
I think that deep down, to my very core, I am a happy person. I think my default setting is ‘optimist,’ and while I receive a lot of jokes about it, I think I’m coming to realise just how much I value my optimistic attitude towards things. I know that sometimes I can be unreasonably optimistic, but in my eyes, it’s better than being unreasonably pessimistic. It just comes second nature to me because I really believe in people, in life and in the universe. I feel that everything will work out the way it’s meant to, and with a little hard work, good luck and you can live a pretty damn awesome life. It’s radical because I think a lot of people find comfort in pessimism or pain. I think that a lot of people are scared to be optimistic because it means being open, hopeful and vulnerable and many people just can’t deal with the fear of being disappointed. So yea – I freakin love this quote! (Plus there’s a little combi van and a rainbow hehe)
*breathe in, breathe out* what a hectic month. To all of you out there who are feeling like life is travelling that little bit fast… it’s OK. I promise you. Overwhelming feelings of stress, anxiety and worry are just temporary. They will come and go and with each new day, you are one step closer to your goal, and one step ahead of where you were the day before. September will be wild so watch out. Remember to look after yourself, listen to your mind, your body, and know that there’s always someone there for you. It’s going to be awesome! So let’s do this!
A Worldly Addiction 