Oh January, what a crazy month you are! Everyone’s making jokes about how they haven’t seen you all year, scribbling out 8’s and changing them to 9’s in their diaries, and people saying that they’ll start their new year resolutions next year instead. January was a hectic month, especially when you start 2019 in one of the most hectic cities on earth, Tokyo. Between starting two new jobs, moving and finishing a whirlwind trip around Japan, January was pretty great!
🍣 Japan
So I started the year with an absolute bang! New Years Eve in Tokyo followed by a whirlwind trip through the magical streets of Tokyo and a journey into a snowglobe to see the snow monkeys! A Japan travel blog is coming your way soon – so watch this space!
🏠Moving
OK so I’d go as far to say that I don’t think anyone enjoys moving, but when you’re moving in with your girlfriend and two best friends, there’s a lot to be happy about! It’s actually a pretty big deal moving in with your significant other and it’s pretty damn awesome! Ah it’s just bliss!!
💼Starting new jobs
When one door closes, another one opens. And sometimes two open. This month I started two jobs. Still at UOW but in vastly different areas. In one, I’m an event coordinator, and the second, social media manager and website editor. It’s so awesome getting experience in all different areas because it’s helping me answer the age-old question of what I want to do with my life and what sort of career I want. I’m so excited that I get the opportunity to work in these vastly different areas until I figure out exactly what I want to do.
🎉Getting back in the swing of things
A new year means new adventures and new opportunities for shenanigans. I’ve only been back in the gong and back in action for a few weeks, but I’ve already had some lovely (and wild) times with some of the people I love the most.
🎶 Tunes
Juice, by Lizzo
So if this song doesn’t get you up and moving about, I don’t know what will! This pop anthem is exactly what I needed to get through this crazy month with a smile on my face and soul inspired dance moves!
Party Pill, by Cub Sport
Ooooh baby I am in love with this song and all of Cub Sport’s new album! I have had it on repeat for days (probably annoying the hell out of all my house mates), but it’s just so beautiful! I can’t help but sing along and feel overjoyed when listening to it!
🎥 Flicks
Crazy Rich Asians
I finally got around to watching Crazy Rich Asians!!! When it first came out I was dying to get to watch it, and now only a few months later, and strapped to a plane I finally got around to watching it! It’s feel good, it’s fun and it ticked all my hopeless romantic boxes.
📚Books
The Last Girl, by Nadia Murad
Wow this book is essential to anyone who is interested in women’s rights, conflict and international relations. Nadia recounts her enslavement and torture under ISIS after being taken away from her small town in Iraq. I think this book is an absolute must for anyone slightly confused by the situation in Iraq, she does an incredible job explaining the conflict. She also recounts her horrific experiences with control and grace. It’s intense and awful, but it’s real and I urge you to read it as well.
When Breath Becomes Ari, by Paul Kalanithi
I have never been so confronted by my own mortality before reading this book. This book tells the story of a neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with lung cancer and his journey to face and accept his own mortality. It’s beautifully written and I promise it will inspire some deep thoughts and reflections for everyone who reads it.
The Art of Travel, by Alain de Botton
OK so I actually read this in December and I forgot to include it in my favourite things list (woops!). But this absolutely deserved its own mention and praise. For anyone with itchy feet and a serious case of the travel bug, you will love this book. There are so many moments that deeply struck me and made me reflect on why I travel, where I travel to, when I travel and what I get out of it. I would absolutely recommend it before your next trip and I assure you, you will experience travel profoundly differently.
📸 Bloggers, Vloggers and Podders
George Ezra and friends
Yep, George Ezra has a podcast and it’s actually good! I know that celebrities cop a lot of shit for having their own podcasts and interviewing other celebrities, but this is genuinely entertaining and informative. If you’re vaguely a fan of George Ezra and have an interest in the music industry and what it’s like touring, producing albums and dealing with fame, you’ll find this hits the spot!
📝 Quote
January saw some pretty powerful movement in the stars. So I set my intentions for the year and put them out into the universe. My most valued intention for 2019 was to put myself first. And no, not in a selfish, shallow way, but a deep and profound way. Pursue my interests, goals, ambitions, respect that my thoughts and feelings and important and valuable, and look after myself. This month was filled with a lot of change and I think February will allow me to sift through the settled dust and make sense of where I’m at. I’m really bloody looking forward to it!
Thank you January for showing me what I can do and achieve in such a short amount of time. I feel so grateful for my mind, body and spirit and I am determined to not only protect it but grow, learn and challenge myself. February, let’s do this!
A Worldly Addiction 