Love Me Not...Yet.

At the moment, it seems to be the season of weddings, engagements, and relationships and as cheesy as it sounds - love. A lot of my friends either have a wedding around the corner, are engaged, newlyweds or are 'going steady' with their significant other. It's truly a beautiful time in life, but sometimes when you don't yet know what it feels like to be with somebody, it makes you wonder. You start to feel like every single human in your life has someone and suddenly you feel like you're spiralling into a black hole of eternal loneliness. Okay, that was a bit over-exaggerated and i don't really feel like that at all haha. Look, I'm only seventeen and i still have a lot to experience, learn and discover but this impulse to want to 'be loved' is really an inevitable part of life that comes with being human - don't you think? I've lost count of all the times that i have ranted to my best friends about 'having no one' and now I see that those petty thoughts are not that important. Yeah, it would be cool to just know sometimes, but I guess not knowing adds to this whole adventure known as love.

There's still quite a bit of 'not-knowing' for me but I'm learning to make the most of it. I know that I'll never get this time of single hood back so I might as well embrace it and besides, I guess it's not at all that lonely either. I have nothing to compare this time to anyway so in the meantime, this is a chance and a season to grow and live as much as you can. Don't just merely exist and hope that someday you'll be found by someone who will sweep you off your feet (or vice versa, if that's what you prefer). Make those #singlelyf jokes because you can. Keep that extra money inside your pocket for a new skateboard or something sick. Shove fries up your mouth like a walrus in the middle of Maccas because there's no one that you need to impress. Immerse yourself in the liberty of being temporarily alone! Just because there's no one right now, it doesn't mean that it will be that way for you, forever. I've come to realise that once you stop getting lost in those 'what if's' and 'if only' fantasies and start finding yourself in Someone so much more greater, you'll experience a love story that is so much better than anything you could ever comprehend.

I Like: HEART THE ART

Mini post on some super cool artists I have found on my Pinterest expeditions. Lots of random colours, textures, patterns and shimmer. yum yummmm. Enjoy.

Dan Flavin

Jennifer Mehigan

Michael Chase

I LIKE: Good Tunes

Music is always a good idea. I'm not much of a music reviewer (quite an amateur actually), but here are some killer bands and artists that I am currently loving:

Keaton Henson

If you’re into really chilled, english folk rock with a tinge of acoustic indie, Keaton Henson is definitely an artist you should be adding to your playlist. Profound lyrics, infused with themes of unrequited love and heartbreak will in fact leave you pressing repeat. Lying to You is a good place to start.

The Jungle Giants

My all time favourites. They are the kind of band where you will either love them, or you haven't heard of them before - there's no in-between. Their indie pop vibes are road-trip-worthy, singing-in-the-shower-worthy and soundtrack-of-my-life-worthy. What makes TJG so much more cooler is that the lead electric guitarist is a female! Cesira Aitken is her name and she flipping shreds. Try She's a Riot or Domesticated Man. Stuff it, just check them all out! 

James Vincent Mcmorrow

The UK has once again blessed us with it's talented specimens. He kinda sounds like Bon Iver, yet sticks to his own style. I dunno, hard to explain but so so good. His crazy vocal range and angelic falseto is remarkable and addictive to the ears. I have two friends who danced to one of his songs on their wedding night and it was flawless. Cavalier is the title.

Alexander Fairchild

I don't that anything I write could ever serve his music justice. All i can say is quality music, quality lyrics. Tonight is always in my head on replay.

DIY: Whaddup Procrastination

Being a first year university student, i have instinctively grasped the concept of procrastination. Ahh, it's a killer. However without it, I wouldn't be writing this right now. I'd probably be doing something, you know, more productive that would potentially contribute to the success of my future but it's also important for me to show you how to make this random little snack inspired by a really cool person on Instagram. I don't really know what its called, basically pretzels dipped in sprinkles that taste dangerously delicious. Here's the how-to's of this little goodie.

YOU'LL NEED

• bag of pretzels
• melting/cooking milk chocolate
• sprinkles
• baking paper

WHAT TO DO

Begin by melting your chocolate. To be honest, I screwed up this part so many times and ended up with a container of crumbled chocolate that would be better off in cookies or something. Start by putting it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and gradually add more in. Melt it in about 10-15 second intervals to avoid burning (or doing what i did - i don't even know what i did but it wasn't right haha).

Once your chocolate is nicely melted, take your pretzels and dipped half of the pretzel in the chocolate. After dipping into the chocolate, dunk it into the sprinkles and BAM! There you go! Lay them out on the baking paper to harden. 

Consume whilst writing your uni paper or just cuz. It would be something fun to do if you're babysitting young ones, or if you just wanna? Whatever floats your boat :)

What they look like! You can use mini pretzels too.

Strangers and Spare Seats

"I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen." 

~ John Steinbeck ~

It constantly astounds me to think that I could be standing in a jam-packed train, shopping centre or stadium, yet not know a single person that stands a breath away from me - we're all strangers to each other. The other day (this phrase can range from yesterday to a few months a go, but that's not important), I found myself sitting in a train at peak hour on my way home from Uni. Commuting between two cities gives your more than enough time to think about random things. I found it amusing how the most instant human reaction when boarding a train or public vehicle, is to dibs that pair of vacant seats without the fear of having to sit within a 3 metre radius of a stranger. Of course, it's not that big of a problem when the train is full and you eventually have to give in to someone but usually two spare seats is so much more preferred than feeling the radiating body warmth of the person next to you.

I know I can't really say much myself and I am guilt of feeling that wave of sheer relief when a stranger passes by the spare seat next to me, but it is quite interesting to see how we limit and restrict ourselves to what we find comfortable to us, which usually doesn't go beyond interacting with our friends and families. It makes me wonder how many people have actually considered starting a conversation with the anonymous individual beside them. Even a smile or a subtle implication of "hey, wanna be my new friend?" kinda thing. We don't often realise this, but there might be so much to discover. There could be a whole new dimension within this mysterious soul in loafers and a pair of sunnies. Where are they from? Where are they heading? Who are they seeing? What are their interests? Are they in love? Where have they been? What have they accomplished? You never really know what kind of a connection you could be making, just by taking the initiative of saying hello. Just thinking about this makes me wonder myself, of how different this world could be if we one day decide to reel down our walls and step out of what we are familiar with. Maybe it could save a life. Maybe it could revolutionise humanity. I guess you never really know.

My Very First Post

I don't really consider myself as a writer at all! The reasons why I've decided to start a blog is because: 

1. My University Lecturer advised that it would be a good thing to do 

2. One of my best friends keeps raving on about how she wants to start a blog so I though i'd give it a shot. Jem, if you ever read this, I would just like to say thank you in advance for inspiring me. 

Since this is my first post, there's nothing in particular that I am aiming to cover. I am currently sitting in uni at the moment, attempting to study for one of my subjects but it seems like procrastination has begun to get the better of me. I've had Keaton Henson on repeat, accompanied with raspberry, banana and pear bread and a marshmallow flavoured milk drink.

I guess the best place to start is to give you a bit of an overview of who I am. Well, i'm Lola. I'm not very old and I like pretty colours. I'm a fan of art, music, pineapple lumps, lists, Kippy skateboards and my Saviour. If anything, I think my Pinterest account will express my personality more than this blog, haha but hey, it doesn't hurt to try something new. I'm really struggling to find things to say but I am trying to avoiding reading other blogs for the time being so I can truly be me. The URL of my blog (Once in a lifetime) comes from a line from one of my favourite songs, 'Shot at the Night' by The Killers. I don't exactly have a super cool interpretation of that line but I guess there are some things in life that you might only get to do once in a lifetime  so take every opportunity you are presented with and don't have seconds thoughts because you never know, it could be the best decision you'll ever make. 

So there, short and sweet for my first post. I hope i'll eventually start producing things worth reading in the near future!

Lolé (a name I have been prescribed by one of my gal pals)