I LIKE: Porter Robinson

Oh wow. So the other night, it was just another typical drive home from the Gold Coast and as per usual, I had the radio tuned into Triple J. I really love Triple J because they mainly play Australian music and artists who aren't as well known, but are incredible. It was about 8:55pm (I always take note of the time when I hear something really good on the radio, but don't know who it's by, so I can look it up when I get home) and this person requesting a song is going on and on about this Porter Robinson dude, asking to play his song 'Sad Machine' because its so amazing and so I thought hmmm maybe this is something I should be taking note of. I kept listening and OHHHH MYYYY GOOODNESSSS my face just exploded. It was this really evocative and emotional, yet magnificent song that had me at the first hook. When I got home, I googled it, bought the song off iTunes and I've had it on repeat ever since.

Tonight, I was doing a bit of research on this insanely talented, Porter Robinson and it turns out that he's more into creating music that "felt beautiful and nostalgic", rather than that DJ scene AND IT'S WONDERFUL. SO SO WONDERFUL. I'M SORRY BUT I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE THERE ARE ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCERS OUT THERE WHO ACTUALLY MAKE REALLY REALLY BEAUTIFUL MUSIC AND EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEM. Some people don't regard electronic music as 'real music', and I have been guilty of making judgments (but to be honest, Skrillex just freaks me out) but I guess if you're open to give it a try, any genre really, you will be surprised with what there is out there. 

Hi / Bye

SOOO Semester One of my first year at Uni is coming to a close (although I still have two-and-a-half more assignments to complete) and I must say, it has been an interesting experience so far. I know that there are quite a few more semesters to go in my study life, but from what I have endured, it's not half as bad as some people make it out to be. Sure, the work load is quite extensive and assignments do pile up, but if we are looking at the positive side of things in this scenario, I'd say that I have thoroughly enjoyed what I've been learning and I'm actually glad to be studying what I'm studying.

As for the social side, I've come across lots of different, cool people who I don't think I would've ever met in any other way, except through Uni. The people you meet here are from all over the place (myself included) and it's awesome to meet other fellow humans who are passionate about the same things as you.

Uni is way different to school because everything is done in semesters, and we enrol into different units every semester. I might not be in the same units as the people who I was with this semester, which kinda sucks because it feels like 13 weeks wasn't long enough to get to know people. Also, there are people that you wish you kinda got to know while you were in the same class but now the class has ended and your chance is gone (I don't know if i will ever be able to exchange greetings with that nice dude in my sound design tute again). Of course, this isn't the end. I know that there are hundreds more people to meet over the next three years and it will all be sweeeeeet.

Best Friends

The best kind of friends in the world are sometimes the ones you don't necessarily always get to talk to or see very often because you're just really busy with life and work and study, but that doesn't matter you're still best friends no matter what. I am so grateful to be able to say that I have a handful of those kind of friends - the ones that are like sisters to me, the ones who know what I am thinking when when I don't even know what I'm thinking or feeling myself and the ones who will be the 'aunties' to my kids. 

Living an hour away from the Gold Coast and getting slammed with Uni assignments can make it difficult to find time to spend with some of my favourite people. There are no longer Tuesday Night froyo hangs, spontaneous drives to wherever or random beach trips. It's a bit more difficult to do stuff when our schedules are packed, yet unpredictable. One of my best friends is currently in Japan, and it has felt like a lifetime since she left! I wish there was such thing as a teleporting machine, even if you have to dispense a $2 coin into it every time you wanted to go somewhere. Unfortunately, there isn't such a device and the closest thing to teleporting is the Gold Coast Express train. 

However despite these complications, I still think that our friendships are stronger than ever. I guess it makes us appreciate each other more when we don't see each other for a while and one day just hang out. It does take effort though, I'm not going to lie. There have been plenty of times where both parties have agreed to hang out or at least want to, but the busyness of life and all it's dilemmas just get in the way.

No matter what happens, no matter what we do or where we end up, my gal pals are those ONCE IN A LIFETIME kind of gal pals to keep for the rest of existence.

♡ 

Some of the best people in the world.

I Eat Chicken Wings Like A Girl

A five-and-a-half hour break between a tutorial and a lecture is a long, long time. This is every Wednesday for me. Over the past nine or so weeks of Uni, I've come to discover that as hard as you try to be productive with those crazy long breaks, you will only last for so long. Thankfully, I am fortunate enough to be able to study at a uni in Brisbane which is only a five-minute bus trip from the city. 

Oh boy, I sure do love the city. Yeah, some people say that it gets boring and there's really not much to do blah blah blah but I personally don't think it's going to get old for me anytime soon. There's actually quite a bit to do! Today on my uni break ventures, I first found myself chasing the view of Storey Bridge. It's kind of the Queensland/Brisbane version of the Harbour Bridge and I guess a metal structure is not all that exciting but at night, it's something magical. After capturing a few snaps, I thought South Bank would be a good destination to head to. 

My friend Albert (who goes to another uni) has always raved about this place in South Bank that does 25-cent buffalo chicken wings so i was dying to try them! However on my way, came across this really neat food market at the bridge end of Queen street Mall. It was incredible! There were food stalls from all different nationalities, flowers, fruits and veges and POPCORN. I had a really yummy german pretzel the size of my hand and a mint and lime ice tea. Oh, and let me just add that the food there was quite reasonably-priced as well! I ended up paying about $5 for my little snack meal. So good.

I finally ended up at South bank and I went to The Burrito Bar - the buffalo wings place. They are indeed 25 cents, but the catch is that you can order a minimum of ten and it goes up by tens, so the least you pay is $2.50. It was also dine in only which was a bit of a shame, since I was by myself and I was pretty keen on enjoying some wings whilst overlooking the Brisbane River, but instead I found myself on a bar stool, facing a really cute couple in a restaurant on the opposite side of the road. Nonetheless, the wings were satisfying and I managed to consume all ten of them without making a ridiculous mess of myself. 

That's pretty much my typical, procrastination Wednesday for ya, let's hope for more productive days to come haha.

It was a wonderful day.

Flipping delicious.

Pleasant fruit.

DIY: Pom Pom Garland

Oh hey procrastination, we meet again! Last night, I was up all night, thinking about cool crafts to decorate my new house and So I found myself making a Pom Pom garland the very next day! This craft was slightly inspired by Pinterst, but I predominately came up with it on my own because I was thinking of ways to make different kinds of garlands to hang around. They are good for decorating a space or wall, or even for wrapping around poles or trees. Go nuts!!

YOU'LL NEED

• wool - your choice of colour
• fork or just use your hand (depending on how big you want the pom pom to be)
• scissors 

WHAT TO DO

Basically, to make the pom poms, just take the end of the wool ball and wind it around your hand about 50 times. Tie it off by taking a short piece of wool and tying through the wrapped wool, not through the middle of the hole but kinda bunching it in the middle so it is firmly tied on the outer edge. Then cut the wool so the little pom pom bits start to stick out and tidy up by snipping the excess! Sorry I'm not very good at explaining, but I'm sure there are plenty of youtube tutorials out there that might be able to guide you better haha. after making quite a few of the pom poms, tie them along a long piece of wool. leaving a gapping approximately 7-10 centimetres between each pom pom. You should make around 30 pom poms to get a really nice long garland.

Pom poms make everything fun.

White Wash Warriors Don't Get a Sweet Ride

Have you ever thought that you've been trying so hard to understand something but just give up, because you think you're never going to get it? I have found that this is quite the case when I want to seek Jesus deeper. The other week, I was pondering on the idea of wanting to grow closer to God, but feeling like I can't seem to get anything out of reading His Word or even speaking to Him - like it's just too hard. Most of the time when I read my bible, I feel like I can't 'get a revelation' or something out of it and at times I feel like God isn't responding. Interestingly enough, He ironically revealed this pretty cool response to my questions and confusion. 

Sometimes, we think we are trying so so so hard to hear from God but we can't because deep inside, we are really not giving our everything. He showed me that it's gotta seriously take something out of our own flesh before we get to see what He wants to show us. What we think is sufficient enough is so small, compared to what God wants to show us. Those "yeah I'll read a chapter and after that, I think I'm all good" excuses are not painstakingly enough. It's a slap in the face but it's probably true. You simply cannot expect God to show you something if you are not prepared or equipped to understand what it is that He's got to reveal. 

I don't surf much, but I know that if I want to catch a solid wave, I've gotta paddle hard. If I was only willing to surf the white wash and wade in the ankle deep water, I wouldn't be getting anywhere and I would eventually give up because I can't seem to get barrelled. In order to get a decent ride, I have to understand that it takes a lot more than just splashing around on the shore. This means that I would have to get deeper in the water and put in a good dose of upper body strength (which I seem to lack anyway). It's much harder than surfing white wash but it's where you can start doing all the fancy stuff and it's much more fulfilling. Likewise, we too have to put in our efforts if we seriously want to get deeper in our relationships with Jesus. It will be hard and it will feel like it's taking a lot out of you but man, it is good. 

Living in Woop Woop

When you move from a teeny complex to a decently-sized block of land, you begin to realise how much of a difference it makes. I have recently moved house to an acreage estate, much of a shock compared to good ol' Somerset Gardens on Gemvale. The nearest shopping centre is about twenty minutes away (except to Woolies on Pub Lane which is a five-minute drive but not exactly 'late night' standard) and I no longer have the luxury of being able to duck down to the beach.

Living close to the middle of nowhere does have it's perks though. For starters, since there's none of the distractions of being able to go anywhere that does not require driving over 80/kph, I've had a lot of time to settle and slow down the pace of my life. I have realised that life on the Gold Coast was quite busy, even though I lived super close to everywhere. Where I live now has given me a chance to get more creative, think freely and just breathe. It's just still - no train, no motorway, no school right next door, no rowdy neighbours, just serenity.

Since I've had a lot of time on my hands (actually, more like procrastination from assignments), I have been able to do up my room a bit. Yes, that would have to be one of my most favourite things about moving; being able to start fresh and do up my own little creative space where all the magic happens. Here are some snaps I took tonight of my room.

✰✰✰✰

Frankie and Yen magazine cut-outs make
a pretty neat inspo wall.

Jars of sand and polaroids.

Sometimes you need a pineapple
 hanging from your ceiling.

DIY: Nifty Mondays

Sometimes you find the greatest little surprises when unpacking. I was feeling a little nifty tonight and I found some of this daisy chain lace-kinda stuff and created these - daisy chain bracelets! They're so easy to make and a cute little addition to your winter outfit. 

YOU'LL NEED

• a pair of snap fasteners
• enough daisy chain to wrap around your wrist
• needle and thread

WHAT TO DO

Take your snap fastener and start by sewing one half to the end of the daisy chain. When you sew the second one one, make sure that it is on the opposite side of the chain and overlapping one daisy when you wrap it around, kinda like when you velcro something together.

And thats basically it! As I said, incredibly easy! 

You can also double the length to wrap it around your wrist twice!

Hello Winter

Well holy moly me oh my, winter has struck once again. It's not exactly one of my favorite seasons but I do enjoy it's fashion, hot chocolate and the fact that you can skate in long pants without getting incredibly sweaty. Despite the struggle of getting out of bed on an early, frosty morning, there is something a little magical about this time of year. It sometimes makes me wish that it snowed here in Australia, just to add to the season. Some things that make winter bearable for me include:

• fuzzy socks
• hot chocolate (as stated above)
• layering
• skating with long pants and not getting sweaty (as stated above)
• bonfires
• rosy cheeks
• heaters
• warm blankets 
• lots of food 
• beanies
• putting clothes in the dryer and putting then on straight away
• that winter dusk sky

I hope this winter involves a lot of those and less of the chapped lips, colds, runny noses, not-enough-layers and cold toilets seats! Fun fact: when I was younger, I used to use the hair dryer to heat up the toilet seat hahaha. May this winter be wonderful x

Last year's winter sky at Bond Uni - perfect.

Code Blue Moment

Obedience and sacrifice. When you have a desire to love God and want to obey Him, He will make a way to give you those opportunities.

The other week, I was having some God-time at Burleigh, reading all these random scriptures and hoping that God would show me something. As a full-time uni student, I sometimes struggle to put some time aside to get into the Word and I find that it's not always on the top of my priority list. However, my assignments were done and the house was clean so this was a perfect opportunity to get into some goodness. For some reason, I had my mind set on what it means to obey God and how to love God because I was struggling to understand what it means to love Him when I felt like I can't hear what He wants me to do. Like, sure He has commandments but I didn't really feel like I've ever had a chance to put them into practice. I was flicking through and I landed on a little study note which woke me up:

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

James 1:22

Okay, so obviously, 'doing' is a part  of His will for us. What's a doer then? That was pretty much all that I got out of that revelation at the time so I decided to go for a skate and browse through some little stores to clear my head. As I was going along James Street, randomly came across this man. Now, I have never actually seen a 'street person' at Burleigh at lunch time during this whole time I've lived on the Gold Coast so this really got my attention. he had a sign in front of him, explaining why he need money and where he was going and at that moment, I knew that this was my 'doing' opportunity. I started walking towards Him and praying in my heart for the right words to say. It was a strange feeling but I didn't second guess. We exchanged greetings and began a conversation. There was a peace within me that I could not deny. I am personally a pretty awkward person when it comes to talking to complete strangers, but during this moment I almost felt like it wasn't even me who was talking. His name was Brett. He look worn and tired, yet young in an aged sort of way. He was looking for some cash to get to Sydney, because he got a job down there to make shirts. He had a younger brother. He was from Melbourne. his parents died in a car crash when he was young. He was a high school drop out in year 8. There was something so profoundly intriguing about conversing with a complete stranger. I asked if he had eaten lunch yet and he told me that he was working towards it. Doing opportunity number two. I said my 'see you laters' and as soon as he was out of my sight, I knew that I had to get him lunch. God was even showing me things along the way whilst getting fish and chips for this man. The lady in front of me was placing a pretty big order and the one thing running through my head was patience. Haha, cheers God. Once I got the order, I simply went back to Brett, gave him the meal, told him that Jesus loves him and wished him well. That was all. 

It doesn't take much to be Jesus to someone. It doesn't take much at all. You can be Jesus to someone in a plain white tee and purple lipstick, or a snapback and converse. If you want God to use you, simply ask and He will make sure that you will come across a moment to serve Him. You don't have to think twice about it, just do it.

I LIKE: Living on the GC

So long vertical hill starts, blue-and-brick units, 6 million speed bumps and 10 kph limits. As frustrating as my former complex regulations are, I am really going to miss living in one of the best cities in the world - where the only thing separating the ocean and the hinterland is a couple of kilometres, where the weather goes from good to perfect in a matter of days and where the company is more than what you could ever ask for. Over the past few years of living on the Gold Coast, I've met so many incredible people, learnt things that will be of great use for the rest of my life, from skating to Pythagoras and have discovered who I am and what I love. New seasons and changes are scary, but I know that this city is a place I can always call home. 

Yeah, so I'm only moving about an hour away from here and I will be back every week for church and youth, but i'm really going to miss living only fifteen minutes away from the beach and being able to see my best of friends every week for half-price froyo. 

I guess no matter where I go from here and no matter who I meet or what I do, there's a whole new journey ahead of me and I'm pretty excited to see what awaits for me!